Moving grain, thought #2

I posted earlier about gravity boxes, many good responses there.

Several people mentioned bins for on farm storage, I do have 2 small bins here, they were here when I bought the place 4 years ago. one is 13' across by 12' high, the other is 12' across and 13' high, but I believe that I calculated that they each hold about 1400 bushel. These are older bins, neither one has any air at all, but they do have a cement floor and seem to be in good usable condition. Also, neither one has an unload auger at all. I'm certainly not against investing a little money into these if they can make my life easier. I'd be interested in what I could do to these bins to make them usable, most specifically how I could add airflow of some sort and a way to easily unload them. I certainly can see the benefits of on farm storage and really like the idea of using these bins. I would likely use these bins mostly for soybeans and small grain storage. I don't think I'm big enough to worry about drying or storing corn long term at this point. If I plant corn, it would only be small acres, probably 15 at most.

What air options are available for these older bins?

What unload options are there? can I just install an auger on the floor, through the side of the bin?

Again I am in Central MN. Thanks!
 
Small bins used to just put a small auger in the door,more hand work but cheaper.
 
" can I just install an auger on the floor, through the side of the bin"? Of course you can. Position the inlet in the center of the bin and weld a pin on top the inlet. Then purchase or build yourself a 6' sweep auger and set it on the pin. That will pull most of the grain into the floor auger. I used to have 2 bins set up that way. Yes, still some shoveling to do but not that bad. You don't need any air in a 1400 bushel bin. Especially for beans.
 
Many used full air flow floors available. You lose about 13 inches of height to accomodate the under-floor unloading auger. Many 6 inch unloads now, but that floor can take an eight inch unload. I"m switching one bin from six inch to eight inch power sweep right now, so the six inch is for sale.

With a vertical unload you can load directly into a wagon or truck, using one electric motor. Like other poster said, no air needed if oats/beans are combined at proper moisture. BTW- what county in central MN are you located?
 
If pouring a new floor, leave a trench in the middle to set your unload auger in. Cementing the auger in will not allow you to control the sump cover in the center, unless you also cement in a pipe for the control rod. Setting forms, leave a ledge along the trench walls, then use a steel mesh cover over the auger. Talk to a bin builder, he can show you what is available and how to install.
 
I am now thinking that adding an unload auger to these bins is a no brainer. This should be much cheaper than larger gravity boxes and will give me much more marketing control as well, and no waiting in line at harvest time. When it come time to unload, I'll likely have it loaded into a hired semi, so load time could be an issue. I'm assuming truck drivers like larger unload augers. How long would it take to load a semi (900 bushel) with a 6" unload auger? How about an 8"? I like the idea of a vertical unload, but is it slow to unload the bin? I'm thinking if I have a horizontal unload auger, I could have that run into another auger that will be set out to load the semi. If I had time prior to the semi coming, I could even load a gravity box prior to his arrival, then move it to dump into the auger loading the semi at the same time that the bin unload auger is running to load the truck faster.

I'm still thinking here, and will likely have more questions, but things are getting a bit more clear.

I am located in Mille Lacs County, just 2 miles East of Benton County. Between Foley and Milaca. If you have any equipment available that you think I should consider, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks
 
Times have changed, but your setup was how we stored all of our wheat, milo, and barley. We had a hopper that fit under the removable door sections and when it got about waist deep we just put the auger through the door into the pile. Our auger wasn't huge so it worked well and the truck didn't have to be a mile away to auger that way. It was probably a 40 foot auger with a monster B&S engine on it. If you don't mind helping the last 15 bushels with a push broom it works great.

I never recall having spoilage. Western Kansas is pretty dry, though.

Now I have five 30 foot bins and they all sit empty. The only one I use is the big upright on legs for feed corn for hogs. The days of me storing much grain on the farm are done. There are enough guys around me that still do that I have someplace to buy grain if I run out. I have considered storing some beans with the crop that's getting ready. It looks like a big one and bean prices are tanking as bad as hog prices. I haven't tried using any of the augers in years. It might be time to test them out.
 
I have a 15 x 9 high bin, same as yours.

Beans under 14% store in it just fine, no air.

Shouldn't need any air for oats.

I frequently put corn under 17% in it, no air, and in our cold climate haven't had any issues. That is a little wet, I feed out of it so the corn moves a bit every week, I wouldn't want to close the door in fall on 17% corn and not look at it until May...... That could be a disaster. But, of you store until February and get it out before April it can work - if your elevator takes corn over 15% that time of year.....

At an auction I bought a 6 inch, 30 foot old pto auger on wheels, it has a sweep that bolts on the end of it about 9 feet long, if one is careful that empties most of the bin, a very little shoveling at the very end.

Otherwise, scout around for flooring, can find used and cut down to fit, as others mention, on a small bin like these a small 110v bin fan will keep air moving if you need some.

Most folks don't want to deal with a 1400 bu bin any more, but for a 50 acre farm, 2 of those should suit you fine for a time.

Paul
 
Take a look at your bin doors. You should be able to use one transport auger to fill the bins and unload the bins. Use gravity flow into the auger hopper to empty the first half of the bin. Remove the input hopper and insert the auger through the door to the center of the bin or further to unload the remainder. Shoveling to the center of a 13 foot diameter bin is not a very long distance.
 
My uncle used a grain board about 3'X3'; he hung a pulley on the inside of the door and used a heavy rope attached to the grain board. Someone handled the board (often me) and he pulled the grain to the auger right at the door with his Jeep. We always filled all our bins before we would take anything to the elevator. Usually the prices went up during the winter, so we gained by doing the little extra work.

My brother bought a grain vac-u-vator that just sucked up the grain and put it into the truck. It wasn't speedy, but it got the job done. He installed an air tube that sat on the floor with a large electric fan outside to blow air through the grain. He would run that 24/7 until the grain dried down enough to store, then move it to a straight storage bin and refill the drying bin with more wet grain if needed.

You might be able to find some old bins the same size in the neighborhood that you can buy, dismantle and add rings to your bins. Brother had a set of bin jacks to do that job with; he gave them to our nephew when he retired. Nephew has added rings to his old bins to increase capacity.
 
I see many bins the size you have being jacked up , and having hoppers put under them. Makes unloading a breeze. I have a small bin like yours also. When I sell the grain out of this bin I have the local Co-op feed company bring a feed truck and suck the grain out. Cost the same per ton for trucking as hiring a truck that does not have a suck/blower on it. My small bin has a vent tube that lays on the bin floor in a Y shape, and has a 110 volt fan that blow air through the grain. My larger bin,holds 100 ton of corn , has a full floor dryer fan. This bin will dry corn down from around 23% . 7HP fan really roars, you don't need this for small grain. And you sure don't want it near your bedroom window. Bruce
 
If you do want to dry corn some time, could find a batch drier, I don't think they are all that much money? Other wise the elevator likes to screw when it comes to wet corn!
 
What has been said will work fine. We are putting in An air floor for one bin this fall. The air just doesn't get to all of it well enough in bigger bins. I would put and air floor in and then the unload auger could be put in on top of the floor This would then clean out the rest of the way quite easy without a sweep auger for it. Don't get the hawk/chisel cut floors though they sweep to hard.
 
I have a similar bin here, takes just over an hour to load 35 tons or about 1400 bushels with an 8 inch discharge auger.Most truckers do not mind as long as you are not uinloading the bin in the busy fall period; in mid winter early spring most are glad to have some worl.

Ben
 
The cheapest way to empty them in the long run is to hire a grain vac. Around here I pay .08 per bushel for a vac with my tractor twisting its tail and the owner of the vac comes along to run it to boot. I have two 3500 bushel bins with tin floors that I use to store beans. We can suck both bins out in an easy day with two trucks hauling to town. All I do is drive a truck. A 20000 bushel bin is worth putting in a drying floor and unloading auger. A 1400 bushel bin is not worth the investment.
 
The problem with the cement floor unless it has plastic under it, is that you'll have damaged beans stuck to the floor when you clean out unless you clean them in the winter. Even if it has plastic under it to keep the moisture out the rats and mice have probably chewed holes in it. As far as unloading times, 20 minutes loading 950 bushels with an 8" in corn, double it for a 6". Add some extra time for beans they load slower.
 
Some other options are have one of the big custom guys come take it off and haul it away.
Or if you have a decent heavy duty pick up get a gooseneck grain trailer. Beats having an extra truck sitting around all year falling apart.
 
8 inch unload is much quicker than 6 inch, takes more hp as well. I think loading time mentioned here is about right. Time is the reason I"m switching to 8. With a vertical unload, you can open a door on the horiz portion and discharge into a truck loading auger. Disconnect the drive chain to the vertical portion to save wear on that. 8 inch vertical I"m putting in now has two motors, so I can open the door and run just the horiz auger motor.

Cone bottom bins are popular in Canada, easy unloading, but the cone is very expensive compared to a used bin.

Fellow who says you"ll shovel only 15 bu without a sweep is dreaming.
 

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