Hauling Bulk Fertilizer

Freeborn

5 year old buck +
How are you loading and hauling your bulk fertilizer from your coop? I need to buy 400Lbs of Super Urea from my local coop and they don’t sell it in bags. I typically don’t buy this much at one time but am planting corn this year so I need a larger amount. In the past I have used 5 gallon pales but because I am buying a larger amount I’m looking for other ideas.
Most coops are not setup to dispense such small amounts and it would be helpful if I could find a way to make it easier for the coop to load the Urea.
What are other people doing?
 
You could cut (or find an open top poly drum with a lid and ring) a 55 gallon poly drum and scoop out what you need as you go.
 
Throw a tarp down in the back end of your truck. Scoop it into buckets when you start using it.
 
I use a large otter sled. I can fit about 500 lbs in it in the back of the truck.

We scoop it with 5 gallon pails into the sled.
 
Biglakeba$$, are you getting your Urea at ProAg in Henning? How do you know the weight? Each pail weighs XX and you just add them up?
 
Yep, thats where i get it.

We fill a pail, weigh it, and then dump x number of pails and calculate out the weight.
 
I get my bulk at Pro ag in Parkers Prairie and they have it loaded (pre measure 500lb min) in a hoper I just back my trailer under it and they drop in. Takes about 20 sec. They also have a small spreader you can pull behind you truck.
 
I use a gravity grain box. Can't keep it in there long, fertilizer gets runny and sticky when it contacts metal.
 
I get my bulk at Pro ag in Parkers Prairie and they have it loaded (pre measure 500lb min) in a hoper I just back my trailer under it and they drop in. Takes about 20 sec. They also have a small spreader you can pull behind you truck.

Deer Kar, Parkers is where I typically buy my fertilizer. Does Parkers provide the hoper and if not what type of a trailer do you use to load your fertilizer? What does Parkers charge you for the handling of the hopper? Thanks!
 
Throw a tarp down in the back end of your truck. Scoop it into buckets when you start using it.
This is what I would do.
 
The hopper is fixed In the fertilizer shed at Pro Ag they fill it to a certain measurement that equates to your desired weight then you back under it and they drop the pre-measured amount. I use my 4x8 utility trailer with wood sides and metal floor. It makes a big boom when they drop it. Not sure what they charge to rent the smaller hopper spreader.I have one that I mount on my wheeler and just load it from the trailer. I usually get a 24-24-24 or 19-19-19 for my corn etc. you can get a lot more for you $ if you buy bulk. They can also mix one for you if you want a custom blend.
 
Feed urea is also 46% nitrogen. they have it in bags at Pro-Ag in Parkers. bulk can get messy if you can't use it all right away and very tough on metal parts.
 
Tarp in the back of the truck bed would be the way I would go if I had to go that route. 55 gallon drum(s) would work as well.
 
Buy the Rubbermaid tubs they sell at places like Menards. The savings on your first "buy" of fertilizer will pay for them. I buy mine in Big Lake at the fertilizer "place" and load the tub using 5 gallon buckets from their bulk bins. It took me 10 minutes to load 850# of Urea that cost $550 a ton. I weigh in and out on their truck scale. If I bought it in bags, it would cost twice as much. Urea will blow out a bit if you don't use a lid and use a trailer. I just top it off with a thin payer of potash and it won't go anywhere. So much easier to load bins in my trailer than loading bins in the back of my truck with a topper. I don't like using lids during transport because you can lose them in the trailer driving. I then can store the bins with the lid on at the farm and they will last forever. This way you can buy off season and save even more on prices. Buy the individual components like Urea, Potash and DAP (diammonium phosphate) and mix it your self as you use it. It is so much easier to deal with and buy this way. Just a reminder that the smaller tubs work better...especially for Potash and DAP because it so much heavier than Urea. I used to line my pickup bed with a tarp and then have them dump 1500# in the back. But then you had to shovel it out and rinse out your truck extra good. It does not take much Potash to start rust!!!!!!!! The tubs are the way to go. Then in the fall the neighbor picks a couple of acre of corn for me. I then load all my empty tubs of corn and bring it home to feed the deer and ducks in my yard. Keeping the corn in tubs keeps it dry and mouse proof.
 
Steve, I like the idea of tubs that are managable in size. I would like to make one trip and be done with it. I'm still working out where it works best to buy my fertilizer as some places are better set up to handle these small purchases. I'll end up buying about a ton of DAP/UREA/Potash but my local place does not have an external scale so weighing it gets complicated and even though they have never refused to sell me product they have made it clear they are not happy about dealing with small loads. I ended up traveling 50 miles round trip to get 1400 pounds of DAP/Potash this spring just to avoid dealing with the local Coop who is 3 miles from me.

Thanks for the advice.
 
My place is not set up at all for small purchases, but they have a truck scale. I am surprised your coop does not have a scale. Almost all of them do to weigh in and out trucks. I just told them what I was going to do and that I would do all the work and they are fine with it. It only takes 20 minutes to get a ton using 5 gallon pails. I scoop 2 pails and walk 15 feet to the truck or trailer and dump them in the tubs. It works great. Once nice thing about the tubs is that I don't always drive my truck up to the farm to save on gas (120 miles one way). So I can put 2 small tubs in my back seat of my car every time I go up and drop them off or use them.
 
I have never received any guff from the guys at Henning Pro Ag.

We simply fill one pail, weigh it and start dumping into the sled and multiply by the number of pails we dumped. Off I go.
 
I have purchased from Eagle Bend Pro Ag and they are great people who go out of their way and I spoke to the folks at Henning and they seem great so I'm not certain whats up. I might try Henning, sounds like they are good people. I bought my DAP and Potash this year in Wadena at Leaf River and they were good to work with and not a bad drive. If I can rig up the hauling and handling I'll buy my yearly fertilizer requirement in one trip and be set.
 
I cut the tops off of 55 gallon drums and use the lids and put garbage bags over them and bungee them. I use either a 5 gallon pale or smaller to scoop the fertilizer out. What is the cost of fertilizer over there? last year it was $.21/lb and I thought that was a pretty decent deal. I got that price on both triple 19 and the urea I bought.
 
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