GFT (Grain store technology) Drying floor spares

[cletracboy]

We have run out of spare grids and butterfly clips for our gft drying floor, I need help finding some replacements as the grids are prome to getting caught with the bucket and broken.

 

[Fat hen]

Cant help with the clips but am considering installing a gft floor. would you recommend /anything you'd do differently ? How many years have you had yours? will it take small seed like OSR?

 

[cletracboy]

Not sure how similar the current offering would be to ours? we have had the floor about 25 years. It was cast in situ using inflatable forms. it is not the best design as its hard to clean air ducts, the grids are vulnerable to being caught. We have three sheds with floors from pelcroft engineering which are much better, but we have found the standard grids bow with use so the most recent shed is the heavier duty grids. The best thing we did with the last shed was to create the central tunnel out of concrete panels instead of using folded tin sheets. When hs2 destroys our current grain store we will definitely use a central concrete tunnel in the new shed.

 

[Fat hen]

thanks thats useful. Blimey HS2 disects your yard??
25 yrs aint bad. Well I'm favouring the GFT cos it runs parallel to the tunnel (yes ive also been advised by the installer to have concrete panel tunnel). Pellcroft run perpendicular so I figure more chance of being caught by the bucket - right? The other option is hardwood.

I'm planning it to be smallish (30x60ft) drying 150-200t then empty for next crop/batch. Prob empty it 6-8 times in harvest. So a bit of a hybrid between a batch/floor system. I have a biomass boiler which is hopefully gonna save us a bit annually. Although I am having concerns about durability of wood or concrete

 

[cletracboy]

Our gft floor may well be different to what they sell now, but it is more difficult to clean than the pelcroft and we rip more grids up with the bucket as they are only held in with a metal clip.. As the grids are at least 1/4" below the floor level and slightly curved, so need to use a vacuum to clean it well. The Pelcroft being perpendicular is not a problem so long as they are flush with the floor level. You are welcome to come and look at the floors if your local pm me if you want my phone number.

 

[Typhoon]

GFT have closed down now but Pellcroft Engineering Ltd are still making and supplying the replacement clips and mesh for GFT floors. They come in two sizes for 6" and 8" voids. Contact details on the Pellcroft Website