We're just getting started in our little farm raising chickens and pigs for now. Wanting to get non-GMO and eventually organic grain to grind but no organic producers close, closest that I KNOW of is about 40 miles away, too far for me to want to pull a gravity box and I don't need, nor want, a full semi load. We've been grinding feed 1ton at a time and it lasts 3-4 months. Any ideas on how to haul 50-100 bushels of grain for a small producer up to 50 miles or so? Open to ideas and not afraid of putting a little sweat into it but don't have a bunch of extra cash at the moment either.
- Thread starter DLMKA
- Start date
Michael Soldan
Well-known Member
It may seem like a long way,but an empty gravity wagon pulls easily and you may as well get a full load to bring back, it won't spoil. I used to bring all my feed home from the mill in a gravity box , I didn't have far to go,but its an easy pull. I used to get a ton of corn and a ton of barley ground and mixed together with a sweetner added, the cattle loved that mix. I went about once a month for a load,would auger it up into the grainary and feed from a shute. I can't think of any other way for you to haul it other than bagging it and throwing it in the back of a pick up..and that's a lot of work..one trip will last you a long time with the wagon..good luck with it.
Why not pull a gravity wagon that distance? If it has decent
tires and packed wheel bearings it shouldn't be an issue. I
used to sell square bales of hay to a horse farm 40 miles from
me. We'd bale on to wagons, then hitch them behind the truck
and deliver the hay. Could go about 30mph. Worked good! I
have pulled my gravity boxes that distance with no issue,
especially if you are only doing a ton at a time.
tires and packed wheel bearings it shouldn't be an issue. I
used to sell square bales of hay to a horse farm 40 miles from
me. We'd bale on to wagons, then hitch them behind the truck
and deliver the hay. Could go about 30mph. Worked good! I
have pulled my gravity boxes that distance with no issue,
especially if you are only doing a ton at a time.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
I hope you are drinking distilled water and wear a respirator 24/7 too. Can't be too safe! Sorry, but every creature on the planet is a GMO. I think hauling 100 bu of corn on the road is riskier. And I apologize for picking on you, but I did try to say it nicely!
I would suspect the only gravity box available is an old one? Forty miles is not out of the question IF you check the box mounting to make sure it is on there good, check the bearings to make sure they are OK and have good tires...preferably road tires. You won't go fast but you will be home in 2 hours, God willing and the crick don't rise! The box will fight you and every crack in the pavement is a jolt to the driver. You could mount a box on a trailer. If you have a good double axle trailer rated for that kind of weight then I would probably roll a wagon onto the trailer and take it there and have them fill it. If it has an extendable tongue you can pull it off at home with a tractor. If not you can roll it off if you have a winch to keep some back tension and not let it free roll. I have done it both ways with EMPTY boxes. Another 5000 lbs added into the equation would just make it more interesting. Also possible you could auger the load out of the wagon while still on the trailer? Just some thoughts from a guy who does crazy stuff all the time.
I would suspect the only gravity box available is an old one? Forty miles is not out of the question IF you check the box mounting to make sure it is on there good, check the bearings to make sure they are OK and have good tires...preferably road tires. You won't go fast but you will be home in 2 hours, God willing and the crick don't rise! The box will fight you and every crack in the pavement is a jolt to the driver. You could mount a box on a trailer. If you have a good double axle trailer rated for that kind of weight then I would probably roll a wagon onto the trailer and take it there and have them fill it. If it has an extendable tongue you can pull it off at home with a tractor. If not you can roll it off if you have a winch to keep some back tension and not let it free roll. I have done it both ways with EMPTY boxes. Another 5000 lbs added into the equation would just make it more interesting. Also possible you could auger the load out of the wagon while still on the trailer? Just some thoughts from a guy who does crazy stuff all the time.
Determined
Well-known Member
-Old 3/4 ton truck converted into a trailer
-Can of spray foam to seal around taligate
-Fiberglass topper with 2' x 2' hatch cut in middle of roof
-Couple of boards at the back so you can open topper without your feed falling out
-Holds about 120 bushel
-Park it next to your chicken or pig pen, keeps it dry, unload and feed as required.
-Can of spray foam to seal around taligate
-Fiberglass topper with 2' x 2' hatch cut in middle of roof
-Couple of boards at the back so you can open topper without your feed falling out
-Holds about 120 bushel
-Park it next to your chicken or pig pen, keeps it dry, unload and feed as required.
Wheatfarmer
Member
Can you find an old combine bin with a shoot, and build in on a old pickup box.
fixerupper
Well-known Member
Not too long ago on this site there was a post about the truck hoists years ago at the feed mills and grain elevators. Farmers put taller sides on the back of a pickup and filled her up and hauled the grain to town in the pickup. Like Jon said that's the way it was done years ago.
jimg.allentown
Well-known Member
I have to argue with your statement about the GMO stuff.
While every living thing on this planet MAY be the result of genetics, those genetics were arrived at NATURALLY, and over the course of thousands of years.
The GMO to which the OP was referring was more likely the ones where they have implanted animal DNA into plants, and done other experiments a la Frankenstein. I don't particularly want GOAT DNA in my corn flakes.
To this date, it is ASSUMED that these experiments are safe for consumption. Not enough testing has been done, and long term effects are still unknown. Some things are still best left to God and Mother Nature. My Opinion.
While every living thing on this planet MAY be the result of genetics, those genetics were arrived at NATURALLY, and over the course of thousands of years.
The GMO to which the OP was referring was more likely the ones where they have implanted animal DNA into plants, and done other experiments a la Frankenstein. I don't particularly want GOAT DNA in my corn flakes.
To this date, it is ASSUMED that these experiments are safe for consumption. Not enough testing has been done, and long term effects are still unknown. Some things are still best left to God and Mother Nature. My Opinion.
My first thought was an old combine grain tank. The idea of a gravity box on a tandem trailer is good- trails much better than a running gear. Could also consider an old grinder-mixer, sans the grinder. Good frame and axle already there, and you could power the unloading auger with engine or motor. Or just cut a slide chute into the bottom of the tank.
60 acre hillside
Member
He asked a technical question and you just gave him a philosophical answer he did not ask for.
Josh in Pa
Member
I think a gravity wagon is the cheapest and easiest. You will
want a good wagon, but it shouldn't have any trouble going
that far. You will have 6000 lbs of grain and 2000 lbs of wagon
with no brakes behind you, so be careful.
Josh
want a good wagon, but it shouldn't have any trouble going
that far. You will have 6000 lbs of grain and 2000 lbs of wagon
with no brakes behind you, so be careful.
Josh
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
A pickup 8 ft box will hold a ton or more.
After selling some scrap iron and heading out, I passed a truck
pulling a perfectly good running gear and gravity box into the
scrap yard. The gear was in better shape than 2 at home. If I
didn't have a storage shortage, I would have offered the guy
scrap priced and hauled it home. What a waste of good
equipment.
pulling a perfectly good running gear and gravity box into the
scrap yard. The gear was in better shape than 2 at home. If I
didn't have a storage shortage, I would have offered the guy
scrap priced and hauled it home. What a waste of good
equipment.
Zachary Hoyt
Well-known Member
Or you could take the box off and use the running gear for
something else, they are really handy. I have an old running gear
that I use for logs out of the woods and lumber around the sawmill,
it is nice because I can pull it around the mill yard for short
distances by hand and it is easy to load and unload either by hand
or with forks on the loader.
Zach
something else, they are really handy. I have an old running gear
that I use for logs out of the woods and lumber around the sawmill,
it is nice because I can pull it around the mill yard for short
distances by hand and it is easy to load and unload either by hand
or with forks on the loader.
Zach
Last time I used a 5X10 utility trailer with 18" sides. I put OSB on the floor and a solid wall on the back. Drove slow to keep it from blowing out too bad.
We're working on getting a pickup but I have one I can borrow from a friend anytime, I'm grinding feed for them too.
I like the combine tank ideas, I'll have to watch for old combines being scrapped.
I have a 120 bu. gravity box on a gear. I load it gear and all onto my 16 ft flat bed and take it to town. The flat bed has brakes, lights and license plate. It will haul 3 ton of corn grain fertilizer or what ever.
Last year I found a 14 ft. flat bed trailer and mounted the gravity box permintly on to it minus the gear. I put new lights on it and new tires. Been working good so far.
Last year I found a 14 ft. flat bed trailer and mounted the gravity box permintly on to it minus the gear. I put new lights on it and new tires. Been working good so far.
Check you state laws for trailer brake requirements. Some states require brakes on trailers over 3000 pounds.
A half ton pickup should easily carry 1500 pounds in the bed, more if it has heavy springs. A 3/4 ton pickup would be closer to 3000 pounds in the bed.
Consider how you store and handle the grain and the ground feed. Try to let gravity work for you instead of shoveling and lifting the grain every time you move it.
A half ton pickup should easily carry 1500 pounds in the bed, more if it has heavy springs. A 3/4 ton pickup would be closer to 3000 pounds in the bed.
Consider how you store and handle the grain and the ground feed. Try to let gravity work for you instead of shoveling and lifting the grain every time you move it.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
It sounds like he already has a grinder-mixer. Just grease the bearings, make sure the tires are good and go. It will trail better then most small gravity wagons and you can unload it without having another auger.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
ROFL! I understand completely. But goats eat corn so when you eat your goat meat you will have corn DNA in it, right? SOOO...goat meat with corn DNA or corn flakes with goat DNA...it's just the same. Two natural ingredients. Like putting honey in your tea or sugar in your coffee.
Another way to haul a hundred bushel of corn is with
an Auger Wagon. Dad had a Heider auger wagon. I
hauled thousands of 5000+# loads of ground feed home
from the feed mill 5-6 miles from home. Grain-O-
Vator was the other popular brand, they even made
tandem axle models with two or three compartments
and horizontal unloading augers that swung 360
degrees. And IH & JD made them but the short line
brands I mention were way more common. Kneodler made
one too but not as popular as the Heider or Grain-O-
Vator.
an Auger Wagon. Dad had a Heider auger wagon. I
hauled thousands of 5000+# loads of ground feed home
from the feed mill 5-6 miles from home. Grain-O-
Vator was the other popular brand, they even made
tandem axle models with two or three compartments
and horizontal unloading augers that swung 360
degrees. And IH & JD made them but the short line
brands I mention were way more common. Kneodler made
one too but not as popular as the Heider or Grain-O-
Vator.
Kansas4010
Well-known Member
I have a Green Welding portable feed hopper. It's fully lighted and road worthy. Just pull it to where you need it to have it filled bring it home and feed out of it as needed. They make bigger versions as well. Mine was $1,200 when I bought it a couple years ago.
An empty grinder mixer will trail well behind a pickup, but I would be cautious about pulling a loaded grinder mixer at highway speeds. The center of gravity of a mixer would be high, similar to a gravity wagon, but it would be on a two wheel trailer instead of a four wheel trailer. A steep hill or hard emergency braking could easily shift another 1000 pounds of tongue weight onto the rear bumper of the pickup in less than a second, making steering or braking a real challenge.
Kansas4010
Well-known Member
The kid took a picture of a cat that happens to be sitting on the hopper but that's it.
Where do you live?
Around here, you can find a road worthy 1 ton dump truck for about $2000-3000 that is capable of making 5 trips a year.
They are handy to have, regardless. Once you have one, you won't want to go without one. Local guy put a chipper top on his and uses it to haul animals to the auction year round. Being closed, the animals don't get the cold wind chill, and he advertises on the CL for odd jobs for hauling with his dump truck. He makes quite a good buck hauling trash from house clean-ups after a death, before a sale, or renters leaving a mess; and yard clean-ups after a storm. He doesn't have to tarp his load going to the dump because of the chipper top.
The other thing have seen is guys take an 11,000 gvwr dually cab chassis and put the gravity box right on the frame. self propelled gravity box, but it really limits what you can do with the truck. A 1 ton dump truck is a money maker.
Around here, you can find a road worthy 1 ton dump truck for about $2000-3000 that is capable of making 5 trips a year.
They are handy to have, regardless. Once you have one, you won't want to go without one. Local guy put a chipper top on his and uses it to haul animals to the auction year round. Being closed, the animals don't get the cold wind chill, and he advertises on the CL for odd jobs for hauling with his dump truck. He makes quite a good buck hauling trash from house clean-ups after a death, before a sale, or renters leaving a mess; and yard clean-ups after a storm. He doesn't have to tarp his load going to the dump because of the chipper top.
The other thing have seen is guys take an 11,000 gvwr dually cab chassis and put the gravity box right on the frame. self propelled gravity box, but it really limits what you can do with the truck. A 1 ton dump truck is a money maker.
Couple things come to mind...
1.) Watch the hedgerows and barnyards around where you travel. I bought two gravity boxes on decent JD gears with good tires out of a hedgerow for $300. The auger on one wasn't much good, someone left fertilizer in it. I had to pull them 40 or so miles home. I've used them for years now and only ever had to air up the tires.
2.) Before I got the good wagons, I have backed a gravity wagon up onto a tandem axle trailer with the tractor and chained it down for long trips, 50-60 miles each way. It wasn't pretty but it worked...
Just a thought
DDMN
1.) Watch the hedgerows and barnyards around where you travel. I bought two gravity boxes on decent JD gears with good tires out of a hedgerow for $300. The auger on one wasn't much good, someone left fertilizer in it. I had to pull them 40 or so miles home. I've used them for years now and only ever had to air up the tires.
2.) Before I got the good wagons, I have backed a gravity wagon up onto a tandem axle trailer with the tractor and chained it down for long trips, 50-60 miles each way. It wasn't pretty but it worked...
Just a thought
DDMN
big daddy t
Member
Dave in the future roundup flat won't work I believe that roundup ready plants will intermingle close related plants and we will have a super race of weeds. Its already happening give it 50 years and people will be farming like the 1950s. I also think people will mine garbage in the future as well so I guess I am a little out there lol.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
I likewise agree that landfills will be a hot source of historical information and possibly resources. Jury is out on the goat/corn flakes.
I don't buy that. Atrazine has been in use on my farm for close to 50 years. It still works like it should because it is not abused.
Do you have cable tv or Sirius XM? Listen to the Hefty Bros. They make a living from making sure that famers are good stewards of chemicals and technology. They constantly talk about ways to keep that from happening, and new chemical technology that keeps round-up from being abused. What all farmers need to understand is that Round-up is just a tool in the toolbox. There are plenty of other tools in the toolbox to use to control weeds, and all farmers need to listen. I do. Every respectful, learned, gentleman farmer that I know also respects that. There are some farmers out there who are blatant about abusing it, and that is a serious faux pas in my book. Why not walk into a church and break wind? It's just as bad and disrespectful to not do all you can to prevent the abuse.
It's my opinion, but, I believe everyone should read it, and try to understand it, before blindly dismissing it. Read some stuff on the AgPHD website. Watch some videos. It can keep that from happening. As a responsible farmer, it is our civic duty.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right." -Henry Ford
Paul from MI
Well-known Member
I assume from your text that you already have a gravity wagon. I'd look at buying a tandem axle trailer, then load the gravity box on it and chain down good. My 100 bu. gravity boxes weigh right at 1500#, if your trailer has two 3500# axles and weighs about 1500# itself, you would have about 4000# of actual load capacity, or about 70 bushels without overloading anything. Brakes on the trailer are a must!! Advantage, you can remove the wagon and feed right from it, or use the trailer for something else. I bought my tandem axle trailer used for $400, cost me $100 to replace floor and $20 for paint. A very useful implement to have.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
100 bu of corn, 56#/bu you are only hauling
5600#.
The best investment I made was buying a new 10K
dump trailer from the factory in Elkart. It was
made by Chubb industries. Sometimes sold under
the name liberty I think. Empty trailer is about
3K. I can easily haul 7K. I've never really
hauled corn. You may need to put side boards on
it.
I easily pull mine with a full size GMC work
truck 6 cylinder or my Farmall C.
5600#.
The best investment I made was buying a new 10K
dump trailer from the factory in Elkart. It was
made by Chubb industries. Sometimes sold under
the name liberty I think. Empty trailer is about
3K. I can easily haul 7K. I've never really
hauled corn. You may need to put side boards on
it.
I easily pull mine with a full size GMC work
truck 6 cylinder or my Farmall C.
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