Hopper Trucks Imporve Farm Family's Efficiency

Hopper Trucks Imporve Farm Family's Efficiency TRUCKS Conversions 24-5-3 Whether it's seed, fertilizer or harvested grain, a Jarvie, Alberta family's fleet of farm trucks equipped with gravity boxes makes short work of handling it. "My father rigged the first truck over 30 years ago," says Dale Beamish who now farms 2,000 acres with his mother and brother. "Altogether, we run one tandem and three single axles with gravity boxes on them that we mounted ourselves." The tandem International has two 325-bu. Unverferth gravity boxes that are bolted together as though they were one unit. One 24-ft. roll tarp covers the payload. This truck is the main seed truck in spring, with 6-in. drill fills and hopper boots mounted externally. "Because the drill fill augers are at a height of 16 ft., the operator can drive along side 30 ft. of drill and step directly from the cab, onto the drill platform and fill the entire drill in under 15 minutes," Beamish explains. "The truck is used at harvest with the augers removed and side delivery chutes attached. Hauling from the combine is very handy with these trucks. We just use the center delivery chutes when hauling to the elevator." "Rather than hauling around a gravity box behind the tractor, on a rough, slow wagon, this gives us really good movement and speed. The gravity box will haul slightly less than a grain truck hoist box, though," Beamish says. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Beamish Seed Farms, Box 67, Jarvie, Alberta, Canada, T0G 1H0 (ph 780 954-2166; fax 780 954-2671).

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