Windrow Compost Turning Machine

Equipment Introduction

The windrow compost turner (also known as a tracked compost turner or self-propelled compost turner) is a specialized machine used in ground-based windrow composting processes. It is the core equipment for turning, crushing, aerating, and composting materials. This equipment belongs to the category of ground-based composting equipment and represents a relatively economical approach to fertilizer production, saving on civil engineering and human resources.

The windrow compost turner is a key fermentation piece in organic fertilizer production. Its technology integrates a crushing function in the later stages of fermentation—as the material is continuously turned, the cutter shaft effectively crushes clumps formed during fermentation, eliminating the need for an additional crusher. The equipment uses a rotating cutter shaft to turn, loosen, and move the material, and the integrated crushing function breaks down fermentation clumps, improving compost uniformity.

The windrow compost turner is a four-in-one multi-functional turning and composting device integrating fermentation, mixing, crushing, and relocation. As a mobile organic fertilizer equipment, it relies on its self-propelled tracked chassis for unrestricted movement throughout the site, making it suitable for production scenarios with scattered sites and non-fixed material piles. This equipment uses mechanical intelligence technology to achieve stepless speed control for both the walking and turning of the compost turner. It can precisely set the running speed of the wheels and the turning shaft according to the properties of the material to obtain the best output and quality.

Equipment Structure and Components

1. Power System: Employs a high-power vertical water-cooled diesel engine, with a power range from 54 hp to 156 hp, providing ample power reserves.

2. Walking System: Tracked walking device with strong traction, adaptable to complex terrain; features lever-operated on-the-spot turning technology, enabling 360° sharp turns.

3. Turning System: Composed of a thickened manganese steel turning shaft and wear-resistant cutter heads, supporting hydraulic lifting and adjustment to prevent the cutter heads from touching the ground and adapt to different pile heights.

4. Transmission and Control: Mechanical intelligent dual continuously variable transmission system, combining fully electrical buttons and joysticks for flexible operation.

5. Protection and Driving: The overall frame and protective plates are made of thickened national standard materials; equipped with a driver's cab, and air conditioning can be installed upon request to improve operating comfort.

Applications of the Equipment

Windrow compost turners are widely used in the following fields:

1. Livestock and poultry manure treatment: Harmless treatment and resource utilization of livestock and poultry manure such as pig manure, chicken manure, and cow manure.

2. Agricultural waste treatment: Crop straw, rice husks, edible mushroom residue, sugarcane bagasse, etc.

3. Sludge treatment: Sludge from urban sewage treatment plants, filter mud from sugar mills, and paper mill sludge.

4. Municipal solid waste treatment: Composting of organic municipal solid waste and kitchen waste.

5. Industrial organic waste: Food processing waste, pharmaceutical residues, and brewing waste.

6. Landscaping: Composting and fermentation of garden pruning waste and fallen leaves.

Applicable scenarios: Large-scale organic fertilizer plants, large-scale farms, sludge treatment centers, landfills, horticultural farms, and button mushroom cultivation plants, etc.

Raw Materials for the Equipment

The windrow compost turner can handle a wide range of raw materials, mainly including:

Raw Material Pretreatment Requirements:

C/N ratio adjusted to approximately 25:1

Moisture content controlled at 50%–65%

pH value controlled at 6–9

Materials need to be pre-piled into long windrows.

Working Principle of the Equipment

The machine straddles the windrow-shaped manure pile, using blades on a turning shaft to toss, break up, and re-pile the material. During this process, the material comes into full contact with air, and the input of oxygen promotes the activity of aerobic microorganisms, thereby accelerating fermentation, cooling, deodorization, moisture evaporation, and harmless treatment.
Standard Operating Procedures for Equipment

1. Initial Break-in Requirements (Mandatory)

Before the new machine is put into formal fermentation operations, it must complete 5-6 hours of no-load break-in (walking, reversing, turning). During the break-in period, turning the pile with material is prohibited. After the break-in is completed, change the gearbox oil and tighten all bolts on the drive shaft and frame. Operators must hold a valid driver's license and have at least 5 hours of hands-on experience operating the equipment; combine harvester drivers are preferred.

2. Pre-Start Machine Inspection

Mechanical Structure: Check the frame, tracks, turning blades, and the tightness of the drive shaft bolts; remove any debris entangled in the drum.

Energy System: Ensure diesel and engine oil levels are within specifications, and that the water tank has sufficient coolant. Select the appropriate grade of diesel/engine oil according to the ambient temperature.

Electrical System: Ensure the battery has sufficient charge, that wiring insulation is intact and undamaged, and that plugs are secure.

Transmission Components: Ensure the drive belt is properly tensioned and free of cracks or breaks.

Hydraulic System: Adjust the turning drum to a standard height of 5cm off the ground to prevent the blades from contacting the ground and causing wear.

3. Engine Starting Procedure

Depress the master clutch fully to disengage the power to the turning drum;

Ignite the engine and allow it to engage for ≤10 seconds per start, with no more than 3 consecutive starts and an interval of ≥2 minutes between starts;

After starting, idle for 10 minutes to warm up, stabilizing the speed to 2400 rpm;

Slowly release the master clutch, allowing the drum to start idling, then engage the first gear travel clutch for a low-speed test run.

4. Gear and Speed ​​Adjustment Operation Specifications

Travel gears: "Up for low speed, down for high speed," prioritizing low-speed travel during fermentation operations;

Turning drum speed adjustment: Press down the operating lever and pull to the left to adjust the drum speed;

Overload handling: Black smoke from the diesel engine indicates excessive material load. Immediately depress the travel clutch and allow the drum to idle and turn until the speed recovers before resuming forward operation.

5. Standard Operating Procedures for Formal Material Turning Operations

The equipment must straddle the entire material stack; forced compaction of the stack is prohibited. The width of the material stack must not exceed the equipment's rated turning width.

After startup, allow the machine to idle for 3-5 minutes without load, then allow the rollers to idle for 1 minute before entering the stack for turning.

If straw or fiber materials are found entangled in the rollers, immediately stop the machine and clean them; forced forward/backward movement is prohibited.

Standard stack dimensions: base width 2.4-3m, height 0.8-1.3m, stack spacing 0.8-1m, site flatness with an unevenness difference ≤5cm; operation on slopes is strictly prohibited.

6. Post-Operation Inspection

Thoroughly clean any entangled material and hardened deposits from the rollers.

Inspect for damaged blades, tight bolts, and track tension.

Check diesel and coolant levels, and inspect wiring insulation and drive belt wear.

Park the machine on a flat, hardened surface; disconnect the negative terminal of the battery for long-term shutdown.
Common Equipment Problems and Solutions

Application of the Equipment in the Production Line

The windrow compost turner is the core equipment in the fermentation section of an organic fertilizer production line, located at the source of the entire production line. Typical organic fertilizer production line process flow:

Raw material pretreatment → Windrow stacking → Tracked compost turner turning and fermentation → Matured material → Crushing and sieving → Batching and mixing → Granulation → Drying and cooling → Screening → Packaging

Specific positioning of the tracked compost turner in the production line:

Location: Fermentation section, windrow composting area

Function: Turning, crushing, aerating, and composting materials in windrow stacks

Connection: Connects to raw material pretreatment (mixing, stacking) at the front end, and prepares the matured material for entry into the granulation section at the rear end.

Suitable scenarios for the production line:

1. Large-scale production: In large organic fertilizer plants or farms, the tracked compost turner can be used with concrete fermentation tanks, with a turning depth of 2-3 meters, suitable for large-scale continuous production.

2. Small and medium-sized scenarios: The equipment is also suitable for ground-level windrow fermentation, requiring no complex civil engineering and resulting in low investment costs. Tracked compost turners, as mobile equipment, rely on their self-propelled tracked chassis to achieve unrestricted movement throughout the entire site.

3. Livestock Farm Support: In large-scale livestock farms, they can directly access the area around the pens to treat livestock manure, eliminating the need for manure transportation and achieving on-site fermentation, thus solving environmental emission problems.

4. Organic Solid Waste Treatment Station: Capable of processing organic materials such as straw and kitchen waste, enabling efficient open-air composting.

The equipment is equipped with a complete fermentation process.

The tracked compost turner is exclusively equipped with a windrow fermentation process, achieving full composting in 7-15 days. No fermentation tank is required, resulting in lower costs:

1. Raw Material Proportioning and Pretreatment: Livestock manure (high moisture) + dry straw, adjusting the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio to 25:1, controlling the moisture content to around 55%, adding high-temperature fermentation agents, and mixing thoroughly; long straw materials are chopped to within 5cm.

2. Windrow Stacking and Forming: The forklift stacks standard windrows: width matches the compost turner's width (2.4/2.5/2.6/3m), height 0.8-1.3m, stack spacing 0.8-1m, reserving a passageway for the compost turner.

3. Tracked Turning Machine Cyclic Turning and Oxygen Supply (Core Process)

Fermentation 1-3 Days Heating Stage: Turn the compost every 2 days to quickly oxygenate and raise the temperature to 55-65℃ to kill insect eggs and weed seeds;

Fermentation 4-10 Days High-Temperature Composting Stage: Turn the compost daily to balance the pile temperature and prevent anaerobic fermentation;

Fermentation 11-15 Days Cooling and Aging Stage: Turn the compost every 3 days to stabilize and decompose the organic matter, completing the composting process.

4. Post-Composting Deep Processing

After the composted organic fertilizer cools naturally, it enters a crushing and screening device to be separated into powdered organic fertilizer for direct sale or sent to a hydraulic roller granulator to prepare granular organic fertilizer.

Advantages and Features of the Equipment

I. Advantages Compared to Tire-Mounted Compost Turners

II. Core Competitive Advantages

1. Fully Hydraulic Operating System: Low failure rate, less maintenance

2. Integral Frame Lifting Design: Flexible control of turning height

3. Built-in Crushing Function: Eliminates the need for a separate crusher, reducing investment costs

4. High-Power Diesel Engine: Strong power, adaptable to various materials

5. 360° Steering Technology: Saves space and improves work efficiency

6. Sealed Cab Design: Equipped with air conditioning (optional), improving the operating environment

Windrow compost turners, as core equipment in the fermentation section of organic fertilizer production lines, have become the preferred choice for large-scale organic fertilizer plants, large-scale livestock farms, and sludge treatment centers due to their advantages such as fully hydraulic drive, tracked movement, on-the-spot turning, and high-power turning. Their aerobic fermentation technology can convert livestock manure, agricultural waste, and other organic raw materials into high-quality organic fertilizer within 15-20 days, achieving the dual goals of resource utilization and environmental protection.

We have been deeply involved in the fertilizer equipment field for many years, and our products cover the process design, equipment manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and after-sales maintenance of various production lines, including organic fertilizer, compound fertilizer, BB fertilizer (blended fertilizer), and bio-fertilizer, providing you with full-process services.