Easy Way to Clean Grain Bin Out

MontanaRed

Posted 2/8/2014 19:16 (#3674207) Subject: Easy way to clean out bin

SE montana

Have 4 older 6k bu bins with flat contrete bottoms, I'm getting tired of shoveling grain, currently we have a old floor sweep that works ok still have to shovel a lot. What the easiest and cheapest way to get the last bit of grain out.

Edited: No center sump all the grain comes out the door.

Edited by MontanaRed 2/9/2014 09:58

Pat H

Posted 2/8/2014 19:22 (#3674226 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

get a used grain vac. There are some older vacs that are not real fast, but pretty reasonably priced. mutt

Posted 2/8/2014 19:23 (#3674233 - in reply to #3674226) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

nw kansas

+1 on grain vac Pofarmer

Posted 2/8/2014 19:37 (#3674282 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

On the bins I don't have a good sweep for, we rent a vac. Still not super easy. IowaNotiller

Posted 2/8/2014 19:47 (#3674307 - in reply to #3674282) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Iowa

Agreed, running a vac is like wrestling a alligator. westman farmer

Posted 2/8/2014 19:56 (#3674330 - in reply to #3674307) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Manitoba

What kind of hose do you use? I used to use a heavy rubber grain vac hose that was very hard to handle. Now I use what some people call drill fill hose that is a lot lighter and easier to handle. Maybe it does not last as long either. 3pete

Posted 2/8/2014 20:02 (#3674346 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

WCIN

I call "Labor Ready". They will send out 4 guys at $10/hr each. 4 hr minimum. 3 scoop shovels and a push broom, sit back and watch. 150 farmer

Posted 2/8/2014 20:06 (#3674362 - in reply to #3674346) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Pontiac, IL.

If you have a good sweep, the hardest part is getting it in the bin. Once in, not that much scooping, mostly sweeping. Sounds like you need a different sweep. HYDE

Posted 2/8/2014 20:13 (#3674378 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

North Carolina

Grain vac all the way. D6Joe

Posted 2/8/2014 20:15 (#3674382 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

east central ND

Need more info. Are you unloading out the door or a center sump? If the center sump, does your sweep have a back board type design? One older sweep we have just has the flighting, the other with the back board/steel plate is much easier to clean up behind.

Edit: If you do not have a center sump, how about a used air floor and unload tube, and then a center mounted sweep?

Edited by D6Joe 2/8/2014 20:38

Maizeing

Posted 2/8/2014 20:42 (#3674456 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Ontario's middle east

These clean up behind the sweep real nice. Add a leaf blower and myself and one other guy can clean a 78 ' bin in 1 1/2 hrs. Just take turns it gets a little hard on the back but not like a shovel .

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hellosugar

Posted 2/8/2014 20:59 (#3674502 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

rrv, nd

put hoppers under them. I know not the cheapest...but easiest. Bristol Hillbilly

Posted 2/8/2014 21:00 (#3674505 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Palestine, IL 62451

^^^^^ I hope you monitor for carbon monoxide. With that big of a bin probably not a problem.

Maizeing

Posted 2/8/2014 21:06 (#3674518 - in reply to #3674505) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Ontario's middle east

We run 2 , 2 hp roof exhausters. Dust explosion concerns me more. They are suppose to be spark arrested but don't know if that's a guarantee. Not sure it's worse than the sweep auger chewing away at the floor. Been doing it for years and suggesting we park it would not be popular! dt4020

Posted 2/8/2014 21:56 (#3674677 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Fairbury, NE (Southeast)

A sweep sized to your unloading auger, gear reduction drive, run fan in reverse. Would take that ANY day over a vac, even one in good condition. Only bin I like a vac for is one with no center sump. otherwise too slow and back breaking. Alberta Pioneer

Posted 2/8/2014 22:51 (#3674769 - in reply to #3674307) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Warburg, AB

IowaNotiller - 2/8/2014 18:47

Agreed, running a vac is like wrestling a alligator.

I once had to suck up close to 20k bushels out of bags because they were filled in a low spot, and the field flooded. Boss didn't want to take a hit on dockage from sprouting in the spring, so we vac'd it up. Told him 20% dockage was cheaper than the tractor, vac, and truck running. Told me "I don't think we can look at it that way". Now he gets to wrestle the vac :D

Bruce

School Of Hard Knock

Posted 2/8/2014 23:58 (#3674848 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

just a tish NE of central ND

Brandt clean up tool on a Brandt vac. The tool is on wheels and has a tall handle and works well. havin'funfarming

Posted 2/9/2014 06:41 (#3674990 - in reply to #3674848) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Manitoba, Canada

Have never used a Brant so I can't comment on it. I know from experience that the vac companies have made great strides in recent years on making their attachments much easier to handle. The old vacs work well but the attachments they came with take a lot of work to use. I use a Rem and they have some nice, newer attachments that make life much easier. I guess I would say that there are lots of good older grain vacs out there that would do the job fine but if going that route I think I would still look into buying some of the newer attachments. Some of the older vacs came with very stiff hoses as well. The hoses lasted well but were miserable to use and expensive to replace. I would much rather replace a cheap, easy to use flexible hose more often than an expensive, heavy and stiff hose. I am sure an older models hoses could be swapped out to something more user friendly as well.

Edited by havin'funfarming 2/9/2014 06:42

thefoolishfarmer

Posted 2/9/2014 07:43 (#3675100 - in reply to #3674456) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

South cental Ohio

What exactly is that attachment? I've never seen one like it. Is there a brand name like Stihl? Thanks. Maizeing

Posted 2/9/2014 08:03 (#3675153 - in reply to #3675100) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Ontario's middle east

Yep made by Stihl. Landscapers use them for sweeping gravel from snow plows off the grass. small time

Posted 2/9/2014 08:31 (#3675232 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Home Columbia Mo. Row Crop Farm Novinger Mo.

Grain vac cart have not used one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpaV4XGf9GA Springd

Posted 2/9/2014 08:42 (#3675262 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

put in new sweeps, we are doing one per year. vacs exp to buy and maintain. Also tractor screaming at full PTO speed costs a lot too.
plus vacs are a ton of work and slow Coastal

Posted 2/9/2014 09:12 (#3675340 - in reply to #3674456) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Maizeing - 2/8/2014 20:42

These clean up behind the sweep real nice. Add a leaf blower and myself and one other guy can clean a 78 ' bin in 1 1/2 hrs. Just take turns it gets a little hard on the back but not like a shovel .

Are you not worried about dust and the exposed spark from the gas engine?

Coastal

Posted 2/9/2014 09:16 (#3675350 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Have several 42' bins with drying floors. The way I do it is

Run the sweep all the way around the bin twice. Shovel the outside perimeter 2-3 feet. Start the sweep to pull all that to the center. Shovel another 3-5 feet around. Start sweep auger. Shovel again, start sweep.

By just shoveling the perimeter you are letting the sweep auger carry the grain to the center. I can do each bin in about 30 min by my self this way.

tmrand

Posted 2/9/2014 09:59 (#3675457 - in reply to #3675232) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

Southeast Colorado

I don't need one of those but still have to admire the ingenuity. Having run a vac a few times I can see where that would be almost a necessity if doing that job often. illinois-kris

Posted 2/9/2014 13:27 (#3675964 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Snow Blower

IL

I use a little 5hp rubber paddle snow blower to shoot it out the door into a tractor bucket, it really saves your back. In the bins with drying floors I bought another rubber paddle and cut it an inch deep every two inches with tin snips to get into the corrugation where the sweep missed. Big L

Posted 2/9/2014 14:03 (#3676058 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

Auxvasse, MO

I took 8 inch tubing and made bins center unloading figure out where center is and cut tubing so auger is hitting center and have it sticking out and up enough to get hopper under it, and to clean under it. Make a power head and flitting to fit in tube and move from bin to bin I use a hydraulic. Motor to run it.I purchased a Ekay hydraulic sweep auger to move outside to center still scoop some but not as much as you are. I just cut a hole in bin wall to put tube in and welded it in all tubes are the same length so flitting works in all. The sweep auger seemed high till I used it running both hyd motors take decent hyd flow on tractor could make power head electric School Of Hard Knock

Posted 2/9/2014 20:49 (#3677370 - in reply to #3674990) Subject: RE: Easy way to clean out bin

just a tish NE of central ND

havin'funfarming - 2/9/2014 05:41

Have never used a Brant so I can't comment on it. I know from experience that the vac companies have made great strides in recent years on making their attachments much easier to handle. The old vacs work well but the attachments they came with take a lot of work to use. I use a Rem and they have some nice, newer attachments that make life much easier. I guess I would say that there are lots of good older grain vacs out there that would do the job fine but if going that route I think I would still look into buying some of the newer attachments. Some of the older vacs came with very stiff hoses as well. The hoses lasted well but were miserable to use and expensive to replace. I would much rather replace a cheap, easy to use flexible hose more often than an expensive, heavy and stiff hose. I am sure an older models hoses could be swapped out to something more user friendly as well.

The Brandt tool is something like pushing a upright vacuum cleaner on 4 castor wheels with a big hose on it. Our neighbor has also gone to a 1 inch smaller hose on the cleanup tool as to give more flexibility with another brand vac. Myself, never even take a shovel in the bin anymore. Inuit

Posted 2/9/2014 22:49 (#3677761 - in reply to #3674207) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

I tried the vacs in the past they were rentals from our local coop, just very disappointed", than put "Circle King" unloading tubes in and use the "Circle King" hydraulic sweep.
The unloading tube and the sweep are hydraulic driven withe the tractor that runs the 8" *40' auger.
This setup works for me. bharzman

Posted 2/10/2014 07:36 (#3678049 - in reply to #3674505) Subject: Re: Easy way to clean out bin

North Central Kansas

how about lift em, and put a cone bottom under them?

sullivanrectelon1981.blogspot.com

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