Industrial sourcing · China to Europe

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Buyer guide · Agriculture & feed

Compost turner from China

A compost turner is bought for the windrow it can straddle, and a machine that is a little too narrow or too low for your rows forces you to rebuild every pile, lose pad space, or buy again.

Ask about this machine ↗Where the numbers come from

Written and listings checked 30 September 2026. Every figure on this page names its source.

What you are actually comparing.

Two quotes, one machine name

What hides inside the price

Drive type

Tractor-towed turners take power from the tractor PTO and suit farms that already own a large tractor. Self-propelled crawler turners carry their own engine and hydraulics. Trough turners run on rails over fixed concrete bays and are a building project, not a vehicle.

Working width and clearance height

The tunnel under the frame must clear your windrow width and height with margin. Ask for both figures in millimetres and compare them with a drawing of your rows as they settle after a week.

Engine and emissions

A diesel engine placed on the EU market needs EU type approval under Regulation (EU) 2016/1628, the Stage V rules. Ask for the engine brand, its approval number and where parts come from in Europe.

Drum, flails and hydraulics

Flail steel, how flails are fixed, drum bearings and the hydraulic pump and motor brands decide downtime. Stones and wire in green waste break weak flails in the first season.

Cab and controls

Open seat or closed cab, air filtration in the cab, remote control and steering. Operators sit in dust and ammonia for hours, so this is a workplace question as well as comfort.

Before you ask for a price.

Send these with the enquiry. Without them, any number a factory gives you is a guess dressed as a quotation.

Windrow width, height and length as they stand after settling, and the space between rows.
Feedstock: manure, green waste, food waste or mushroom substrate, with stone and plastic content.
Tonnes or cubic metres turned per week, and turns per windrow.
Pad surface: concrete, asphalt or compacted soil, which decides crawler or wheels.
Whether you want towed, self-propelled or a trough system in a building.

Turn the claim into a demonstration.

Require this	A pass looks like
Measure the tunnel with a tape: clear width and height under the frame at the lowest point.	Both figures at least your settled windrow size plus the margin agreed in the contract.
Run the turner the full length of a real windrow of your type of material.	Row turned end to end at the stated speed, with rebuilt row shape and no material left on the pad edge.
Check the engine plate and paperwork before shipment.	Engine type-approval number on the plate matches the documents and the approval covers the EU.

The documents that must arrive with it.

EU Declaration of Conformity with model and serial, under 2006/42/EC until 19 January 2027, then Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.
Engine EU type-approval certificate and engine plate details.
Hydraulic circuit diagram, flail and bearing part list, and an operator manual in the language of the country of use.

The one people forget. The engine type-approval paperwork. Without it the machine can be refused at registration or insurance, however good the turner is.

When this is the wrong machine.

Buy something else if

Named, not hedged

You compost a few hundred cubic metres a year.

A front loader on the tractor you have. A turner pays when volume keeps it busy every week.

Your waste permit requires enclosed composting.

A trough turner or in-vessel system inside a building, planned with the building.

Where the numbers come from.

We name the kind of source, how many and when, and never the factory. Listed prices are asking prices, not landed cost. Where we do not hold a fact we say so: that is a GAP, not an estimate.

Listings · 14Fourteen compost turner listings on one marketplace, checked September 2026, asked from US$3,000 to US$137,500. Seven were crawler types, five tractor-mounted or towed and two tracked hydraulic. Listed prices are asking prices, not landed cost.
Listings · 3Three listings, checked September 2026, stated working width: two tractor-towed units 2 to 3.5 m, one tracked unit 3.3 to 5.3 m.
GAPGAP - no supplier quotations logged for this machine yet. Three to five quotations for one configuration would give a real price spread.

Related machines.

Fertilizer granulator. Read it when finished compost will be sold as granules, not loose.
Seed cleaning machine. Read it if screening and separating is your real need rather than turning.

Every machine we source in this area is on the Agriculture & feed page. How a project runs, stage by stage, is on how it works, and what it costs is on pricing.

Straight answers

Questions buyers ask about this machine.

What is the best compost turner from China for a farm?+

The one whose tunnel fits your settled windrow and whose drive fits your yard. Towed turners suit farms with a large tractor, crawlers suit soft pads and larger sites.

Chinese vs European compost turner: what should I compare?+

Engine approval, flail steel, hydraulic brands and parts support. Ask how a broken flail or pump reaches you in Europe and in how many days.

What goes on a compost turner inspection checklist?+

Tunnel width and height measured, engine plate against type approval, guarding over the drum, emergency stops, hydraulic leaks after a run, and flail fixing checked.

Who handles compost turner EU compliance on import?+

The EU importer checks the Declaration of Conformity and technical file and puts its name on the machine or papers. The composting permit is your site matter, separate from the machine.

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