picassomcp
Member
I am prepping for my first harvest, 50 acres of soybeans. I will need to truck them about 10 miles once harvested. I am looking to buy some gravity boxes to haul them in. I'm will be looking for best bang for the buck, not necessarily the cheapest as I don't want problems on the road. I'll have to haul them 10 miles one way loaded. I have looked at older boxes that I can get for $500-$700, I think they hold 150 bu., maybe a bit more with extensions. These are typically older, some rust and usually old 15" tires that are starting to crack. I'm concerned about these tires holding the weight as they are only rated for 2400 lbs even when new. ( 8 ply implement tire) 2400 lbs x 4 / 60 = about 160 bushel capacity
I also see larger boxes, maybe about 300-350 bu. on wagons with 16.1" tires. These tires are both higher and wider, and likely hold much more weight (not sure of capacity on these tires) These boxes sell for $2000-$2500. Using these would mean less trips to the elevator and definitely a time savings (less trips, and less waiting in line).
I also see damn nice newer boxes, 400 bushel and some larger. These are on used truck tires, 22.5" rim and 9000 lb carrying capacity per tire. These boxes can't be that old at all, and I would feel very safe using these boxes even fully loaded as the tires would only be at about 70% capacity. The issue here is, these boxes are $5000.
I'm sure all these boxes have there place, however I'm looking for best bang for the buck long term as I plan to continue with the farming, next year I will have corn and will have much more material to haul. I don't want problems on the road and I'd like to minimize my trips. This leads me to wanting the newer nicer boxes but the price just scares me off. Can the smaller boxes be a good choice? Can the smaller boxes do the job safely? Can I get heavier duty 15" tires? Safety and overall issues long term are really my biggest worry here, I think most problems would be with tires which I why I look at those first in this whole scenario.
I'm curious on what you use and what you think would fit my scenario the best.
I also see larger boxes, maybe about 300-350 bu. on wagons with 16.1" tires. These tires are both higher and wider, and likely hold much more weight (not sure of capacity on these tires) These boxes sell for $2000-$2500. Using these would mean less trips to the elevator and definitely a time savings (less trips, and less waiting in line).
I also see damn nice newer boxes, 400 bushel and some larger. These are on used truck tires, 22.5" rim and 9000 lb carrying capacity per tire. These boxes can't be that old at all, and I would feel very safe using these boxes even fully loaded as the tires would only be at about 70% capacity. The issue here is, these boxes are $5000.
I'm sure all these boxes have there place, however I'm looking for best bang for the buck long term as I plan to continue with the farming, next year I will have corn and will have much more material to haul. I don't want problems on the road and I'd like to minimize my trips. This leads me to wanting the newer nicer boxes but the price just scares me off. Can the smaller boxes be a good choice? Can the smaller boxes do the job safely? Can I get heavier duty 15" tires? Safety and overall issues long term are really my biggest worry here, I think most problems would be with tires which I why I look at those first in this whole scenario.
I'm curious on what you use and what you think would fit my scenario the best.