How to Choose the Right Feed Wagon for Your Livestock Operation?

In the world of farming, profit margins can be razor-thin. That’s why having efficient livestock feeding equipment can make all the difference, saving you money, time, fuel, and maintenance costs. If you’re in search of a solution that ticks all these boxes, the Combi multi-feeder wagon range from Hustler might just be the answer.

What is a Combination Multi-Feeder Wagon?

The Hustler Combi multi-feeder wagon range is designed for farms or ranches that need to handle substantial volumes of feed, whether it’s in the form of bales, silage, roots, or co-products. It’s an ideal choice for operations that can accommodate a blend and don’t require the precision mixing of a high-performance total mixed ration (TMR) wagon. Instead, the Combi wagon offers efficiency without the hefty price tag, time-consuming loading, high fuel consumption, and demanding maintenance that often come with TMR mixers. Plus, it’s lighter, enhancing safety on uneven terrains, and eliminates the need for a separate loading machine.

Key Features and Benefits of the Hustler Combi Wagon

Versatility: The Hustler Combi wagon can handle any type of livestock feed, including bales, silage, roots, and co-products. This versatility makes it an excellent choice for farms and ranches with diverse feeding needs.

Efficiency: The Combi wagon is designed for lightning-fast feeding chores, completing tasks in a fraction of the time it takes a traditional TMR mixer to grind up the mix. Loading is quicker and more convenient (low loading height), and with a tractor loader and SwiftHitch quick hitch, you can even eliminate one tractor from your feeding routine.

Safe operation: Unlike a TMR mixer, the Hustler Combi wagon boasts a lightweight construction and a lower center of gravity, making it a safer choice for navigating uneven terrain. Moreover, the Hustler Combi wagon operates with 100% hydraulic drive, eliminating any potential risks associated with rotating power take-off (PTO) shafts.

Durability: With its simple design and the absence of wearing parts such as knives and augers, the Hustler Combi RX wagon not only guarantees reliability but also demands minimal maintenance.

Increased Capacity: Operators can downsize their machinery while upsizing their capacity by opting for the Combi. For example, operations currently using a 570ft³ TMR can achieve the same feed volume with a more efficient 494.4 ft³ Combi RX148 feed wagon.

How the Hustler Combi Wagon Works

The Combi RX wagon has a unique design that allows it to handle a wide range of livestock feed. It utilizes a hydraulic ram-powered back pusher blade that moves feed toward a load-dividing cross floor and an elevator setup. The elevator can handle bales, silage, root crops, or any other types of feed and can be adjusted to suit the specific feed type and blends the layered feeds as it teases it out on delivery.

The wagon also includes a load-dividing system, strategically designed to minimize stress on all components. This innovation enables the wagon to operate entirely on hydraulic flow, eliminating the need for a PTO, resulting in fuel savings and reduced wear and tear on your tractor. Furthermore, it offers optional cutting-edge technology such as FeedLink™, a wireless feed weighing and management system, along with FeedControl™, streamlining feeding operations for your convenience.

Choosing the Right Model of Combi Wagon

The Hustler Combi range offers three models, with capacities ranging from 494.4 ft³  to 742 ft³. Here’s a quick overview:

Determining Your Needs

To determine the ideal Combi multi-feeder wagon for your operation, consider factors such as the size of your herd, the type of feed you use, your existing equipment, and loading height restrictions. Each producer scenario may require a different model, so it’s crucial to match your specific needs to the appropriate Combi wagon.

For example, a farmer with a dairy herd might use the Combi wagon to feed their cows a mixture of silage, hay, and grain. A rancher with a beef herd might use the wagon to feed their cattle hay, silage, and mineral supplements. The Combi wagon is also a good option for farms and ranches that need to supplement feed their animals on pasture.

To help you navigate the selection process and match your unique needs with the right Combi multi-feeder wagon, let’s dive into a few common producer scenarios. By identifying the scenario that closely resembles your own, you’ll be well on your way to discovering the perfect fit from the Hustler Combi range.

Scenario 1: Dairy Delight

Operation Type: Pasture-based dairy farm

Herd: 120 milking cows and associated young stock, seasonally calved Current Feed: Grazing and supplementation (hay bales, bulk corn silage, concentrate, vegetable by-products such as tomato pomace, carrot pulp, baby corn husk, and forage from the food processing plant next door). Currently developing pastures with various combinations of forages to optimize opportunities for year-round grazing.

Current Feedout Equipment: Twin-screw vertical mixer

Current Feedout Tractor: 150hp (110-kW) tractor and an additional front-end loader

Challenge: Being a pasture-based operation aiming for year-round grazing, there is no particular need for a total mixed ration as the herd is primarily fed on bales and silage. The dry stock and the replacement heifers are grazing and solely supplementing with hay (and sometimes straying when the supply is stretched). The vertical mixer is taking a toll, having to go through rough forage. The mixing time exceeds 30 minutes per load, fuel consumption is high, and maintenance costs are elevated as the mixer blades need more frequent replacement than usual.

Recommended Wagon: Hustler Combi RX178. This feed wagon can unroll bales and distribute silage in one pass, skipping the mixing time. It can even feed out vegetable by-products when available, and layering feeds in the Combi provides an adequate blend of feeds preventing free-choicing. Maintenance costs are negligible, and it could save about one hour a day. The main feedout tractor can be used for both loading and feeding, even when using the optional Hustler FeedLink™ scales.

Scenario 2: Little Valley Charolais

Operation Type: Family-owned medium-size cow-calf and fattening operation, specialising in Charolais stock seed and premium grass-fed finished beef.

Herd: 70 cows with calves, year-round calving

Current Feed: Pasture grazing, supplemented with locally sourced round bales of hay and minimal beefcake concentrate during the winter months.

Current Feedout Equipment: hay rings and small feed wagon

Current Feedout Tractor: 85hp (45-kW) compact tractor

Challenge: This medium-size cow-calf operation struggles with limited labor resources. Hay rings are relatively fast to use when labor is limited, but the hay waste is considerable and the limited available pastures are terribly damaged in winter, which increase cost in re-seeding and spraying fertilizer. During harsh winters, it’s challenging to ensure all animals receive adequate nutrition and pasture rotation is not suitable to closing off section for hay field, which create additional cost in exclusively buying hay. The small wagon is used to feedout beefcake but cannot unroll bales.

Recommended Wagon: Hustler Combi RX148. This compact and efficient feed wagon can easily handle round or square bales, saving time and effort, but also allowing to take full loads in faraway paddocks, offering the possibility to close off some for hay fields. As no PTO is required, with a smaller tractor, it can still efficiently distribute hay, ensuring that each cow and calf gets the required nutrition without straining the operation’s limited labor force. The beefcake supplement can also be loaded in the Combi wagon and be distributed at the same time as the bales if necessary.

Scenario 3: Golden Prairie Ranch

Operation Type: Large-scale cow-calf operation

Herd: 550 Angus cows with calves, year-round and spring calving

Current Feed: Exclusive use of 3′ x 4′ x 8′ square hay bales (to reduce haulage cost), sourced from extensive hay fields on the property and purchased from all over the country, based on competitive pricing.

Current Feedout Equipment: Bale processor

Current Feedout Tractor: 180hp (135-kW) tractor with a high-capacity front-end loader

Challenge: This sizable cow-calf operation relies solely on square bales for its feeding regimen. The bale processor, while capable of processing square bales of hay, struggles to meet the demands of such a large herd. Efficiency, speed, and labor optimization are essential for sustaining this operation’s profitability.

Recommended Wagon: Hustler Combi RX218. The Combi would be a game-changer for this large cow-calf operation. Its ability to handle square bales with speed and precision, even in large quantities, will significantly enhance feedout efficiency. The reduction in labor due to a reduction of the number of trips to the field can help ensure that all animals receive the necessary nutrition promptly. And the leaf retention due to the gentle teasing action of the Combi RX saves 2-3 bales per day due to less wasted nutrition with the elimination of that valuable green dust cloud.

Scenario 4: Sunrise Meadows Feedlot Company

Operation Type: High-capacity feedlot fattening operation.

Herd: 1,700-head capacity feedlot, including cattle of various sizes and ages

Current Feed: Total mixed ration consisting of silage, grain, and liquid supplements.

Current Feedout Tractor: Truck-mounted horizontal screw mixer.

Current Feedout Equipment: Three-phase electric motors driven large stationary mixer.

Challenge: This bustling feedlot operation requires multiple daily feedings of a precisely mixed total ration to ensure the health and growth of the cattle. The choice to use a heavy-duty stationary mixer is excellent to ensure high flow and speed, but the distribution is a massive issue. The current truck mounted auger is getting old and the replacement cost is high, while the maintenance cost of the auger has been a money drain for several years.

Recommended Wagon: Hustler Combi RX218. This feed wagon can greatly streamline the feedlot’s operation. Its capacity and ability to handle total mixed ration efficiently while being very low maintenance will significantly reduce feeding time and labor requirements. With multiple feeding trips per day, this robust feed wagon can keep up with the operation’s high demands, ensuring consistent nutrition for the different cattle age groups or size groups.

Consult Your Local Hustler Expert

For personalized assistance in selecting the right Combi multi-feeder wagon for your operation, reach out to your local Hustler Equipment Expert. They can help you assess your needs, budget, and equipment compatibility to ensure you make the best choice!