Silage Pusher

[South West Ireland]

Folks,

I am looking at fabricating a silage pusher, they type that will catch both sides of the passageway using two super single tyres. The shaft that the tyres will be rotating on I am thinking of using some 35mm round mild steel bar and using a pair of 35mm flanged bearing blocks for each tyre. Is there any much difference in these flanged bearing blocks, as in they are mainly a cast iron housing with a selg aligning bearing with a grub screw to tighten to shaft and possibly after that they may be sealed. The prices can vary significantly and as an example I have attached the below. The only difference I can make out is the first is spec'd as a normal duty and the more expensive second type is a medium duty. I suppose one question is , what would be the limits of the normal duty? and would this be suitable for my project of a silage pusher? also are bearing blocks used in agri machinery of varying specs? Thanks

 

[Blue.]

Mine was built using trailer hubs,main thing is keeping rain out of the bearings.

 

[davieh3350]

I'd not bother with bearings like that. Nylon ones well greased will be more than enough, the one I built, a copy of a friends one didn't even have any, just a round bar in a box.
Are you making it so you pick it up with the forks?
Only one wheel was on the ones I've seen, down one side, turn and come back up doing the other. You have to move in and out from the barrier to keep the silage turning the wheel, two tyres might be awkward unless the silage is in an even line.

 

[Mur Huwcun]

We got tasked with building one few years ago. As usuall everyone thinks you can build something from nothing and the only contribution we had was a tyre and an old broken and bent grab with a skiddie backplate on it!

Having asked and asked for shafts and bearings in the end we gave up and managed to find a galv pipe that fitted rather snuggly inside a 76mm pipe and built it from there on with scrap steel!! It’s still doing it’s two or three passes a day happily!

The only photo I could find

The inside pipe runs through the box sections and is plated underneath aswell

 

[Tsa115]

We did a pusher from various stuff lying about, used a yard scraper as a frame, new holland double chop hubs, old handler tyres, rsj we had lying around and had a local welder make the rings and plate to bolt on the hubs, works well and should last,

 

[farmerste]

this is mine, no bearings used just had some old galv water pipe and found one that fitted inside the other, added a grease nipple and its worked fine for the last 3 years.

 

[Simmy]

I make these all the time. First ones started out with a 40mm shaft with 60mm bushes bored to 40mm. The last 2 pics is one I've just redone. Lasted 5 years used 3 times a day on some long passageways. Change it to trailer hubs. And 2 plates profile out to suit the hub. Much better and dont have to grease it.
Made about 15 now

 

[Simmy]

.

 

[3legs]

Old plough wheel and you’re there.
save some time well worth making.

 

[Hard Graft]

What angle are people using on the ground for the tyre is it flat or tilled to the side

 

[Blue.]

What angle are people using on the ground for the tyre is it flat or tilled to the side

Slight tilt to right on the right and slight tilt to left on the left.?I found handler tyres turn best.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Most of the designs are tyres bolted to something, is that better than an inflated tyre running on (say) a trailer hub

 

[Boysground]

Brother built ours. Like others a round bar inside box section. The only thing he did differently to the pictures posted was to have the bar longer than the box then you don’t have to be as precise with the height on the handler boom.

will try to take a photo tomorrow

bg

 

[Treemover]

We have one with a small super single using a bearing like the op has discussed.
It's OK, I think the bearing allows too much float but I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

The tyre is too small for zero grazed grass, I was thinking of using an old front tyre from our NH 14.9r24. But I don't think the bearing will take it;

I have a volvo tyre 750 65 r22.5 which I thought would be ideal but I reckon the steel work would need to be beefy. Any one gone big!?

 

[jackstor]

No bearings or shafts on ours!!

 

[PREES]

@Jackstar - does your wedge pusher work well? Often thought a snow plough style would be better than a wheel pusher if you have large quantities to push up?

 

[jackstor]

@Jackstar - does your wedge pusher work well? Often thought a snow plough style would be better than a wheel pusher if you have large quantities to push up?

It works grand, can push up a lot of silage with it and nothing spills over the top and you can also shove silage from one pen to another or stuff that’s been nosed out of doorways with it. Definitely works better than tyres for our set up

 

[Chae1]

This is ours, snowplough off small tractor.

 

[Dave6170]

I have a bucket grab on my loader basically all winter and im lazy, has anyone made a silage pusher that can be picked up by a bucket or grab etc? I have an idea in my head just wondered if anyone has tried it.

 

[Hilly]

I use a old grays v snowplough it works good I scrapped the wheel I had in favour of the plough