Packing haylage in bunker 1997

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

Packing the silage with the Ford 5640

Two of my little boys climbed on top of the bunker after it was full so mama could take a picture. Any you guys want to drive a tractor around on top of this pile of silage?? I packed 4 bunkers every year two for my self and two for neighbors, always ended up higher than the wall.

Picture of my Ford 5640 and the Schwartz loader labeled a 7711 Ford. This was one heck of a good tractor

I used to keep my NH 185 manure spreader perfectly clean, so when there was no manure to spread, I could use it to mix haylage and corn silage. In this picture my 1987 CaseIH tractor is running a batch of silage through the spreader on to the floor of the bunker, at the face of the corn silage bunk. Notice the corn silage was filled right to the top of the bunker. I always packer the bunkers and never ran a tractor over the edge. My dad came to watch one day, but it made him so nervous he had to leave, he just couldn’t watch.

SVcummins · Feb 1, 2021

I enjoyed packing silage used my 4020 a little bit and an 8630 John Deere with a dozer . Those piles get pretty tall by the time you are done

showcrop · Feb 1, 2021

I didn't care much for going near the edge when it was above the wall, but if you didn't someone following you might have a tire go into the hole that you left and roll over. That did happen once with one of my cousin's hired hands. He was using a 7000 with ROPs, and it rolled right over and landed pretty much right square upside down. It didn't seem to bother the ROPs, which had an add-on canopy, at all.

showcrop · Feb 1, 2021

I didn't care much for going near the edge when it was above the wall, but if you didn't someone following you might have a tire go into the hole that you left and roll over. That did happen once with one of my cousin's hired hands. He was using a 7000 with ROPs, and it rolled right over and landed pretty much right square upside down. It didn't seem to bother the ROPs, which had an add-on canopy, at all.

DRussell · Feb 1, 2021

My neighbor puts about 3500 tons in a bunker. He says the tall, narrow tires pack it much better than wide tires.

2090 · Feb 1, 2021

At least you had a wall-packed many a pile like that without.

Tech 7 · Feb 1, 2021

Packed bunk at my brother in laws many times, though it was usually the job my Dad claimed. 50x100 with a 10' wall

Keith True · Feb 1, 2021

In 1976 a guy my age was stacking and packing a bunker with a T-340 crawler with a Drott shovel on it.He had the bucket up too high,then dropped one side into a hole,and tumbled right over the edge.A neighbor had an old Lima loader there,they used it to pick the T-340 off of what was left of the guy.It was not a pretty sight and I can see it as if it happened yesterday.

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

Were you blowing the silage into the bunker? It almost looks like you're using one of the European style trailers with the blower unit mounted to it.

Mike

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

I hired a custom operator, and there was a blower putting it over the wall. This fella had made his own wagons from ocean containers, and they side discharged. Most were using upright silos at that time. Now most of his customers are out of business and the rest full bunks and bags. Tragically this man lost his life when he fell off of a Terragater he was working on in his shop, striking his head. Really great guy, and could fix anything, real loss to our farming community when he passed.

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

That is unfortunate. I like the idea of using shipping containers for a wagon. Never thought of that. Did you find the silage to pack better with less potholes when blown in vs dumped?

Mike

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

Not really any different

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

Good to know. There's an empty bunker over by a neighbor that I might be using in the next year or so for corn silage. Would probably blow it in. I already have a blower & dump wagons go for 2x - 3x more than side discharge around here.

Is there an electric motor on the blower? Looks like there's a tight clearance between the wagon & wall.

Mike

showcrop · Feb 1, 2021

(quoted from post at 13:57:27 02/01/21) Good to know. There's an empty bunker over by a neighbor that I might be using in the next year or so for corn silage. Would probably blow it in. I already have a blower & dump wagons go for 2x - 3x more than side discharge around here.

Is there an electric motor on the blower? Looks like there's a tight clearance between the wagon & wall.

Mike

Absent Minded Farmer, there is a reason that those old side-discharge wagons are cheap. Hove you looked for a high dump and truck?

James Williams · Feb 1, 2021

Years ago we packed with a Farmall M,The silage keep very good

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

I'm going to guess the side discharge wagons are cheap because they've seen their day already? There are a few out there that are in good shape, but
they are far between. Is this the type of high dump you are referring to?

One or two of those would be nice to have. As for the truck, that's another good idea, but I'm a one man outfit these days. Unless I can figure out
how to pull the truck behind the chopper. I've seen it done before & have no idea how to set the truck up. Also seen it with a driver in the truck, a
drawbar between the truck & chopper, then the truck was used as an extra set of drive wheels in the mud. Thought that was clever.

Mike

Philip d · Feb 1, 2021

Done lots of them just like that. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

I have 4 wheel dump wagons that hitch to the back of the harvester.

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

Are those the rear dump? Those are hard to find around here. They're still popular with the smaller outfits & they use them up until there's nothing left. Everyone else uses dump body trucks or semi trailers.

Mike

495man · Feb 1, 2021

Nice Ford, SL, 12 speed or 24 speed with dual power IIRC?

That 885XL be 7-10 years old in 1997 and it looks nice. 16x8 hi/lo powershift.

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

I’ll try to post a picture of one of my wagons

Not too many chop their own silage anymore . Most custom outfits use H+S boxes on trucks or running gear now, so they can do both bunks out the back and bags and towers from the side. I like my dump wagons, they work well for me. Takes a reasonable heavy tractor to handle a silage wagon, as they are heavy.

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 1, 2021

Yep. Around here the common truck, trailer or cart are either H&S Top Dog or Meyer Boss rear unload boxes. Both are made here in WI, too. A couple guys run the side & rear unload yet. What make box is the one in the picture. It's a little smaller & more my speed. Should be able to move that around easy with the 560 or the 806. The 188 shouldn't have too many problems pulling it through the field to fill it, either.

Mike

Alvin 41 · Feb 1, 2021

In the 80-90's we filled two 500 ton bunkers using a 40' ear corn elevator run by a 5hp electric motor to unload silage wagons and mix corn silage with urea,elevating to the middle of pile and packing best with a skid loader. If loader was moving silage without getting stuck it was packing OK.

Bruce from Can. · Feb 1, 2021

Yes the Ford was a SL 12 speed, only 66hp but was
a fantastic tractor. The 885Casih was an attractive
tractor but not near the tractor the Ford was, even
with it’s 72 hp. The CaseIH tractor always ran hot,
and in the summer while baling hay, it would heat
up and I’d have to shut the air off. Very little of the
glass opened in that cab , and it was an oven . My
experience with this tractor,sent me to buy the
CaseIH 5140 to replace it. 95hp 4wd 4 gears and 4
powershift, wet clutch/shuttle shif. Far better tractor
than the 885, and better match for the Ford

NEKS · Feb 1, 2021

Got laid off from work one time and dads cousin called me to help him fill silo. I used a 8630 JD with doze blade in silo. He was cutting with two three row cutters. I didn't have time to even get off that thing.

showcrop · Feb 2, 2021

(quoted from post at 16:26:41 02/01/21) I'm going to guess the side discharge wagons are cheap because they've seen their day already? There are a few out there that are in good shape, but
they are far between. Is this the type of high dump you are referring to?
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto73775.jpg">

One or two of those would be nice to have. As for the truck, that's another good idea, but I'm a one man outfit these days. Unless I can figure out
how to pull the truck behind the chopper. I've seen it done before & have no idea how to set the truck up. Also seen it with a driver in the truck, a
drawbar between the truck & chopper, then the truck was used as an extra set of drive wheels in the mud. Thought that was clever.

Mike

Absent minded farmer, you would have no use for two high dumps, it stays hooked to your chopper for the whole season. The one man operator leaves the truck at the edge of the field, loads the high dump, goes to the truck and dumps it, then goes and dumps the truck. I helped a friend with a side unload once 25 years ago, but I haven't seen one in use since then. All the smaller operations in this area use high dumps. The 75 milker farm where I hung out as a kid, which is now milking 1200, chops direct into a fleet of 15-20 trucks, but they still pull a big high dump behind one of their 800 HP choppers sometimes just in case the next truck is delayed.

Absent Minded Farmer · Feb 2, 2021

That makes sense, now that you pointed it out. Don't recall seeing a full side dump rotated out & leaving the field behind a tractor. Don't think one
of those would do me any good anyhow, as I would have to add a separate hydraulic system to the chopper.

Mike

Packing haylage in bunker 1997

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