Choosing the correct trailer to carry manure at 44 tonnes on UK roads means coping with one of the stickiest loads in agriculture. Farmyard manure, poultry litter and spent bedding cling to a trailer body, drip, smell and freeze to the floor in winter. Most of it moves short distances on farm, but more and more travels by road - from poultry units to arable farms, from livestock farms to AD plants and to mushroom compost makers.
Short answer: the best trailer for carrying manure in bulk in the UK is a Knapen biomass or standard moving floor trailer, which walks sticky manure out horizontally, with a STAS rib sided bathtub tipper as the alternative. Newton Trailers of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, sells, hires and services these trailers across the UK. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for manure in the UK.
Newton Trailers' current first choice trailer for the transport of Manure is:
Recommended First Choice Trailer: Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer
Recommended Second Choice Trailers: Knapen Standard Moving Floor Trailer; STAS Rib Sided Bathtub Tipping Trailer
Recommended Sales Options: Sealed Rear Door; Automatic Roll Over Sheet; Heavy Duty Floor Planks; VWS Weigher
Seasonal Hire: Yes - spreading windows in late winter, spring and after harvest create peaks; closed periods restrict spreading in autumn and winter.
TASCC Product: No - manure is not a permissible load for TASCC-registered trailers, so keep it to non-TASCC trailers.
Product Density: 400 - 600 kgs/m3
Trailer Volume: 90 - 130 cuyd
Region: Nationwide - livestock and poultry farms to arable land, AD plants and compost makers
Around 170 million tonnes of animal manure are produced in the UK each year.
At 400 - 600 kg/m3 manure sits between a weight and a volume load: a 29 tonne payload needs 48 - 73 m3. Wet manure is heavier, so a weigher helps keep loads legal.
The UK produces around 170 million tonnes of animal manure a year, mainly from cattle on beef and dairy farms. Most is spread on the farm where it is made, but poultry litter, horse manure and surplus farmyard manure move by road to arable farms that need organic matter, to anaerobic digestion plants, and to mushroom compost producers.
Rules on storage, closed spreading periods and nutrient management shape when manure moves, so haulage comes in bursts - and the trailer has to be ready for a sticky, smelly load at short notice.
A moving floor is the best answer to manure's stickiness. Instead of tipping a body and hoping the load slides, the floor walks it out horizontally, and there is no tipping on soft fields or uneven yards. A rib sided bathtub tipper is the simple alternative for shorter runs and drier manure.
Manure drips and smells, so a well-sealed rear door and a good automatic roll over sheet keep it in the trailer and off the road. Wash the trailer thoroughly afterwards - manure is not a permissible previous load for food or feed work.
Manure Trailer Option: Sealed rear door. Keeps liquid and fines in the trailer.
Manure Trailer Option: Automatic roll over sheet. Contains smell and stops material blowing off.
Manure Trailer Option: Heavy duty floor planks. Resist wear from grit and stones in yard manure.
Manure Trailer Option: VWS Weigher. Wet manure is heavier than it looks.
A Knapen biomass or standard moving floor, which walks sticky manure out horizontally. A STAS rib sided bathtub tipper is the alternative.
Around 170 million tonnes of animal manure a year, mostly from cattle.
Manure sticks to tipper bodies. A moving floor pushes it out horizontally and avoids tipping on soft ground.
Yes. Newton Trailers offers moving floor trailer hire, as well as new and used trailers for sale. Call 01525 872466.
A manure trailer also carries the other organic loads. See our guides to trailers for AD Plant feedstock, silage and food waste.
UK manure production: AIC written evidence to Parliament. Density, payload and trailer recommendations: Newton Trailers.
Page last updated: September 2026. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for manure in the UK.
| Best Match | Options | Volume | Payload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Knapen Lightweight Moving Floor Trailer | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 28551kg | |
| Used | 2021 Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 140 CuYds (107.0m3) | 27900kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Lightweight Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 28550kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 27930kg | |
| Also See | 2015 Kraker Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27900kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27850kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27850kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 140 CuYds (107.0m3) | 27770kg | |
