McLanahan | Manure Augers

Manure Augers

Augers can be a great way to help dairy producers manage the manure on their dairy. They can be used to transfer manure long distances from the barns to a storage or processing facility, or they can be used to load spreaders or other processing equipment.

Unlike pumps, augers have generous clearances and can transport debris with minimal problems. They are also extremely versatile and are available in a variety of sizes, lengths, horsepower and materials of construction to fit nearly any project and budget. McLanahan’s engineering team can design complete material conveyance systems to minimize the amount of time an operator has to spend moving materials from barns or processing facilities.

Manure Augers are built to McLanahan’s high-quality standards for performance and reliability. Some of the auger components are also built to Conveyor Equipment Manufacturer Association (CEMA) standards, and heavy-duty options are available for nearly every auger. Several of the most common applications include: manure conveyance across freestall barns, conveyance of dewatered manure fibers, metering sand-laden manure into a sand separation system, loading manure spreaders with sand-laden manure, conveying dried manure or sand, conveyance into and out of a drying system, and metering materials out of a hopper.

How Manure Augers Work

Manure Augers are versatile and simple. A motor and gear reducer turn a shaft containing flighting at a predetermined speed. A housing or trough contains the shaft and material that needs conveyed. As the shaft turns, the flighting advances the material from one end of the trough to the other. Safety covers are used to help contain the material and provide safety.

In most modern freestall barns, manure is either scraped or flushed from the manure alleys into a conveyance trough. For scraped manure systems, a McLanahan auger may be placed into a level trough to convey manure to a reception tank. A drive is located at one end of the auger, and safety grating covers the areas where manure is pushed in. The auger is switched on either manually during tractor scraping or automatically when alley scrapers are used. The augers run for a set amount of time before turning off automatically.

Augers installed in a storage tank operate on an incline and meter material from the tank and into another piece of equipment. These augers have pre-formed metal troughs that create tight tolerances with the screw shaft. To decrease the abrasive wear on the auger trough, liners are installed between the trough and the screw shaft and can be removed and replaced when necessary.

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Why McLanahan Manure Augers

McLanahan has pioneered the use of augers for conveying manure and sand. Every day, hundreds of our auger systems move thousands of gallons of manure and sand on dairy farms of all sizes around the world. These systems are simple, robust, versatile and very cost-effective.

McLanahan can supply many different types of augers. Horizontal Manure Augers are used to transfer the manure that’s pushed to the end of the freestall alleys. They convey the manure hundreds of feet across barns to storage locations. Multiple sealing options are available depending on how deep the manure will get in relation to the drives. Bearings, screw shafts, hangars and drives are available in a variety of configurations, including a heavy-duty option to ensure a long service life under severe conditions.

Inclined Manure Augers are used to lift the manure from the storage area into another piece of equipment, often a Sand-Manure Separator, which requires the manure be metered in at a consistent rate. In other cases, a Spreader Loading Auger can load a manure spreader at a very high volume. In any case, these Inclined Manure Augers are designed and built with careful attention to make them long-lasting and easy to maintain.

Frequently Asked Questions About Manure Augers

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McLanahan Manure Augers were originally designed for conveying sand-laden manure, so they are built to withstand that abrasive environment. 

There are several things that make our augers unique:

  • Construction — These augers are designed to last under the most severe applications. This means that the correct types of material is used in the correct places. It also means that wear parts are easily replaceable and maintenance is reasonable.
  • Flighting options — We know that in a highly abrasive environment, flighting is one of the first things to wear out. We offer flighting in different material grades and thicknesses depending on the application. Our standard grade for the 11" and 18" augers are Hardox 450. Our 12" augers comes with a mild steel flight but can be upgraded. Our standard thickness ranges from 3/16" up to 3/8". We can go as thick as 3/4" in some cases.
  • Sealing options —We need to protect a motor and gearbox on every machine we sell. In some cases, that's easy, but in others, we have to be more cautious. In the easy cases, we can supply a standard lip seal. In the most severe applications, we'll provide the system with a metal face seal, which is capable of operating submerged in sand and manure for long periods of time.
  • Drive options — We can offer belt drives, gear motor drives and hydraulic drives to suit the installation.
  • Sizes and flow rates — Each system is examined by our engineering team to ensure that the equipment will meet or exceed our customers' expectations. With our wide range of sizes and lengths, we can accomplish a wide range of bulk conveyance goals.

There is seldom a one-size-fits-all solution for equipment selection. This is no different with our auger systems. Many standard components are available as stock for immediate delivery, but there are also many ways to customize the augers for your specific needs.

The longest distance with a single drive is more than 200 feet. Manure can be conveyed much longer distances by using multiple augers placed end to end to continue transferring the manure. The table below shows some standard lengths and horsepower.

Power Requirements for Conveying Sand-Laden Manure

Length (ft)

Drive Horsepower (hp)

Service Rating

12 3 Standard-Duty
24 5 Standard-Duty
36-72 7.5  Standard-Duty
84-108 10 Standard-Duty
120-168 15 Heavy-Duty
180+ 20 Heavy-Duty

You can save money several ways. With McLanahan’s heavy-duty Manure Augers, less time and money is invested in the upkeep and maintenance of the system. Also, when Horizontal Manure Augers are used to move manure from the end of the alleys, the tractor operator spends less time chasing the manure to the pit.

Many augers have been used to transfer manure from barns to a storage location. If the auger will be subjected to extended freezing conditions, a timer can be used to jog the auger on and keep it from freezing. Also, it’s recommended that the auger is covered with hay bales or something equivalent during cold spells to minimize the risk of freezing.

Manure Augers are built to McLanahan’s high-quality standards for performance and reliability.

Features & Benefits
  • Tested and proven in the dairy industry
  • Complete units are available as stock for quick delivery
  • Huge parts inventory for after-sale support
  • Available in a wide variety of drive options
  • Several seal options are available depending on the severity of the application
  • Heavy-duty screwshafts are available
  • Wide selection of bearings are available, including the McLanahan lower bearing assembly
  • Engineering staff are available for design, layout and support

Need Some Help?

Our customer service team is here to help you 24/7. We can ship you parts, send field service technicians to your site and answer any questions you have. Whatever you need, we are here for you.