Back when growing root crops for livestock feed was more common there used to such things as root grinders to grind the stuff up so that it could be more easily consumed. I've decided I'd like to have something like this to make it more easy to feed sweet potatoes and whatnot. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one in the usual places like Ebay or Lehman's. A Google search turned up a lot of stump grinders but no livestock feed root grinders. Anyone have any idea where I can find such a creature? Thanks.

.........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 15, 2002

Answers

dont know about a grinder,,, but a chopper can be made easily,, saw this in an "old timey book". A hand saw,, upside down,, maybe a little edge put on it,, with a long bolt thru the hole in the end of the blade,,used as a pivot,, makes quick work of beets and carrots

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 15, 2002.

What about using a yard chipper?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

Hey Alan,

you can make one easily enough if you have some metal working skills. I made one from two pieces of 4 inch diameter steel rod (round rod) about 18 inches long into which I threaded a couple of dozen mild tool steel "knives" that I made from some scrap 3/8ths inch hss steel rod I got at the scrap yard. I had to heat it to completely anneal it to make the threads and then I rehardened the sharpened ends.

Anyway, the two knife drums are mounted on slow speed bearings , they are connected by a roller chain through a jack shaft so they spin towards one another. Can run it off the tractor PTO or with an electric motor the way I made it. Not OSHA approved, but I still have all of my fingers etc.

Sorry about the lack of clarity...my point is that you might be able to cobble up a decent root shredder with stuff from your scrap pile. i have seen some apple grinders that was made with two wooden cylinders to which some pieces of ancle iron were bolted for knives.

Good Luck.

Oscar

-- Oscar (owill@mail.whittier.edu), February 15, 2002.

This may not be a helpful idea because you may be looking for something that will do more volume in a shorter time but how about a garbage disposal? I heard of a guy who used a cheap disposal rigged up over his cider press to grind apples- said he got lots of juice from the resulting slurry. Might be overkill for animal feed but then again maybe they get more nutrition the better its "chewed" up, just like us.

-- Sara Perry (JPerry1218@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

I suppose the regular old livestock hammer mill feed mills don't work with a wet crop? They are a dime a dozen with the shakeout of smaller hog farms, a large size screen would grind pretty good but the rest might gum up?

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), February 15, 2002.

I don't know about a livestock feed hammer mill. Has anyone run roots through one to find out? Sounds like an option if it wouldn't gum everything up. Sweet potatoes tend to be pretty sugary thus fairly sticky.

The garbage disposal sounds doable since I wouldn't need to grind more than five pounds or so at a time. Saw one just last week in a yard sale. Of course, in accordance with the laws of the natural perversity of the universe I won't see another one for years now that I have a use for one.

I like the idea of constructing one like described above but I don't have any welding gear (yet) so I'll have to table it until I get some. That's on the list for 2003 acquisitions.

Anyone else have any ideas?

.........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 15, 2002.

I wonder if you could run the hammer mill screenless and get the job done...actually, if you could get an old silage chopper it would be close to perfect...

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), February 15, 2002.