Euro Farm Ideas For Covering Silage

Euro Farm Ideas For Covering Silage CROP STORAGE Miscellaneous When European farm magazine Profi asked its readers for suggestions on covering silage bunkers they came through big time Covering silage is one of those tough jobs that has to be done but nobody wants to do it Slatted panels from cattle and hog flooring were used by several readers One fabricated steel brackets to hang on bunker sidewalls to hold pig slats in place The slats formed a slip-proof walkway with a railing The walkway was wide enough to set gravel bags as the silage was being uncovered and the plastic rolled back A stairway with mesh panels at one end made getting up and down safer too Another reader built a catwalk of welded brackets using fence panels cut to size for flooring In his case he used a ladder for access An old concrete cattle slat was used as a heavy-duty hold-down for the end rolls of plastic sheeting This reader fabricated a frame from tubular steel and bolted it to the slat Pallet forks can set it in place and move as needed A variety of frameworks for holding rolls of plastic were submitted by readers One loader-mounted holder could hold up to three rolls of the same or different sizes It was designed for use on a front-end loader When detached from the loader a stable base made it ideal for storing partially used rolls Plastic dispensers mounted on loaders little and big as well as left stationary were popular tools A front-mounted holder for a farmer who used a thin base sheet and a heavier top sheet held both rolls He could fit and roll them out at the same time noting the heavier top sheet held down the lightweight base sheeting One solution was a stationary unit with wide feet that could be set in front of the silage pile and sheeting simply pulled off This freed up a tractor or loader for other tasks such as delivering tires or other weights Equally popular were recovery reels that rolled up plastic sheeting once it had been folded to match the reel’s width One featured was shop built with a hydraulic drive motor and a rear mount A second one was a commercial unit but the farmer noted extensive modifications He reduced the turn rate by adding a throttle valve and installed a crossbar to improve control in windy conditions The front-end loader mount let him raise the reel to disperse water residues from the plastic Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Profi International Kelsey Publishing Ltd   The Granary Downs Court Yalding Hill Yalding Maidstone Kent ME18 6AL ph 0044 1959 543747; www profi co uk

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.