Pulling an elevator 250 miles

tomstractorsandtoys · May 22, 2020

I got a different response than I was expecting to the pulling an elevator question. Pulling it is not an issue. I have pulled over a dozen grain augers out of IL that were all 60-70 ft long. The 70 footers have like a 14 ft wheel base. With augers I have a set of almost new tires and I always replace the wheel bearings before I pull them. I pull them 60mph with no issues. My main question was about cage bearings. Will they hold up to the trip? Because of the cage wheel bearings I know the speed will be under 40 mph and I will have to grease them often. When you drive slow you get to see the countryside better anyway. Did a little research on the MN dot site and it does not look like I need any permits as width will be under 12 and the length is ok as well. I also have never heard of a farmer being stopped pulling an implement. On a trailer yes but not pulling one. I also always use a safety chain and for this have battery powered blinking lights. It will be all state routes with no interstates. Tom

coonie minnie · May 22, 2020

Are these the kind in the spoke wheels? Or like on a 16A green chopper held on with a cotter pin on the end? If either, I think I'd want a spare wheel along. Maybe two. Both of those designs seem really pretty poor compared to the rest of the implement they held up.

Have you considered taking the wheels off, and mounting a better axle to the current one? A big channel iron drilled for some U bolts to wrap around the elevator axle, and some decent spindles welded to the ends might work. One with good tires and known bearings? Just an idea...

I towed an MC 670 corn dryer from Warrens, WI to my place in the early 2000's. Took all day. We made it Ok, but was well planned out. Blew a tire between Montello and Coloma though.

Mike M · May 22, 2020

I think you will be fine. You have a good plan. A bearing of any kind is better than none at all. keep them greased should keep them ok. Do those have any sort of felts or seals to help hold the grease in ?

rustred · May 22, 2020

as I said you will be fine, I pulled my auger without any brgs. in the wheels. you should be able to go the speed limit also. just stop and check the axles for warmth and grease.

NY 986 · May 22, 2020

Maybe I am being a Nervous Ned but I would maybe stop every 25-30 miles to grease and another capable person in a follow behind vehicle just for the unexpected. The area auction yard is not too far from me and I have seen fools drive under an auger right tight to the auger chassis. In case of a problem you have another pair of eyes to support you with LEO's.

NY 986 · May 22, 2020

Post pics once home with it.

tomstractorsandtoys · May 22, 2020

The extra axle is something I am considering. I have the axle out of a 50ft grain auger here and was thinking about welding flat steel to it and getting 4 ubolts u bolt to clamp around the existing Deere axles. I would then have new wheel bearings and good tires. I have a junk 350 elevator so I could work out any design issues before going. I once pulled a Deere 550 grain dryer from almost the MO boarder home including going through Ceder Rapids at rush hour. Tom

deeretails · May 22, 2020

I'd have an infrared thermometer with me to check on bearing temps periodically.

fixerupper · May 22, 2020

Back in the middle 50's my dad bought a new Kelly Ryan elevator and my grandfather pulled it from the factory in Blair Neb to the farm here 120 miles. It did not have wheel bearings, just a bushing in the hub. My grandpa stopped to grease every 20 miles. He complained about having to go slow, he had a penchant for going fast and 40 MPH was way too slow for him. I was only five years old at the time but I think the tires were new. Some short line companies put used car tires on their implements but I think these were new.

tomstractorsandtoys · May 22, 2020

For pics go to the La crosse WI Craigslist. It looks nice and the owner said I will not be disappointed. Guess I am going to buy it. It can stay in his shed untill after my first cutting of hay is made. Tom

Richard G. · May 22, 2020

Model T's used cage bearings in the rear axles and were very dependable.
I put new ones in mine in 2002 and have driven many miles since then.
The only ones I had fail were in a 73 Monte Carlo.
Richard

NY 986 · May 22, 2020

About once in every 5 years one comes up for sale around here that is on par with the one you are buying. Never saw one with the dragline feature around me.

andy r · May 22, 2020

I sold a Behlem 500 grain dryer to a farmer from Michigan. Yes, Michigan. I live in South East Iowa. He wanted to come and get it the very next weekend after we first initially talked. I told him that would be fine, but the tires were original with checks/cracks and I had never been inside the hubs to repack or check the bearings. Most of you probably know what a Behlem 500 dryer looks like. They are very heavy, long, and tall. I ask him if he would like me to check on the availability of new tires at a near by tire shop and he said yes. He arrived and we pulled the wheels off (actually his wife pulled the wheels off) and he went to town and bought new tires. I asked him about pulling the wheel hubs and packing in some grease and he replied they will be fine. The hooked on to it with a ton pickup with duals and away he went to Michigan. Always wondered if he made back to Michigan with the dryer. Can't remember if he said it was a 10 hour drive?

paul · May 22, 2020

It sounds like you have a reasonable plan.

I live in Minnesota, there is little of the drama mentioned below. The state and county guys don?t bother a farmer pulling an implement as long as things look reasonably fine.

Perhaps the question will be, should you or shouldn?t you have a SMV emblem. I think this law was amended a few years ago, and you can be going faster now and not get in trouble? But look this up, don?t rely on me....

Paul

paul · May 22, 2020

I ran across this, that is the change recently in the SMV law.

Paul

Although the use of a slow-moving vehicle emblem is restricted to slow-moving vehicles, Minnesota motorists should be aware that a towed implement of husbandry that is empty and not self-propelled may be towed at lawful speeds greater than 30 mph without removing the slow-moving vehicle emblem.

504 · May 22, 2020

by caged bearings I am guessing you mean ball bearings? Chances are very good that your truck has them on the front axle and your car may have four of them.

tomstractorsandtoys · May 22, 2020

They are a cage roller bearing.Each roller is several inches long. Very common on older implements. My Deere 44 spreader uses them on the beater bearings.Tom

Mark-Ia · May 23, 2020

Model T Fords used the caged bearings. Many of them are still on the road. Just carry a grease gun and check then once in awhile.

caterpillar guy · May 23, 2020

Oh so you mean straight roller bearings. Still grease them before leaving and roll.

coonie minnie · May 23, 2020

Yeah... greased or not, all of those we had here over the years seemed to get a lot of slop in them, and then the wheel would run crooked, or worse. We had a few implements that had them, most are gone now. There is a small KBA disk around here that was my grandfathers. Either he or my uncle converted it to different hubs with tapered bearings back in the 60's.

Looking on line, I've seen pictures of those elevators with spoke wheels, and with more modern wheels. Which does this have? I'm wondering if the more modern wheeled ones were converted???

Leroy · May 23, 2020

I pulled 2 40's one about 55 mile other about 49 mile and that was plenty far for me. Talked about transporting one (A JD) about70-80 mile but deal was never completed. Part of reason was just too far to try to pull it.

Alvin 41 · May 23, 2020

I sold 3 JD 40" corn elevators for $100-300 .All buyers came with flatbed trailers and the elevator loaded hanging over cab. Have 6 spoked wheels with roller bearings and spindles left from a neighbors sale when scrap buyer cut up the elevators.

BarnyardEngineering · May 23, 2020

I'm starting to think that we spend entirely too much time second guessing this kind of stuff. Just yesterday I towed a 30' spring tooth harrow (16' wide folded) home 60 miles. Threw a spare tire, jack, and cordless impact in the truck, went and hooked on, and hit the road. Didn't even hit any mailboxes.

Pulling an elevator 250 miles

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