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What is a Stall
Shi*fter?
The Stall Shi*fter is a sifter on wheels with an electric motor
driven sifting screen. The Shi*fter is rolled into a stall and turned
on. As
the sifting screen shakes, the user shovels the mixture of bedding and
manure onto the screen. It's like magic, the bedding sifts through the
screen and falls to the floor in a nice fluffy pile as the manure moves
back to the low end of the screen and falls off the rear into a muck
bucket.
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How much does it cost?
The Shi*fter should be considered an investment in equipment, not
a cost. As any business person knows, the best way to improve profits
is to control cost. The best way to control cost is to eliminate waste
and improve efficiency. The Shi*fter does both. It will return
your
investment many times over for years to come. The
investment
can be recouped in a 12 stall barn in as few as 3 months. It can pay
for
itself four times over in a year, better than any other piece of
equipment
you can purchase for your farm. It can be completely depreciated
as business equipment on taxes. Click
the Prices
link to find the pricing information.
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How long have Stall Shi*fters been around?
I built the first Stall Shi*fter in November of 1996 and
introduced it to the public at the Hoosier Horse Fair in Indianapolis
in April of 1997. We have been improving and fine tuning it ever since.
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How can it
save me money?
A survey of our customer base taken in November of 1999 reveals the
following: Our average customer reduced cleaning time by 65%, cut
bedding cost by 50% and is very happy with the overall operation of
their Shi*fter. The range of cost saving varied from farm to farm but
the overall average dollar savings were significant.
It adds up quickly in large operations.
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What do you
do with the wet spot?
When using the Shi*fter in the preferred manner, the stall is
prepared for sifting before the Shi*fter is rolled in. This
preparation takes less than a minute. Wet spots are easily identified
and scooped
up into the tub with your grain shovel. If small wet spots are missed,
don't worry, the wet bedding has a tendency to clump together and most
of it goes off the end of the screen into the tub anyway. What falls to
the pile of sifted bedding is inconsequential and will be well mixed
with
the dry bedding.
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How long can you keep recycling bedding?
Bedding life depends on many factors. In most stalls, fresh bedding is
added every few days to replace the wet spot that was removed, some
stalls more than others depending on the horse. When the bedding gets
to
the point where it is too dusty it should be stripped out and replaced
with fresh bedding. Application of Arena RX will eliminate dust
and
greatly increase the life of bedding.
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What
is the best stall flooring to use?
We found rubber mats to be best. The cost of the mat is recovered
in the labor and bedding savings in just a couple of years. Rubber mats
are easy on the horses, they do not absorb urine, and they are a better
surface than dirt to scoop bedding from. The mats will also help reduce
the amount of bedding necessary.
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What is the
best bedding to use?
There are many good types of bedding available, rice hulls, wood
shavings, peat moss, wood pellets, Guardian Swift Pick,
sawdust etc., etc.
Any bedding used with the Stall Shi*fter must be small enough to pass
through the screen which is a 1/2 inch by 1 inch diamond grid. A
informative table showing average absorption rates is shown on the page
comparing automatic
sifting to manual sifting
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Will
wood pellet type bedding work with a Shi*fter?
There are numerous brands of "pelletized bedding" available
in different parts of the country and they are becoming quite popular
with
barn managers. When used as directed this type bedding works
quite
well in the stall and the Stall Shi*fter sifts it quickly because it is
so
fine. Most of the pelletized bedding comes from Canada and is made of
pine
shavings. Guardian Horse
Bedding is one of the brands available in the Midwest
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How
easily is the Shi*fter moved from stall to stall?
The Little Shi*fter has four wheels and pushes around much like a
shopping cart, even easier. Narrow work aisles are no problem because
it can be turned completely around in an aisle 5 feet wide.
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What
are the physical dimensions?
The
Shi*fter is 30 inches wide, 58 inches long and 36 inches high and
weighs 115 lb. when fully assembled. The shipping box dimensions are 57
long, 9 inches deep and 29 inches wide. Full shipping weight is 135
lb.. The Deluxe Long bed model uses a 48 inch sifting screen and is 68
inches long.
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Can the Stall Shi*fter roll over a
step?
The Little Shi*fter has 14 inch wheels and pushing down on the
front handle raises the castor wheels, much like a baby carriage going
up a curb, with about 25 pounds of downward pressure. It will pull over
a
six inch step with ease.
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What kind of
motor does it have?
It has an industrial grade high torque Leeson gear motor with a 1 year
warranty. There are two motor types, 115 volt fixed speed AC motor and
a variable speed 90 volt DC motor.
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What about shipping?
We can ship via truck to anywhere in the Continental United States or
Canada. Alaska orders will include some sea travel.
Shipment is by UPS. We have shipped to Germany, England, Puerto
Rico, Canada and Alaska with no problem.
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Is any assembly
required?
There is some minor assembly work required but nothing too
difficult for the average person. There is a fully illustrated assembly
manual with many photos.
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How long will it last
We expect them to
last a lifetime if they are maintained. We have many of our original
wooden models still operating every day. We honestly don't know how
long they will last but it is many years.
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What kind of maintenance is required?
A occasional drop of oil on the tie rod end or bearing when it
squeaks and normal reasonable cleaning.
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Are
replacement parts available?
It was designed so that no special tools would
be required for repair. A parts list can be found at the end of the manual All repairs are simple and seldom
required.
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Are
there many adjustments that need to be made?
The pitch of the screen is adjustable from front to rear to
increase or decrease the travel time of the manure and bedding from
front to rear. If the stall floors are fairly level this adjustment
will probably be set once for the type and size of bedding particles
and left at that
setting until you change bedding type.
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Isn't it harder to run everything through the Stall Shi*fter
than to pick with a fork?
The manure fork is much more tedious and requires shaking which is
very hard on arms, wrists, shoulders, backs and elbows as many already
know. Much less strenuous palms up labor more friendly to those body
parts replaces this shaking. On average a 10 x 12 stall with 3 inches
of bedding takes 5 minutes to clean using the Stall Shi*fter and a
grain shovel. When it is cleaned with the Stall Shi*fter it is really
clean, all particles larger than a kernel of corn have been
removed. This cannot be done with
a fork.
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Can
it be used when the horse is in the stall?
We do not recommend cleaning stalls with horses in them. It is not
noisy and we have not had any problem with spooking horses in adjacent
stalls. You must find out for yourself if your horses are excited by
the Stall Shi*fter. If they are don't use it while they are in adjacent
stalls.
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How many have you sold?
We have been
making Shi*fters for 11 years and have shipped them all over the U.S.A.
and Canada/ We've also shipped to Alaska, Puerto Rico, Great Britain
and Germany. Total sales at about 500 units.
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How do I
order one?
Simply pick up your telephone and give us a call at 812-837-9607 or you can email
us at shifter@hughes.net.
We accept VISA and MasterCard.
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15 day free trial and
warranty?
Each Stall Shi*fter comes with the following two year
warranty against
breakage caused by defective material or workmanship. We also
offer a 15 day free trial.
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