New bin quote arrived...

...just for community interest. The larger bin will come in at $9944. Brock bin is in all regards very close to the used ones I have looked at. Price does include a sweep. Smaller bin he quoted is a 15' so he sold me a second sweep. This bin comes in at $9008. The sweeps are about $650 with the motors so a mental adjustment there. Total for the two bins is then just shy of $19,000. This would be picked up at their shop. If I want them delivered and erected they will do so for an additional $8490. This does not include site prep, excavating, cement labor or materials, electrical labor or materials.

FYI...this is not happening. I would have more into the bins than I have into the combine INCLUDING the catastrophic repair I did this year...and I have a really nice combine. Neither the guy who emailed me off the ad I ran nor the guy who posted on my prior thread have gotten back to me about the bins they wanted to sell. I guess they did not want to sell theirs all that badly. The original bins are starting to look pretty good to me. Add another $450 for a sweep that works in both bins with my motor...starting to think I may need to pull the trigger here. Another #$@!! project!!! What the heck...I believe it makes sense long term.

Yo ! Dude ! Make a decision and do what ya gotta do. Have a safe and fun holiday season. Merry Christmas and a Heathy, and prosperous New Year. b

Dave, I'm glad you did your homework. It will help justify your decision. For what it is worth, I thought their bids seemed quite high. But hey, what do I know. I'm just a farmer...

Sounds like that $4-5 a bushel for them fully setup was not far off. I was curious if that was still a reasonable estimate.

Dave you did not say what diameter the used bins were??? I have taken down some smaller bins in sections and not taken all the sheets apart. Lets say an 18 foot diameter bin. You can move 18 foot wide stuff on most country roads a distanced without too much trouble in many places. So get the air floors taken out, remove the fans, remove the unloading systems. So all you have left is the bare bin. Hire a crane or boom truck. Bins are not that heavy. Unbolt the bottom from the slab. Then rig the crane/boom truck to lightly lift on the bin until there is not much weight on the bottom section. IF you can reach three rings high remove all the bolts holing that ring to the fourth ring. In several places remove about a foot of the bolts on the bottom of the fourth rings sheet seem. This lets the lower rings drop out of the fourth ring. Then swing the top rings left around off the lower rings. Then set the fourth ring down to ground level. Repeat the early steps. (IF these are seven ring bins.) When your done you should have two sets of three ring circles and the top ring/roof left. Do both bins this way. I you can then lift these sections easily with a tractor and loader that has a boom section or even bin jacks. you would just need a low trailer to haul them. I have an old Donahue Implement trailer that is only about 18 inches off the ground to haul these sections. Haul all the sections to your site. Then when you have the foundations done hire the crane/boom truck to come back and start stacking the sections back up.

Now some tool suggestions. The first bins we moved we used a portable air compressor and impact wrenches. That works fine but is NOISY!!!! Also dragging the hose around the bin is not fun. We then tried cordless impacts. The common 18volt Dewalt or Milwaukee cordless batteries will not charge as fast as you will use them up. Also the impacts themselves got hot with the high duty cycle. The last three we moved we used corded electric impacts. One Dewalt and one Milwaukee. Smaller generator ran them fine and they will hammer just to loosen the bolt and then spin like a drill. So they are not near as noisy.

You the one signing up for more work. LOL So your the only one that can decide what is a good deal for YOU. The only thing I will add is good quality bins or equipment WILL not sell cheap very often. The low price your hearing for many of these bins are NOT for good clean bins with all the toys. IF they where there would be someone already buying them and taking them down to resell.

Yup! I think I have all the facts now. Some people drop a few thousand like it grows in the orchard. I always feel better when I research things. Thanks for the kind sentiments AND...right back at ya!

Well, I can tell you they are pretty fancy friggin bins. I was looking at the quote and there is also a power unloader on each one. That would add over $1K per bin. The outside ladder has a cage around it. So there is a little more than what I am looking at used. Still...more than I can justify in price. I sure do appreciate all your help on this. Merry Christmas!

(quoted from post at 19:58:27 12/22/16) Well, I can tell you they are pretty fancy friggin bins. I was looking at the quote and there is also a power unloader on each one. That would add over $1K per bin. The outside ladder has a cage around it. So there is a little more than what I am looking at used. Still...more than I can justify in price. I sure do appreciate all your help on this. Merry Christmas!

Click to expand...

Ask your accountant for some advice :lol:

They push the power unloaders, and for a somewhat good reason- they are safer to operate than the type you push around. It is still easy to get hurt if you go in there, though.

And it would be hard to buy one without the safety cage. That is an OSHA requirement. I bought a hopper bottom feed bin 15 years ago or so, and the cage was 3x the cost of the ladder!! And no getting around it either.

How much did they discount the price? Usually bins are marked down pretty good this time of year.

THAT guy thinks he knows everything!

Appreciate the tips! The one bin is completely numbered. Been moved before and he used an indelible marker so it is all still there. I kind of had a plan, because I am limited to my 18' car hauler and the pickup bed AND I cannot take these 18' wide down our roads here. This is Michigan and we have a town every 6-10 miles and a lot of lakes to drive around. Someone had mentioned splitting the rings into halves and stacking them on the trailer? I'm trying to disassemble as little as possible and still keep them within the sides of the trailer. I can completely tear down, but was hoping to save some on new fasteners. If this is not practical...then no...but if I can do it I will. Even split in half and set on edge would be mostly on the trailer. What do you think?

I don't know. I delegated the conversation and got the bid on email. There was no discount mentioned on the bid.

Taking it down that far will make moving it easier. If your going to go down to just halves you should be fine. Much more than that and you would not be far from a complete tear down.

I still say just put in a few hopper bins. Very little prep work if any. Just need a level spot to park them.
Most of ours we spread out a load of oversize gravel and plopped the bins down.
No ground work, no cement work, no electrical work, no sump augers to maintain, no sweep augers, no extra help needed to unload the bins, and you can use the same auger you loaded it with to unload it to keep your costs down. You can find 3,000 bu used bins for 5-8 thousand dollars.
The truck shows up, plops it down and you start filling it five minutes later. You want to move them, you move them. You want to sell them, you're not stuck with them. They go down the road just as easy as they showed up. For a temporary situation they are excellent until you have the where with all to invest in big bins but most guys who have them keep them and buy more of them. Because YOU WILL NEVER STAND IN A DUST FILLED GRAIN BIN CHASING A SWEEP AUGER WITH A SHOVEL AND BROOM EVER AGAIN. Abrasive bean dust and moldy corn dust isn't any good for anyone. Just google hopper bins. Friesen, Meridian, Stor-King are just a few of the brands. Shouldn't be to hard to find a dealer near you. Most of them know of used ones for sale or you can put an ad in the paper or on the net.

I really like the idea of hopper bottom bins. On my little trip through the Mid west last fall , I saw hundreds of hopper bins used for storage . I like that no extra money is spent on unloading equipment , and they are easy to set up , and resell when you are done with the bin. I have a bin with air floor and unloading auger setting here doing nothing. I have filled it with corn , and dried it down in the past , but I gave up on this idea as there is no real money in growing corn for me. I could store/dry 100 ton of corn, this bin was on the farm when I bought the place. Takes a lot of electric $$ to dry down, I can do better selling hay. One thing I feel I must say about sweep augers. Two years ago , a young farmer near me , about 35 , was running the sweep auger in his Harvestor ,doing a clean out. His overalls some how became entangled in the sweep. and in trying to get free , the sweep auger pulled both his arms off at the shoulder. Best of luck , and stay safe, whatever your choice.

Dave, check the law on hauling those bin sections. There are rules about hauling steel sections and it may be that the driver needs a CDL with an indorsement for hauling steel panels. I know it sounds stupid but a lot of laws do. Although I have a CDL I do not have all of the indorsements and when I have something to haul that my license does not cover I hire it moved. It costs a little more but it is better than paying some unreasonable fine. I, like many on this site, are watching your adventure in getting a grain bin and we appreciate the info that your search has provided. Good luck and have a happy holiday season.

I dont know anything about grain bins,,thats why I didnt reply to any of the posts,However ,I did read them,and learned a lot from all the responses.Also would like to comment on your diligent research,It is admirable. Merry Christmas and good luck with the bin research and decision.

That quote came in cheaper than I thought for a new bin but like you say that is no prep or installation. The price tag on installation show you the labor involved in putting one up.

When we moved out bins 18 footers or at least the ones we had to go far with we disassembled them almost completely. We left the roof sheets in large sections as wide as the trailer and the side sheets we left as doubles. I think it was 6 sheets to a ring so we had 3 from each level. We did those with manual labor. We have an old set of bin jacks but ended up using three end loaders to support and raise the bin during assembly.

I have mentioned it before but if you can find a Donahue trailer around you they are perfect for what you are doing. They are a full 8 foot wide and 20 to 30 foot in length. It will be twice the trailer of the car hauler for this situation.

I will look into it but I think I am OK. I will be a long way from where those guys usually patrol. You just don't see them on the back roads where I will be running. I used to worry about them with hauling grain because I don't have a tarp. One day stopped the local truck enforcement guy and asked him if he would give me a ticket if he saw me running to the elevator loaded. He asked me a bunch of questions then told me just to keep it below the sides of the box where he could not see it and he would give me a pass. Said he wasn't too likely to be out that way anyhow.

Thanks Larry and Merry Christmas to you also! Hope 2017 sees you happy, healthy and keeping us up to speed!

I have one cone bottom bin I can use for bagging. I sell cattle feed to a lady who keeps a few steers around for her family. Not much but she is easy to get along with, brings her own bags, and lets me get it done when time permits. Definitely easier but I think I might need a bigger auger and the things are so tall I know the old guy across the road would complain. I try to keep him happy. He has health issues and it was his family farm before it was mine. Doesn't like change. You and Bruce have a point but, honestly, none have come down the road and I have been advertising for a month.

I'll look around the rental places but the rent will eat me alive if I run into problems and can't get it back quick. The fella selling the bins moved the large bin himself. Took it completely down, it still is numbered, and moved it on a 4x8 utility trailer with all the parts nested. Must have beat the crud out of that axle!

It certainly can be done if by yourself if you have bin jacks. Getting bin bolts out alone could be a challenge though. Even with fairly new bolts there will always be some stubborn ones that need a backer wrench.

Does this guy have bin jacks to use? They would be fairly simple to make if you need to. I can get you a picture and some basic dimensions if you need.

I was thinking the trailer would be more of a purchase to keep the tax man at bay. Maybe you guys don't even have any available up your way. I used to see at least one at each consignment sale around here. Heck small bins are sure are pricey up your way.

They sure look like an excellent solution. The only drawback I see, is that they may be a bit more difficult to aerate if storing 16 or 18 percent corn. And, if that corn bridges, it may be more difficult/dangerous to get it out. Ben

I think I already own 7 trailers at least. I am forbidden to even look at trailers. I need to start SELLING trailers! A fella here has offered the loan of some bin jacks. He is a 6 hour round trip drive so I am open to other ideas. Would like to see the plans. Probably just make the drive and borrow the jacks though unless a rental was close at hand and not to costly. Funny...it NEVER occurred to me that I wouldn't need one of the girls on the other side of the wall with a backer wrench!!!

I know what you mean about trailers I have 6 here with plans to build another dump trailer someday.

The bin jacks I have here are simple old A frame cable jacks. A quick search showed them available several places. I would imagine unless you are a horder of scrap metal like I am you will be better off driving the 3 hours to borrow a set. I will get you some basic dimensions if you are still interested in going that route.

I was thinking about what JD said about the impacts, i trust what he says. But I also know we used a dewalt cordless impact for at least 2 bins and had no troubles with it. I would not want to do one without a cordless. I was wondering if he was using the small compact impact vs the heavier one dewalt has. Even the bin builders used cordless on the new ones my uncle put up 5 years ago.

That is correct. The soybeans shouldn't be a problem since they are usually too dry at harvest than too wet.
For corn I would want the option for the poke hole just in case it bridges. It's a little door they put in near the bottom of the cone.
Also there is an aeration tube and fan option for wet corn. This is not for drying corn but to maintain condition until you can get the grain back out which is what Dave was wanting, a place to dump corn when the elevator can't take grain. Again, temporary but fits his situation.