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Grain Bin pad

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LeonardWD45

Member
Hi all, have a question for the brain trust here. I bought a used 18' 3 ring grain bin this spring off craigslist and need some info on what the requirements are for a concrete pad. I will be doing all the work for the installation and need basic instructions for the dimensions, ie. footing depth, pad thickness, reinforcement type. Just to keep it tractor related, I worked and planted the ground in winter wheat with my WD45, Allis Chalmers tillage equipment and JD B grain drill and will harvest with my Gleaner C2.

Thanks Leonard
 
Back in the day I helped build quite a few 16 to 24 ft bins up to 7 rings high. You won't need much. I would drive a 1 inch pipe where I wanted it. Then tie a 10 ft rope to the stake, walking around marking the outside. Form up outside this with something short 2X6 fine, making it 6 to 8 sided. Then go just inside this and we always spaded a ditch about 10 inches deep around inside your forms. When you are driving your pipe down in the middle stop 1 to 2 inches above your forms. Then when you pour your concrete drive a spike in a 11 ft 2x4 with another 2x4 screwed edge ways to the first one. This will be your screet board. Wire is optional or fiber in the concrete. Stick 6 or so J bolts or bent rods in the outside to tie it down. If you don't have a floor I wouldn't put a auger in the concrete. I would just lay a 6 inch auger and tube to the center on top of the concrete. Just let the auger stick out of the tube 8 inches. That way a 1 hp motor will pull it. Questions 618 599 8041 Vic
 
Adding to what Vic says; we put a couple rows of re-bar around the middle of the perimeter trench.
And I found it was a good idea to cover the part of your screed board where it hits the form, with tin. (We were using metal forms)
 
Check your local building codes!
Judging by Vic's area code he's in southern IL. I don't know what the requirements are here in northern IL, but a few years ago a friend that builds bins said the requirements had changed.
 
Just use one ring plus 1 piece for the form. Just overlap the now larger ring so the concrete is about 8" bigger all around than the bin will be. Makes a very professional looking pad.
 
Make your foundation as deep and reinforced as you can afford. Nothing worse than a bad floor in a bin. There was no set thickness for our foundations, the engineers determined that. Don't forget to allow for settling, Set forms a bit above finish grade so when it settles it's not too low. There is a lot of weight in a full bin, it will sink until the soil is compressed.
The ones I built settled up to 1.5 feet. Had to be filled in 3 stages, taking a full season. 135'dia, 1.2 million bushels
5663199812_07451f0f5e_z.jpg
 
We did like Vic said with the pipe for the center that also worked for smoothing down the crete when you poured it. If you had a small trencher, chain it to the stake to cut your footing. Drill a verticle hole in the 2X4 and put a long bolt in it that will fit the ID of your pipe to smoothit down. We used light plywood that would bend easily and we put oil on the forms so the crete would not stick. There are lots of ways of making a sump if you do not use an airation floor. Put in at least a 8" tube. You could scoop faster than a 6" would unload it.
 
Go with the air floor. If you get them from golden grain they are about half the price of the rest of the market. I am going to get one before this fall for a 27 foot bin. Also going to put in a 10 inch load out auger. If I go to a 10-12 inch transport auger. The 6 and 8 inch stuff will never keep up with it.
If you have a rat wall about 18 inches deep with 4-6 inch floor will be good. The pour will also be much easier with an air floor.
The 2 27 foot ones we have are still good floors with those figures. One built in about 71 the other built in 82 so been there a while. You will want figure for the hold downs or drill afterwards your choice.
 
Thanks for the replies Guys. You willingness to pass on your hard gained knowledge here is truly a blessing. I really appreciate it and will take it to heart when I do this.

Thanks again.

Leonard
 
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