Grain pads - alternatives to concrete?

[kiwi pom]

I've tipped and loaded wheat off a sheet. Don't bother, it's a miserable game.
Particularly if you are using student or shaved monkey labour; the trailer tyres will try to push it into the soil in the tracks, and somebody will push the bucket lip through it whilst "carefully" loading out, or you will need two people sweeping it clear and rolling it up to stop the loader wheels running on it. Also, if you get a thunderstorm it will hold the water under the grain.
Given the choice, I'd tip on a dry lying, closely mown grass area first, it will hold up trailers and loaders, and will sweep up pretty clean, not mixing soil and straw in the corn like tipping on stubble.
Now your CF clients are all men of leisure, they must surely have tennis courts you can borrow..

With a bit of care and some kind of walls made out of earth or bales, it will work fine. Put the sheet out, then roll it back, unrolling as you need it. Short mown grass would work too. Its not idea, the loader driver may have to suffer for an hour or two but is cheap.
A lot of expensive options been mentioned, must be some money in the job

 

[glasshouse]

With a bit of care and some kind of walls made out of earth or bales, it will work fine. Put the sheet out, then roll it back, unrolling as you need it. Short mown grass would work too. Its not idea, the loader driver may have to suffer for an hour or two but is cheap.
A lot of expensive options been mentioned, must be some money in the job

You get far drier weather

 

[Zappshelter]

@Zappshelter - I have no idea of the price of their stuff, but seen a lot of pictures and they look like they kind of thing that could fit what you need.

Not sure about the flooring aspect of it though.

Thanks @ImLost

@ajd132 This is a really common setup we do. Although we don't supply the concrete blocks, as these are just a commodity and anyone can get the prices we can get. Our clients would normally find someone to pour the pad themselves, as we'd just go to the same people you would. We can also mount on a custom steel substructure or shipping containers.

Our standard stocked sizes are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 17 metres wide, and they come in 6 or 12 metre lengths. Custom sizes are available but come with bit of a longer lead time. Once installed if you decide you'd like to extend them that's absolutely no issue, we have a joining kit that keeps the weather out.

Hope this helps.

 

[ImLost]

Thanks @ImLost

@ajd132 This is a really common setup we do. Although we don't supply the concrete blocks, as these are just a commodity and anyone can get the prices we can get. Our clients would normally find someone to pour the pad themselves, as we'd just go to the same people you would. We can also mount on a custom steel substructure or shipping containers.

Our standard stocked sizes are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 17 metres wide, and they come in 6 or 12 metre lengths. Custom sizes are available but come with bit of a longer lead time. Once installed if you decide you'd like to extend them that's absolutely no issue, we have a joining kit that keeps the weather out.

Hope this helps.
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What would 2x 10m wide by 18m long set me back??

 

[Zappshelter]

What would 2x 10m wide by 18m long set me back??

Happy to help, I'll DM you.

 

[Foxcover]

I think the only way to do contract farming over a big area properly is to run your own wagons like P.X and Alec Wilkinson etc.
But even P.X run their own store I suppose.
Having temporary pads all over the place sounds like a nightmare tbh and you’d still need a forklift and driver to load wagons.
Like has already been said, buy a couple of trucks and 4 bulkers in June and pay 2/3 drivers to run them straight to store, then sell them in September.
Think you’re gonna need a chaser!

 

[ImLost]

Would a load of RORO skips help at all @ajd132 ??

 

[glasshouse]

I think the only way to do contract farming over a big area properly is to run your own wagons like P.X and Alec Wilkinson etc.
But even P.X run their own store I suppose.
Having temporary pads all over the place sounds like a nightmare tbh and you’d still need a forklift and driver to load wagons.
Like has already been said, buy a couple of trucks and 4 bulkers in June and pay 2/3 drivers to run them straight to store, then sell them in September.
Think you’re gonna need a chaser!

Better to stop contract farming and let proper farmers farm the land.

 

[ajd132]

I think the only way to do contract farming over a big area properly is to run your own wagons like P.X and Alec Wilkinson etc.
But even P.X run their own store I suppose.
Having temporary pads all over the place sounds like a nightmare tbh and you’d still need a forklift and driver to load wagons.
Like has already been said, buy a couple of trucks and 4 bulkers in June and pay 2/3 drivers to run them straight to store, then sell them in September.
Think you’re gonna need a chaser!

Don’t need loads of pads, maybe one or two.

The lorry and chaser thing looks lovely and impressive but is extremely expensive way of doing things - I’ve looked into it before. I think you underestimate the difficulties of running multiple trucks and chaser bins as well as drivers hours, traffic, weekend drivers, lack of drivers, working time directive , CRD etc
A loader is already on a farm, student loading lorries, simple and easy. I don’t want to be a haulier.
chaser bins are a 100k worth of pointless expense on most farms, as well as the huge tractors to go on them, in my opinion.

 

[Tiptoe Ted]

Don’t need loads of pads, maybe one or two.

The lorry and chaser thing looks lovely and impressive but is extremely expensive way of doing things - I’ve looked into it before. I think you underestimate the difficulties of running multiple trucks and chaser bins as well as drivers hours, traffic, weekend drivers, lack of drivers, working time directive , CRD etc
A loader is already on a farm, student loading lorries, simple and easy. I don’t want to be a haulier.
chaser bins are a 100k worth of pointless expense on most farms, as well as the huge tractors to go on them, in my opinion.

I agree with @ajd132 - stick to farming as efficiently and profitably as possible. Let specialist hauliers deal with the rest.

Concrete pads are the solution and surely they should be (part) funded by the landowners’ newly found significant income from the commercial letting of the old stores. It comes down to agreeing by how much each party benefits from the efficiency gains and share the cost.

What does a decent sized pad cost these days anyway?

 

[Foxcover]

Don’t need loads of pads, maybe one or two.

The lorry and chaser thing looks lovely and impressive but is extremely expensive way of doing things - I’ve looked into it before. I think you underestimate the difficulties of running multiple trucks and chaser bins as well as drivers hours, traffic, weekend drivers, lack of drivers, working time directive , CRD etc
A loader is already on a farm, student loading lorries, simple and easy. I don’t want to be a haulier.
chaser bins are a 100k worth of pointless expense on most farms, as well as the huge tractors to go on them, in my opinion.

Well you’ve answered your own question then, concrete pads!

 

[ajd132]

Well you’ve answered your own question then, concrete pads!

I new that! Just wanted to see if I could do it cheaper than actual concrete really, what the alternatives were.

 

[ajd132]

I agree with @ajd132 - stick to farming as efficiently and profitably as possible. Let specialist hauliers deal with the rest.

Concrete pads are the solution and surely they should be (part) funded by the landowners’ newly found significant income from the commercial letting of the old stores. It comes down to agreeing by how much each party benefits from the efficiency gains and share the cost.

What does a decent sized pad cost these days anyway?

Agree with you, I haven’t actually said on here I would have to find a pad of buildings were let out. Just wondering if there was a cheaper and nearly as effective way to do it than concrete

 

[Tiptoe Ted]

Agree with you, I haven’t actually said on here I would have to find a pad of buildings were let out. Just wondering if there was a cheaper and nearly as effective way to do it than concrete

Fair enough.

Do you have a rough cost per sq m for concrete pad?
Has got me thinking…!!

 

[ajd132]

Fair enough.

Do you have a rough cost per sq m for concrete pad?
Has got me thinking…!!

Waiting on an up to date quote

 

[Spud]

I think the only way to do contract farming over a big area properly is to run your own wagons like P.X and Alec Wilkinson etc.
But even P.X run their own store I suppose.
Having temporary pads all over the place sounds like a nightmare tbh and you’d still need a forklift and driver to load wagons.
Like has already been said, buy a couple of trucks and 4 bulkers in June and pay 2/3 drivers to run them straight to store, then sell them in September.
Think you’re gonna need a chaser!

And have an operators licence, TASSC registration, operators cpc qualification and all the other legislative cobblers for three months a year - and find half a dozen drivers magically available to drive some old crates you've bought at auction that are bound to be a pita? Love your optimism!

 

[Foxcover]

And have an operators licence, TASSC registration, operators cpc qualification and all the other legislative cobblers for three months a year - and find half a dozen drivers magically available to drive some old crates you've bought at auction that are bound to be a pita? Love your optimism!

I know nothing about wagons
You’re right, I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now!!

 

[ajd132]

I know nothing about wagons
You’re right, I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now!!

All good to discuss! I’m involved with our co op so know all the details and challenges of running haulage, and I really wouldn’t want to burden myself with it

 

[Will7]

When we built a new silage pit, admittedly 20 yrs ago we concreted the front 25% where all the turning happened and used tarmac/hot rolled asphalt on the back 75%. Saved a considerable sum but had to make sure there was no trailers turning on a hot day or overly enthusiastic loader drivers on the tarmac. Worked well

 

[Chickcatcher]

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.

Wow Wow Wow if you are cutting 150 tons an hr how ever many 1000s of tons do cut in a year?
Even if you have 20 ton carts that's one awful lot of tonnage to cart anywhere and vehicle movements.
If you were to come and cut mine at least I would have 20 hrs left in the day to put it somewhere.