Easy Way To Unplug Big Jim Silo Unloader Chutes

Easy Way To Unplug Big Jim Silo Unloader Chutes SILOS Silos 22-3-29 Karl Plesums, Spooner, Wis.: "I modified our Deere 7000 4-row (36-in.) corn planter so that the casting lips which hold the wheel assemblies don't break when planting rocky ground. That used to happen to us every 40 acres or so but since I modified the planter we've broken only two lips in 1,500 acres. "The problem is that the bolt holding the casting in place behind the downpressure spring on the closing wheel isn't big enough and is too rigid. I replaced the original 1 in. long bolts with 2 1/2-in. long bolts. I also added a compression spring (the kind used on doorstops) in between the bolt head and the casting so the assembly flexes over rocky terrain. "This modification costs only a buck or two per row and works like a charm. In fact, it worked so well on our Deere planter I even modified the new Kinze 8-row (30-in.) planter we bought last year before ever taking it to the field. We haven't broken even one casting on it. "Three years ago, on the coldest day of winter, I also came up with an easy way to unplug Big Jim silo unloader chutes. Dad had accidentally plugged the hole down to the bottom conveyor with a frozen chunk of silage. I spent about four hours trying to poke a hole through the mess but to no avail. "I finally decided to try an ice-type auger. I welded a 2-ft. length of 4-in. dia. flighting to a piece of 3/4-in. dia. black pipe. I used a small pipe wrench to screw the auger through the plug up. It took only about 15 minutes to unplug the mess. "Incidentally, you can bolt several sections of black pipe to the auger to go through deeper plugs. I've since used this to unplug 25 ft. of haylage in about 20 minutes."

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