Hay Steamer

[Bruce Volden]

Tom,
On the internet hay steamers go for big bucks!!
My daughter has horses and is in know of such things.
She sent me this link -- if it will work.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/ha...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Rob Luter]

I miss living on the farm. We didn’t have hay steamers. We had stock tank heaters and in winter expected the critters to sniff the warm vapors prior to dinner. I agree it would make the barn smell great. I loved a hayloft full of fresh baled Timothy and Alfalfa. It smelled like tea.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I like the on indicator night light. I do not trust those timers for critical applications, heaters especially. A fire at the Mid Missouri Mandolin Company was caused by one of those timers on an electric wood bending apparatus. I think the steamer has a high temp safety shutoff. I miss the Horses too. The farm is all Sheep now.

[Tom Bender]

Tom,
On the internet hay steamers go for big bucks!!
My daughter has horses and is in know of such things.
She sent me this link -- if it will work.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/ha...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

The ones from HayGain seem to be the only ones available. They are sold by Smartpak and others. The smaller model equal to ours costs over $1,700 and has a 12 week delivery. It is not freeze proof, but then it's from England so...

The internet provided several DIY examples which went as far as 'here's how I built it' but not how well it worked. And none dealt with the freezing problem. We have addressed freezing with the barn staff and so far they have drained it after use, but time will tell. The kettle has an uneven bottom making an automatic drain difficult and I don't want to add a 24/7 heater to a hay barn.

The night light is good and I provided spare bulbs but it may still get run dry which should trip the safety. A replacement Kettle is only $60.

Total cost was less than $200 and took a few hours to develop and build. It did require adding a dedicated 15 amp circuit. Instructions are posted.