Wheelie bins for hay soaking

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Wizpop

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Any of you use one? I'm looking into buying one as I need to soak quite large nets all the year round and am thinking this would be a good way of doing it.
Where is the best place to buy from and would the smaller, green, garden waste type hold two big nets?
 
We had a 240 litre bin and my OH fitted a tap to the bottom to drain the water, I had 5 horses at the time and would just put the whole bale of hay in to soak.
 
Buy the best quality bin you can get, they need to be very strong because water is very heavy (10lbs per gallon). A 240 litre bin can hold 48 gallons so the weight is high although it's appreciated that some of the volume will be hay. Also, due to the weight involved you need to fit a tap at the bottom so you can empty it easily & remember to site the bin near a drain. :)

http://www.direct2u.co.uk/wheelie-b...led-wheelie-bins/wheeled-bin-240-litre-1.html
 
I have given up soaking in a wheelie bin as it took so long to fill and empty and it's a pig to lift the hay out at the end when it's sodden and heavy. I now use a little water butt ( basically a dustbin with a tap ) which is much easier
 
The easiest way I found to soak a bale was using a bale sized thick plastic box (on wheels with lid) that I got from B&Q. My OH put a tap in one end to drain the water out.
The hay was always soaked in the nets, and I had tie rings above the box so it was easier to lift the nets out as despite the water draining out there was always still some to drain away from the nets.
 
I had a council bin, they are pretty tough, I drilled a hole in the bottom and used a wooden plug, in winter it needed to be near the drain. In the end I gave up with it and reverted to the biggest water trug from Jewson, but that was only for one medium haynet. Best thing I ever used for a bale was a bath, but not everyone wants a load of old baths around the place.
 
Bede said:
I have given up soaking in a wheelie bin as it took so long to fill and empty and it's a pig to lift the hay out at the end when it's sodden and heavy. I now use a little water butt ( basically a dustbin with a tap ) which is much easier
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I was going to suggest a water butt with a tap on it, we bought one for our garden under £30 im sure, if it was near a drain having the tap on it would make life so much easier :)
 
I have used a water but for the last 2 years and it is excellent. No idea what size but soaked up to 4 haynets (admittedly not stuffed).

My first one came from Wilkinsons and cost around £18, but this was without a stand which I was too tight to buy. Eventually some bits of stray gravel pierced the bottom (very heavy when full) so i was forced to buy another, this time from Buyology for about a tenner. I placed it on a folded up towel and this seems to have solved the problem.

Its so easy, just let the water out 15 mins before you want the hay and they are really well drained and easy to lift.
 
If any of you live near a branch of T-Quality (suppliers to the fast food industry) they have exactly the right thing. 150ltr strong bin with a rubber bung at the bottom, designed as a chip bin and will take two large and one smaller net easily. They don't rot and are fairly indestructible as long as they are not constantly dragged over concrete/gravel. Around £30 each and if you ask nicely they will sell as a one-off although they are really wholesalers.
 
We use a slim water butt on a small stand in the feed room because we don't have running water in there - saves loads of time and lugging buckets about. We fill it with the hose about once every six weeks (only two horses).
 
Thanks everyone- some really interesting ideas- I'm going to investigate the water butts as well now- don't know if we'll be having small bale hay this year so may not matter about the shape so much :)
 
pansymouse said:
We use a slim water butt on a small stand in the feed room because we don't have running water in there - saves loads of time and lugging buckets about. We fill it with the hose about once every six weeks (only two horses).
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Not having a go.. just pointing out. If you refill with a hose every six weeks then you are probably adding more sugar than you are soaking out come finish. Obviously if soaking for a coughing horse it doesn't matter so much, but if soaking out sugar for a fatty, the water needs replacing every day and ideally the hay should also be rinsed with fresh water before feeding.
 
I used to soak really big bales but they were so heavy to lift and took ages to drain (and the hay in the middle did not always soak very well) so have reverted to using smaller nets with two sections of small bale hay. I just put in several nets, or take the hay out and put into a bigger net. I use those massive trugs that you get from B&Q; easy to empty as well.
 
I use a wheelie bin with a tap in the bottom. I bought a pulley system to pull the haynet out and it makes life really easy. They do them on Amazon for a few quid. Also put a fitting on the tap to attach a hosepipe that takes the water anywhere you want depending on the length of hose, Easy peasy. Hope that helps.
 
Good ideas suelin- am very impressed with everyone's 'inventiveness' and have lots of ideas now - but do keep them coming folks if you've any too add- think I'll be giving the hay cube a miss at the mo as a bit pricey !!
 
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