Truck Bagger Puts Grain, Fertilizer Into Big Bags

Truck Bagger Puts Grain, Fertilizer into Big Bags TRUCKS Accessories 9-3-24 "It's got tremendous possibilities for farms, elevators and many other industries," says Grant Durhman, of General Stor, the manufacturer of Bag-A-Load, a new automatic bagging system that fits to the back of semi trailers to automatically load virtually any flowable material into large plastic bags. General Stor developed the new truck bagger primarily for handling wet brewers grains from distilleries. The company markets the high protein brewers grains to Midwest dairy farmers. Until now most farmers store the material in above ground storage areas but since brewers grains begin to spoil in a matter of days, above ground storage created a scheduling problem for both farmer and seller. With the new Bag-A-Load, the company can unload directly into air-tight bags and the farmer can unload them as needed. Since it was developed last year, the company has been experimenting with many other materials. "It'll work with corn, wheat, oats and other grains as well as bulk fertilizers. We recently used it to unload corn gluten, which is the consistency of flour. If it can handle gluten, it'll handle almost anything," says Durhman, who notes that there's also been interest in the Bag-A-Load for filling large plastic bags with sand in flood threatened areas. It could be used to fill bags to a height of 3 to 4 ft., replacing hundreds of individual sand bags in the few minutes it would take to unload a truck. The truck bagging system won't work with silage since it can't pack material in tight enough to prevent air spoilage. The add-on Bag-A-Load attachment consists of a wide, rectangular shaped metal "funnel" that's wide enough to hold a long, folded-up plastic bag. Depending on the truck, the attachment is mounted with various supports and bracings. It'll work on any dumping semi, whether it's got a hoist, plunger, or live bottom. Any length bag can be used. Grant says that to unload the average-sized 20-ton load a 50-ft. long bag is used. The attachment could also be made to fit smaller farm-size trucks fitted with smaller bags. The procedure for using the Bag-A-Load, which can be handled by one person, is to first strap an accordian folded bag to the Bag-A-Load with elastic straps. To unload, the operator pulls off the end of the bag and ties it tightly together. Then he simply starts dumping and pulls forward as he does. The weight of the material will pull the bag off the frame of the Bag-A-Load. One person can easily operate it. "Farmers could dump grain into these bags using a semi rather than an expensive bagging machine. Elevators are also interested in it for temporary storage. It's ideal for bulk storage of fertilizers because it's weather tight and will help avoid corrosion damage to other equipment and storage areas," says Grant. The Bag-A-Load sells for $1,800. Once installed, it can be removed in 15 min. when necessary. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, General Stor, 475 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55102 (ph 612 291-2642).

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