Home Built Grain Bagger

Home built grain bagger CROP STORAGE Bag Silos 10-5-27 Another option for those short of storage space is bagging grain in plastic bag's. While there are numerous firms offering commercial rigs, Ermin Benes, Valpariaso, Neb., built his own using materials from around the farm. Benes has only used the bagger and the bagging system with high moisture shelled corn but he notes that it should work just as well with dry corn. Benes started by attaching a flat-top U-trough 6-in. dia. auger from a grinder-mixer to the dump gate of a side-unloading gravity box. An old circular stock watering tank was then supported from the rear of the wagon box. A V-shaped slot was cut in the bottom of the tank for the auger. The bottom edge of the 8 ft. dia. tank is about 10 in. off the ground and the silage bag, also about 8 ft. in dia., is wrapped around the tank. Corn is hauled from the combine in an auger wagon and unloaded into the gravity box. A tractor hooked to the wagon-bagger unit provides hydraulic power for the orbit motor which drives the auger. As the bag fills, the tractor and wagon are moved ahead. "The auger extends far enough into the bag that corn will not pile up against the bottom of the tank. This lets the bag unfold freely as the bagger moves ahead," explains Benes. Benes notes that each 8 ft. dia., 150 ft. long bag holds about 4,600 bu. for a cost of a little more than 4 cents a bu. After each bag's filled, the end's wrapped around a 2 by 4 and a lathe nailed to it to seal the bag. Benes' suggestions for others wanting to make a home-built bagger include: 1. Use an auger with hydraulic motor ù it's more convenient than a belt or chain drive. 2. Keep joints tight where grain enters the auger to prevent grain loss. 3. Use an open end auger and don't let grain pile against the end of the auger. 4. Extend the auger far enough into the bag so grain won't roll down and interfere with unfolding of the bag. 5. Fill bags on the level if possible. If you must store bags on a slope, fill from the bottom of the hill and work up. Working downslope keeps grain rolling down and the bag won't fill completely. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ermin Benes, Box 141, Valparaiso, Neb. 68065 (ph 402 784-2854).

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