Need Grain Hauling Ideas

[6e]

I know how wonderfully creative all of you on this forum are and I need some ideas about how to haul bulk grain in our pick-up that won't cost us an arm and a leg. We need something that can handle at least 1500 pounds of feed and way that's easy to work with. We tried just putting the feed lose in the back of the pickup, but it's hard work shoveling all that out and you don't get it all. We've tried putting it in barrels in the back of the truck, but each barrel weighs over 250 pounds when full and was quite tricky getting them out of the truck. The co-op doesn't deliver as far out as we are and when we have them bag it we're paying over $12 per 1000 pounds of feed for sacking and it's just more trash around here that we have to burn and a waste of money. It makes more sense to get it lose if we can figure out a really good way to haul it that's not expensive. So, all you creative homesteaders, give me some ideas. Pictures would be great if you got them.
Thanks

[agmantoo]

Using 3/4 inch plywood make a V shaped bin in the pickup bed by allowing the plywood to extend over the sides. Then build ends to prevent the grain from running out. In the end at the back of the truck cut a hole at the bottom of the V for one of the cheap small grain augers to be mounted. Now you can power the grain out. You do not need the tube around the auger as the V shape will feed the grain to the auger. Look inside and old combine bin and you will see how to mount the auger.

[6e]

Where would I find a little grain auger and how much do they run? Are they powered by gas?

[savinggrace]

Hello,

I have not found one ton of feed to be too cumbersome-enough so that you need a power auger. I have a good old fashioned shovel and it works just great. The suggestion of a V built of plywood is wonderful and I too will do so!

I suppose I would also like to mention alternate storage options for bulk grain. I do not have a gravity box. I had my grain delivered and I store it in a very oversized old silo. One ton takes up a relitively small space.

I am going to be loosing the option of using the silo in the coming months, and what I had pondered was using a metal storage shed, which is terribly inexpensive and easy to assemble. I plan to line the floor with sheet metal, cauk the bottom edge and then just inside the front double doors, attach a series of boards so that it creates an edge at the front, so that it does not spill out the front.

[Mountaineer]

Would a mini bulk bag work- 1 ton bag that is?
I plan to keep on out on pallets this winter, with a tarp over top to keep out the weather. Easy to transport of there's a tractor to lift off the truck. My favorite neighbors!

[FarmboyBill]

I buy mine, when I buy it, in ton lots as they give around 300 in extra feed for me to do so. I just scoop it out by hand. Course, I use a smaller scoop than I had when I was younger, and yes, I wish Ida had it when I was younger. I found out, if you try to run electric a great distance, say 100ft, you may find you dont have enough juice to run the auger. Thats what I found out for myself

[catahoula]

I'm with farmer joe, the bulk bag is the way to go, that's how we buy our feed . They have four carry straps on the top and a draw string closure in the bottom . I use and old auger that we had in the barn powered by a "hole hog" drill to move the feed from the sack to a grain bin. I know of at least one guy that just sets the bulk bag on the floor of his barn and scoops out of it every day. He has about four cats to keep the mice at bay. I've seen the bulk bags for sale new for about thirty dollars, we paid a twelve dollar deposit on ours and just swap the empty out when we go in for more feed. The trick is getting the bag off the truck, you would need a tractor, chainhoist, or auger into a bin. Most farmers will have an old auger laying around some where, you might even find one at a scrapyard.

[catahoula]

Originally Posted by savinggrace

Hello,

I have not found one ton of feed to be too cumbersome-enough so that you need a power auger. I have a good old fashioned shovel and it works just great. The suggestion of a V built of plywood is wonderful and I too will do so!

I suppose I would also like to mention alternate storage options for bulk grain. I do not have a gravity box. I had my grain delivered and I store it in a very oversized old silo. One ton takes up a relitively small space.

I am going to be loosing the option of using the silo in the coming months, and what I had pondered was using a metal storage shed, which is terribly inexpensive and easy to assemble. I plan to line the floor with sheet metal, cauk the bottom edge and then just inside the front double doors, attach a series of boards so that it creates an edge at the front, so that it does not spill out the front.

The metal shed is a good idea, you might want to chain the walls together from the inside so they don't burst out from the weight of the feed.

[Windy in Kansas]

Well I guess if you can't handle shoveling a 30 bushel grain equivalent and enjoying the twisting and turning and lifting exercise it provides, I expect moving a grain auger would be too much of a hassle too since they are heavy and cumbersome. You would also need to shovel the feed to the auger and still need to broom out the remaining feed from the truck floor. There are small augers available as well as 12 volt "drill fill augers" although you would need a very short one which I'm not sure is available. There is also the danger of working around an auger.

I would recommend that you check out some farm sales or ask around to see if anyone has an old combine bin mounted on trailer wheels for sale. You could fill buckets or whatever out of the chute at the bottom so you would not have to handle the feed except to feed it. Filled at the mill, pulled home and parked, fed out. A waterproof top is a must of course. Many of the old pull type combines had bins with a slide gate that opened over a chute which would be ideal for your use.

[Ross]

I'm not sure there is a cheaper way to move and store grain than $24/ton (approx) bagging. A small older grain wagon can be had for around $2-300 here not sure about ks, and then it's all in one storage and transport. At least it is reusable.

[PyroDon]

I'd say buy an old combine they can be had for a little of nothing .
Take the bin off and use the steer axle to make a trailor you'll have a cheap gravity wagon. either ue the remaining parts to build a tractor or sell off pieces on ebay, or scrap the iron.
Im always looking for old combines they have all kinds of parts that come in handy

[rambler]

Shoveling 33bu isn't all that bad.

How far do you need to haul it, before we suggest cheap wobbly trailers?

The Vee bin on the piuckup with a bottom auger is easy too, if you dfon't use the pickup box for anything else. Otherwise more effort to take that on & off than just shoveling 33bu of feed.

--->Paul

[Jena]

I always used gravity wagons ($200-300 very well used). You do have to be able to put the wagon inside somewhere.

Jena

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by Jena

I always used gravity wagons ($200-300 very well used). You do have to be able to put the wagon inside somewhere.

Jena

We always used Gravity Wagons.Easy for them to load and easy for you to unload.You don't have your Pickup tied up with a load on it,you can back it in a Shed or Tarp it.

big rockpile

[6e]

Gravity wagons sounds like a good idea if I can find one.......where is the best place to look?

[Gunner]

I agree with the others on the gravity wagon, but 1500# of grain can be handled with a little work. I frequently buy shell corn 700# at a time. It takes less than 4 33 gallon rubber maid garbage cans to handle it. When I get home I just scoop out enough out of each one in to smaller muck tubs until I feel game enough to move the whole can. Takes me about 30 minutes to unload it.

[rwinsouthla]

What I did when I was a kid was line the bed of the pickup with old milk crates. The milk crates had burlap bags in them and the part above the milk crate was pulled down the side of the milk crate, snug. When they dumped the corn in, the first layer of burlap-bag-lined milk crates were filled. We got them to stop then. Then we layed another layer of milk crates and burlap bags and got them to do it again. When we got home, we took the first milk crates and burlap bags off, stored them, then got the second layer off. When we drove home, we lost no corn or grain, whichever we went to pick up because they were in the burlap bags. The 50-60 lb bags are easy to handle and don't break much with the milk crates underneath them.

I have seen the V-shaped deck with augers on them and they sure look like they'd be worth the money to invest in one.

[Klankford]

I have seen towable feed hoppers/ creep feeders. They seem to hold lots and towing it would be easier than having it in the bed.

It only has one axel under it and had a feed release under the belly.

[Drizler]

I burn corn to heat my house and just haul it in the truck. I find its easier to just line the bed with a big blue tarp high enough to reach way up the sides so it won't trickle out the tailgate. Shoveling isn't such a big deal with a grain shaped snow shovel. I guess I do 6 tons that way each year. That bulk bag sounds like its worth checking out though.

[comfortablynumb]

the feed mills here generally will give you 50 cents back for returned feed bags, if they are clean and re useable.

the one I used to deal with would fill sacks if you brought your own, no charge extra for it.

I used to collect feed bags and bring them a few doz for the refund and buy horse feed with the money!

they mixed crappy feed, dirty corn and I caught em sweeping the floor and dumping it bck in the mixer tank... so Now I go to agway.

the guy at the other place said to me, last time i got shell corn "thats the heaviest 50 pounds youll ever buy" [implying, he was giving me some extra for free...] well the sack was about 70% corn, 20% dirt and 10% what looked like rocks and corn cobs.

aint buyin his feed no mo.

find a feed mill that uses reuseable feed bags and gives you a deposit on returns. where you are going they are charging you $1.20 per 100lb sack? jeeze.