Spreader without tank
From Triple Performance
Matériel
The tankerless spreader (or umbilical spreader) is used to spread very liquid slurry or digestate.
Operation
A pump located in the storage area of the material to be spread (slurry or digestate) propels the material to the tractor via a flexible hose. Spreading can then be done by different systems:
- a nozzle
- a pendulum nozzle
- a boom with pendulums
- a boom with skids
- or injectors.
There are two hose systems:
- the cord system in which a large flexible hose is unrolled over the field. One end is connected to the network supplying the slurry and the other attached to the spreading tractor. Once the circuit is pressurized, the tractor starts from the back of the field and returns to the entrance by making parallel passes. The cord is then dragged across the field as it moves, which may damage the crops
- The reel system avoids the risk of crop damage because the driver makes back-and-forth passes retracing their steps. On the way out, the two pendulum modules are at the ends of the boom, the reel lays down the hose as it advances. Once the driver reaches the end of the field, they bring the pendulum modules to the center of the boom and return backwards, allowing the reel to pick up the hose without it sliding on the ground.
A mobile slurry bridge system allows the material to cross roads without blocking traffic or damaging the hoses.
Slurry storage at spreading time
The material spread is pumped directly from the storage pit (higher spreading flow rate) if it is near the field (distance depends on hose length), otherwise it is pumped into a tank placed at the edge of the field.
Advantages of tankerless spreading
- Minimal soil compaction (tractor + boom weight < 10t, whereas tractor + slurry tanker > 20t)
- High hourly flow rate
- Good stability on slopes
- Less dirt on roads
- Precise slurry spreading (especially using pendulums)
- Early spreading possible
Disadvantages
- Long start-up time: minimum 45 minutes, notably due to hose unrolling
- The hose can impact crops when spreading with the cord system
- Usually requires 2 people: one spreads and the other fills the tank
Cleaning
Hoses are generally cleaned by water recirculation or using an air compressor.
Cost
Contract spreading costs between €2-5 /m3.
The financial investment to purchase the equipment is at least €60,000 to €80,000 (for the pump, spreading boom, shredder, distributor, hose, and reel).
Spreading with or without slurry tanker?
| Criterion | Tankerless system (pump + pipelines + booms or injector) | Slurry tanker (semi-trailer or tractor) |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Slurry/digestate is pumped directly from storage and distributed via booms or injectors. | Slurry/digestate is stored in a tanker, transported and spread on the field. |
| Investment cost | Higher for a fixed installation: pump, pipes, booms, injectors. | Medium: purchase or rental of a slurry tanker, tractor required. |
| Operating cost | Low: no additional mechanical transport, less fuel. | Higher: fuel consumption, tanker maintenance. |
| Flexibility/mobility | Limited: requires proximity of storage to fields and pipeline network. | Very flexible: can move to all accessible fields. |
| Flow rate/Spreading rate | High, continuous: suitable for large areas and fixed farms. | Limited by tanker and tractor capacity, slower on large areas. |
| Spreading uniformity | Very good: booms or injectors ensure homogeneous distribution. | Average: depends on tanker, travel speed, and onboard pump. |
| Environmental impact | Low: less soil compaction, fast spreading, less transport | Higher: compaction, CO₂ emissions related to transport. |
| Maintenance | Pump and pipes require regular monitoring, risk of clogging. | Mechanical maintenance of tanker and tractor |
| Terrain adaptation | Ideal for farms with nearby fields and fixed irrigation network. | Suitable for dispersed farms, distant or irregular fields. |
| Safety/Regulation | Less risk of overflow if professionally installed. | Risk of accidental spill if tanker poorly maintained or transport hose defective. |
| Lifespan/Depreciation | Long term: pump and fixed network, depreciation over several years. | Medium term: faster mechanical wear of tanker and tractor. |
Sources
- AAMF. 2022. Spreading digestates: technical solutions. [21/11/2025]. https://aamf.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Fiche-conseil_épandage_les-solutions-techniques-2022-AAMF.pdf
- Anne Bréhier. 14/11/2016. Tankerless slurry spreading, earlier interventions. [24/11/2025]. https://www.web-agri.fr/equipement-d-elevage/article/831609/epandage-de-lisier-sans-tonne-des-interventions-plus-precoces
- IDELE. Effluent and manure management. [24/11/2025]. https://idele.fr/gestion-des-effluents-et-des-dejections-ged?tx_ideleregeff_feregeff%5Baction%5D=displayRessources&tx_ideleregeff_feregeff%5BcomeFrom%5D=themes&tx_ideleregeff_feregeff%5Bcontroller%5D=Screen&tx_ideleregeff_feregeff%5BwannaGoTo%5D=AGRO_EQUIPEMENTS&cHash=080eff2cb5ba15adf045d98f5c2ba286
- Denis Lehé. 14/11/2016. Slurry: tankerless spreading on the rise. [24/11/2025]. https://www.web-agri.fr/equipement-d-elevage/article/831556/lisier-l-epandage-sans-tonne-monte-en-puissance
- Perwolf. Tankerless spreading. [24/11/2025]. https://www.bio360expo.com/doc/F-9439CM3809233913-Perwolf%20sans%20tonne%20FR.pdf
