Self-Propelled Grain Auger Built From Pickup

Self-Propelled Grain Auger Built From Pickup AUGERS Ray Swenson raises foundation registered and certified wheat and also operates a certified seed cleaning operation so he moves a lot grain into bins with big augers He says his self-propelled grain auger - built out of an old Dodge 4-WD pickup - makes the job a lot easier He uses the rig to move and operate a 91-ft long 13-in dia Westfield swing away auger which is bolted to a big steel frame welded to the pickup’s frame “I built it 3 years ago and we use it all year long It eliminates the need to hook up a tractor to an auger and almost makes loading bins a fun job ” says Swenson “I can move quickly from bin to bin and place the auger into position with no problem With no tractor in the way the swing away auger has a full 360 degree range for convenience in positioning the truck for dumping ” Since Swenson raises certified seed he has to reverse the auger for cleaning between seed lots   “Most tractors don’t have a reversing pto but with my self-propelled auger I can just shift the pickup’s automatic transmission into reverse to reverse the auger flighting ” He started with a 1992 Dodge W250 4-WD pickup equipped with a Cummins diesel engine and automatic transmission He stripped the pickup down to the front wheels and axle engine transmission and frame which he welded to another frame off a Melroe chisel plow A pair of caster wheels off an Oliver chisel plow support the bottom end of the auger   He removed the pickup’s rear axle and uses the driveshaft to power a 5-speed transmission off an old Ford truck The transmission shaft-drives a gearbox off a Steiger Bearcat tractor that’s mounted on back of the rig The gearbox is equipped with a forward facing pto shaft with the correct rotation to power the auger “The auger is fastened to a hitch and the pto attached as it would be on a tractor and with the usual hydraulic hoses and so forth That way I can replace the auger if needed ” says Swenson “On this Dodge pickup model the front axle is engaged manually so I disengage the front axle and shift the 5-speed transmission into gear to power the auger as if I’m in 2-WD To operate the auger I put the 5-speed transmission in second gear which runs the auger at just the right speed To move the rig I shift the transmission into neutral and engage the front axle ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ray Swenson Swenson Feed Farm 29667 State Hwy 92 S E Brooks Minn 56715 cell ph 218 280-1934; swenseed@gvtel com

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