How much muck does the Muck Buddy hold?
Generally speaking, the Muck Buddy holds the muck from one 12x14 stall. Often times the muck from two 10x10 stalls can be placed in the basket, once the first stall's good bedding is spun out. Depending on how diligent you are in spinning the good bedding out, determines how much muck you'll be able to place in the basket before it needs to be emptied.
How many stalls can I muck with the Muck Buddy?
You should be able to muck 1-2 stalls per trip. Many variables enter into this equation: from the type of bedding used; to how often the stall is mucked; to whether the horse in the stall is a gelding, mare or stallion; to the size of each stall, to how diligent you are as a mucker. You'll find that the answers to these questions determine the number of stalls that can be mucked in a single trip.
How long will it take me to muck a stall?
No longer than it currently takes—often times quicker because you don't have to sift each forkful by hand. With a 10x10 stall, you can generally muck and rake the whole stall in about 5 minutes.
What's the best type of bedding to use with the Muck Buddy?
Virtually any type of bedding can be used with the Muck Buddy. However, to see the most in financial savings, the Muck Buddy is best used with pelleted wood bedding or sawdust. If you use wood shavings you'll see very minor cost savings in bedding, as only the smallest of the dry shavings will pass back through the basket. Straw users will not see any financial savings in bedding use, as the Muck Buddy is designed to not allow the wet straw to pass back through the wire mesh. All users will notice, however, a significant time savings with the Muck Buddy's ease of use in dumping as well as in it's unique design as an all in one barn cart.
Can I mix the dry with the wet bedding?
Absolutely. One of the benefits of the Muck Buddy is that it mixes and aerates the dry with the damp and sifts the good bedding back out, leaving a fluffy, clean stall. With sawdust, straw and wood shavings, the wet bedding clumps together when spun and does not fall back through. With pelleted bedding, the bedding actually benefits from the moisture and mixing, and, according to the wood pellet's manufacturers' directions, it's highly recommended to mix the two. The pelleted bedding will continue to expand and absorb as it mixes together until the pellets reach their maximum absorbency capacity.
What about the heavy pee spots?
Mix it all together, as the heavy pee spots and manure clump together and do not fall back out. If you're not comfortable in mixing it all together and then spinning the good bedding out, leave the excessively wet spots for last and place on top of the manure in the basket after the good bedding has been spun out. Most people, however, find there is no need to do it this way.
Does the manure break up and pass back through?
No. The manure clumps together with all the muck that's placed in the basket and does not pass back through. You'll notice the holes in the Muck Buddy's wire mesh are sized to sift like a sifting fork with the advantage that the manure doesn't fall off the sides like it does with a fork.
How many times do I need to spin the basket in order to see cost savings?
If you use pelleted wood bedding or sawdust, you will see the most financial savings in bedding by giving the basket 7-8 good spins, which takes about 20 seconds. You'll see on average about 1/3 of a bag of pelleted bedding saved per stall each time you muck. With wood shavings, you'll only need to tumble the basket a few times, as the majority of the wood shavings are too big to pass through the wire mesh of the Muck Buddy. No need to spin it with straw as you'll only see a savings in time with this type of bedding.
How can I dump the manure into my spreader?
With ease. If you have a ramp up to your spreader, just roll the Muck Buddy up onto it like a wheelbarrow. Once the Muck Buddy is over the spreader, rotate the basket, open the door and dump. If you don't have a ramp, the basket is light enough to lift off the cart and you can then pivot and dump the basket by hand.
If I have a lot of stalls and haul my manure out to the pile with my pick-up truck or gator, can I still do that?
Absolutely. If you're running a large operation, or if your manure pile is a distance from the barn, you can still use your pick-up truck or gator as your mode of transportation to the manure pile. The Muck Buddy has a removable basket that can be placed in the back end of a cart or pick-up truck with ease. To eliminate multiple trips to the manure pile we suggest you use numerous Muck Buddy baskets to muck, in order to make one trip to the pile.
Why did you design the Muck Buddy the size that it is?
The Muck Buddy was designed to (1) fit through a stall door and to spin the good bedding back out into the stall, (2) hold the muck of a single large horse stall, (3) be able to maneuver and handle with ease—with an 11-year old child in mind, and (4) be able to haul two bales of hay with little effort.
Will a horse get hurt with the Muck Buddy?
The Muck Buddy is a mucking machine. We never recommend mucking with a horse in a stall, but you know your horses, and we leave that decision up to you.
What's the Muck Buddy made out of?
Galvanized steel.
Is the Muck Buddy weather proof?
Yes, and muck proof :)
How much does the Muck Buddy cost?
The Muck Buddy costs $479 plus shipping.
When will I recoup the cost of the Muck Buddy?
Based on mucking two stalls per day, you'll recoup the cost of the Muck Buddy in approximately 5 months with growing savings from there on out. Based on the price of pelleted bedding at $6 per bag and two stalls, the math equates to an average savings of about $3 per day, or $90 a month in bedding savings—not to mention the savings you'll gain in time.
How long before I receive my Muck Buddy?
Six to eight weeks.
What if I purchase it and it doesn't work for me?
No worries. We strive for exceptional customer service, that's why we offer a no-risk, 30 day satisfaction guarantee beginning at the time it arrives on your farm!
How can I purchase a Muck Buddy?
Call 1-877-MuckBuddy. We accept Visa, M/C, American Express, Discover, oh, and of course, cash! In addition we'll soon be offering the ability to order the Muck Buddy on-line through PayPal. Watch for details.
