Before you pick a mixer size, pick a setup. Stationary, trailed or truck-mounted. Each one changes your daily routine, your labour, and what other machines you need. Get this wrong and no tub size will fix it.
Trailed mixers
The most common setup. A tractor pulls the mixer to the feed, loads it, then drives to the bunk and unloads.
Good for: most dairy and beef farms, mixed farms where the tractor has other jobs.
Watch for: you need a tractor with enough power for the mixer, plus a loader. That’s two machines and often two people.
Truck mounted mixers
The mixer sits on a truck chassis. Fast travel, smooth on long roads.
Good for: big feedlots and dairies with long distances between feed and bunks.
Watch for: higher upfront cost, a truck to maintain, and good roads needed. The truck is tied to the mixer.
Stationary mixers
Fixed in place, often run by an electric motor. Feed is loaded in and delivered by conveyor, feed wagon or bunk system.
Good for: sites with fixed feeding layouts, farms wanting electric drive, small yards with short distances.
Watch for: you need a way to move feed from the mixer to the animals. A feed delivery wagon is one option.
How to choose
Ask yourself:
- How far is it from the feed store to the bunk?
- How many loads a day?
- What tractors and loaders do you already have?
- Is labour tight?
- Electricity reliable?
Cost thinking
Look at total daily cost: machines, fuel or power, labour and maintenance. A cheaper machine that needs an extra person every day isn’t cheaper.
Trailed mixers
The most common setup. A tractor pulls the mixer around the yard, loads it and feeds out. Flexible and relatively low cost, and you can use a tractor you already own. Downside: tractor hours and fuel for every load.
Stationary mixers
The mixer sits in one place, usually under a shed, and runs on an electric motor or a tractor. Mixed feed is then moved by conveyor or a separate feed-out cart. Good for farms with a fixed feeding layout and access to power. No tractor tied up mixing.
Truck-mounted mixers
The mixer sits on a truck. It’s fast on the road and suits large operations with long distances between feed storage and pens. It costs more to buy and maintain, but saves time on big operations.
How to choose
- Herd size and distance: small and close suit trailed or stationary; large and spread out may suit truck.
- Labour: stationary can reduce driving.
- Power: stationary needs reliable electric supply.
- Budget: trailed is usually the lowest entry cost.
Mixing setups
Some farms combine them. A stationary mixer for one group, a trailed mixer for another. Look at your layout before you decide.
Planning for growth
If you’re growing, think about where you’ll be in five or ten years. A layout that suits a stationary system now may struggle with double the herd.
Quick questions
Can a stationary mixer run on a tractor? Some do, via PTO. Others use an electric motor.
What happens when a truck mixer breaks? You lose both the mixer and the truck until it’s fixed. Have a backup plan.
Which is cheapest to run? It depends on distances, labour and power costs. Work it out with your numbers.
From the show floor
Folks often walk up already decided on a setup they saw on another farm. Their layout is not your layout. Draw your yard on paper: feed storage, pens, roads. Then ask which setup makes the fewest moves. That’s usually the answer.
Where to start this week
Walk your feeding route with a notepad. Write down every stop, every gate, every turn and how long each part takes. Mark where power is available and where feed is stored. Then sit down with your dealer and that sheet. A setup that saves even a few minutes a load adds up to many hours over a year, and it’s a lot easier to plan on paper than to fix after the concrete is poured.
Our range
LEO builds trailed and stationary options, and some heavy-duty models suit truck mounting. Talk to your dealer about your yard layout before you talk about size.
Bottom line? Fit the setup to how you feed every day. Then pick the tub.
