Grain pads - alternatives to concrete?

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

With all of our grain going to CS and sheds being used for other purposes, does anyone have any good ideas for a tipping/loading site surface for grain.
Concrete is obviously the ideal, but very expensive and this is really only needed for a few weeks of the year.
I have seen stabilised concrete pads which were cheaper, looked at them quite closely a few years ago as an alternative but then a change of plan mean we didn’t pursue that avenue, but I will re investigate.
Any other ideas from anyone greatly appreciated?

Suffolk Serf · Feb 26, 2022

A massive, mobile mother bin like the Australians use. 100 tonne or so capacity.

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

Suffolk Serf said:
A massive, mobile mother bin like the Australians use. 100 tonne or so capacity.

The dream!
Sadly unless you run your own lorries I cannot see this working with haulage how it is in the uk at the moment, need more buffer than 100t. We can be cutting 150t per hour which is just too much to keep up with I think.

Zippy768 · Feb 26, 2022

More tractors and trailers to keep it going straight into CS?

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

Zippy768 said:
More tractors and trailers to keep it going straight into CS?

That would be a large amount of tractors and trailers, don’t think it would pay

Zippy768 · Feb 26, 2022

ajd132 said:
That would be a large amount of tractors and trailers, don’t think it would pay

What have you done up to now?

Clive · Feb 26, 2022

i have seen grain being stored in ag bags in south america and thought it could work for temporary storage in the uk

there is a filling machine and another that fills trucks from the bags

i even looked into importing the kit a few years ago

Steevo · Feb 26, 2022

Clive said:
i have seen grain being stored in ag bags in south america and thought it could work for temporary storage in the uk

there is a filling machine and another that fills trucks from the bags

i even looked into importing the kit a few years ago

You’d surely need a huge ag-bag machine to put 150t an hour into it.

Clive · Feb 26, 2022

Steevo said:
You’d surely need a huge ag-bag machine to put 150t an hour into it.

they filled as fast ad trailers could tip and the emptying machine filled trailers at chaser bin speed

expensive kit and they had big issues with mice chewing through bags, in the uk wet grain would spoil fast so only a very temporary logistical solution

also cost of the 500t bag was not cheap iirc

i looked into it quite seriously a decade ago but it just cost too much

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

Zippy768 said:
What have you done up to now?

We just tip on concrete or in barns and out load out.
Sheds now on many farms offering alternative income so would like a pad of some description.
I’ve gone through masses of ideas like chaser bins, mothers bins, swan necks on UNIMOG etc but it’s all just too complicated.
couple trailers, dump then load into lorries whenever they arrive be it at the time or a week later.

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

Clive said:
they filled as fast ad trailers could tip and the emptying machine filled trailers at chaser bin speed

expensive kit and they had big issues with mice chewing through bags, in the uk wet grain would spoil fast so only a very temporary logistical solution

also cost of the 500t bag was not cheap iirc

i looked into it quite seriously a decade ago but it just cost too much

This is proper temporary though, could be minutes and shouldn’t be longer than a few days (reality is different currently…)
Just need a surface we can load grain from

Suffolksucklers · Feb 26, 2022

Ignore the cost and concrete a pad, will always have a use and last without any maintenance

Clive · Feb 26, 2022

ajd132 said:
This is proper temporary though, could be minutes and shouldn’t be longer than a few days (reality is different currently…)
Just need a surface we can load grain from

we have a similar problem - best solution we have found so far is cheap hire of half a dozen grain bulkers for a week to buffer a couple of trucks fetching them

Clive · Feb 26, 2022

Suffolksucklers said:
Ignore the cost and concrete a pad, will always have a use and last without any maintenance

on contract farms spending money on other peoples infrastructure is never a very attractive proposition

farenheit · Feb 26, 2022

Concrete handy near fields a lot more than just for grain. Seeding, Fert loading, sprayer filling etc, great investment and all the other ideas sound just as expensive. Especially if you use some bales as well to make clamps. Or just dump it straight in the field. How much are you really going to lose.

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

farenheit said:
Concrete handy near fields a lot more than just for grain. Seeding, Fert loading, sprayer filling etc, great investment and all the other ideas sound just as expensive. Especially if you use some bales as well to make clamps. Or just dump it straight in the field. How much are you really going to lose.

Agree they are handy for other things. Straight in the field is an option but I’m not really happy with that, could create an absolute mess.

Suffolksucklers · Feb 26, 2022

Clive said:
on contract farms spending money on other peoples infrastructure is never a very attractive proposition

Didn't realise it was on contract farms as that wasn't stated. Obviously that wouldn't be an option

teslacoils · Feb 26, 2022

Is there a local runway nearby? Ex ww2? With some spare space? Many small local aerodromes will have turning circles or parts that can be accessed from the old peri track easily.

Use someone else's concrete.

ajd132 · Feb 26, 2022

teslacoils said:
Is there a local runway nearby? Ex ww2? With some spare space? Many small local aerodromes will have turning circles or parts that can be accessed from the old peri track easily.

Use someone else's concrete.

Not quite near enough sadly

Rob Holmes · Feb 26, 2022

When you say stabilised concrete, is that similar to stabilised lime that build contractors use for temporary roadways on building sites?

Grain pads - alternatives to concrete?

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