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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

shelling trench in a corn crib

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mile0001

12-05-2004 06:10:39




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I was looking at some old plans for a wooden corn crib and in it they have running down the middle a 1.5 foot wide x 1.5 foot deep "shelling trench". Anyone know what was that used for? The couple of old cribs I've seen only had flat floors. In the plans it also looks like the trench was covered with removable boards.




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dhermesc

12-06-2004 12:02:17




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 Anyone want a Wire crib? in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
Speaking of Corn Cribs, my brother is getting ready to tear down the Wire Cribs my dad put up in the 50s(?). All bolted togather sitting on a concrete foundation, with a tin roof. Currently in North East Kansas.



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mile0001

12-05-2004 15:26:58




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
Ah, ok, that makes sense. Didn't realize they had conveyers designed for that. About the only old sheller I've seen is a JD 43 which didn't have any, but I know they made other models, which must have had them.

Another question would be did most people shell the corn out of a crib, or did they grind the ear corn up whole? I suppose it depends on what you're feeding it to?



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paul

12-05-2004 19:13:16




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 15:26:58  
Grind it whole cob for cattle, shell it to sell in late summer/ early fall.

Shelled ground corn for the chickens, I believe dad ground whole cobs for the hogs but shelled might be a better deal?

--->Paul



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Migraine

12-05-2004 08:17:54




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
My father and my two brothers custom shelled corn for the local grain elevators for many years in southern Iowa. The corn was put into these outside cribs in October andwas the whole ear usually with some husks and stalk fodder along. We usually shelled the following spring into summer as the farmers neded the grain. The slatted strips also provided some air movement up through the ear corn and provided a placefor the rain and melted snow to get away out the runway, as we called them. These cribs with tunnels were so much easier to shell out than the alley way corncribs. I remember those days very well as I got 1 penny per bushel and as a very young boy I was in charge of the cob wagon and later on moved to the grain wagon and finally to the shoveling into the moving drag. We could shell up to 4000 bushels of corn on a good day. We used a MM sheller which befor it died had over a million bushels through it. What fun, I think. Oh yes, you had to watch out for the rats all day as well. It.s all coming back to me now. Migraine

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RickL

12-05-2004 07:29:39




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
Mileooo1; the previuos post is correct in that it was used to unload the ear corn when it was time to shell it. You slid a section at a time the chain conveyor into the tunnel and you continued to add sections as you rake the ear corn int o the conveyor working your way back.You lifted the sections of boards up as you kept emptyin the crib out. Run a JD cornsheller for years and these were the easeist to do in my opinion. The other cribs it had to be all pulled to the inside alley way and if the post were far enough apart you could use a powerrake to rake the corn to the alley side into the conveyor. IT had nothing to do with collecting the shelled corn as ther was very little since it was ear corn yet in those cribs. RickL

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fixerupper

12-05-2004 08:41:59




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to RickL, 12-05-2004 07:29:39  
We always called the chain conveyor the "drag", and the tunnel in the crib was the "drag tunnel". I have no idea how it got that name and I don"t know if it was a name used only in this locality or not. The drag came in sections about twelve or forteen feet long and they were carried fron their storage racks on the side of the sheller and assembled together end to end and then pushed into the drag tunnel with a tractor loader. If I remember right, most shellers wouldn"t use a drag longer than 48 feet because the drive gears on the shellers around this area were only designed for that much pull. After the crib was empy the drag would be pulled out with a chain, disassembled and put back on the storage racks. Of course this was after we had been working like a dog in the crib for several hours so putting them away was not a job we looked forward to.

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RickL

12-05-2004 10:20:23




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to fixerupper, 12-05-2004 08:41:59  
Fixerupper; done that a many a time. I thought are sections were like eight ft and we head some 4fts also. Each one slid in its own carrier bracket we built on the sheller. Also had a arm and winch to lift the power rake ontop of the sections when we were all loaded. We had rollers on bottom of our sections also. Caught things a fire a few times also in the sheller truck engine. Always wanted to watch were you staked the shucks chute canvas.

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fixerupper

12-05-2004 11:01:01




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to RickL, 12-05-2004 10:20:23  
The more we talk about this, the more I itch! I never got along with the dust. The drags we used were as long as the main body of the sheller, so I was guessing on the actual length.



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RickL

12-06-2004 06:10:06




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to fixerupper, 12-05-2004 11:01:01  
fixerupper; The exact lengths of the drags doesn't really matter now as I am not positve either now as it has been to long. I do remember these memeories though. the bet who would get the most rats stuck on the end of your corn rake. Its was sure funny finding out you could dance when one tried to go up your pant leg and some made it!!!. You seen all kings of (fruit of the Looms) somtimes.You learned the cribs to watch out for after that first time shelling in some cribs. Everybody tied there pant legs shut with baling twine or baling wire. We really got fancy when we finally used good old duct tape since we always had rolls of it in the cab of the sheller to patch thin spots in the metal or chuite canvas. The other dare (tough man) or kid who didn't know any better was to have another crew member hold ear of corn between his hands from both ends. The tough guy was to break it in half with a swing using the side of his hand. We had one fellow who could really do it allthe time!!!! I was dared to do it the first rookie season,never again though as my hand hurt for weeks and was black and blue!!!! This was are fun!!!! One fellow did break his hand!!!!. You get some of those dried out ears they are just like steel. To me the mice dancing activity was hilarious some days. Snakes well thats another story.

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matthies

12-05-2004 07:12:56




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
The trench was for the sections of conveyor/elevator sections to be placed once shelling was being done. This way as you worked your way into the crib you removed the boards and then you didn't have to scoop the corn as far, the sections took the corn to the sheller. Look at some old shellers they usually had sections hanging on the side of the sheller. The sections were chain driven off of the rear of the sheller. At least the MM sheller we had was that way. chris

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Sid

12-05-2004 06:28:28




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to mile0001, 12-05-2004 06:10:39  
AS I under stan it was to gather the shelled corn you would get in thos old cribs.



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paul

12-05-2004 08:44:29




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 Re: shelling trench in a corn crib in reply to Sid , 12-05-2004 06:28:28  
There was a center screen column on many to allow air up the middle where the fines (shell corn) gather. The trench was, as they say above, to put the sheller drag in & make it _much_ easier to hook the ear corn into the drag rather than shoveling it up & in.

--->Paul



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