Urgent! Dodgy batch of weak seed bags - possible fatal risk.

[Badshot]

Just heard of a guy near here with a broken ankle after a strap broke and knocked him off the side of the drill.


Bags are pretty well designed these days not to catch on something and open while moving, it just means the emptying spout is tucked up under the outer skin of the bag, also the emptying tube seems to be tied and tied again and again just incase, doesn't seem necessary to tie it that often makes them pretty much impossible to empty without reaching under or cutting.
Did i mention they tie the tube once more for luck.

Been cursing the fella that does so many ties myself recently. Must tie that tube off at least 4 times. . Once is plenty if done well, particularly with it being hidden behind the outer bag tied up.

 

[DRC]

I’ve had a half ton bag break on me this year. Never happened before. I was just moving it and hadn’t lifted it very high . This was a bag of barley seed from a national supplier.
They have asked for the empty bag back , leaving me to find alternative way of getting safely into the seed drill. Some spilt, so they’re crediting me with part of the cost.
Not really a good enough response to what is a health and safety issue.

 

[Simon Chiles]

We've also had a bag break for no apparent reason, a 500kg one. I bet there aren't that many manufacturers of these bags so hopefully the message will get back to them so it can be sorted. I've never understood why the ties and chute has to be exactly in the centre of the bag, if it were positioned to one side you wouldn't have to reach so far under to undo it. It could also have a big arrow printed on the bag to show it's location so that if you were picking up a bag with a machine with limited reach you'd know which way round it needed to be.

 

[bobk]

How can they be single use , they've been moved half a dozen times ,

 

[Feldspar]

trouble with cutting seed bags is they do leak a few strips of material when cut, which obviously wrap round an important drill part.

I have a bulk box you can fill at ground level then lift over the drill, safer but doesnt save you from having to reach under the bag to open it, its main use was for splitting tonne bags to fill a 1/2 drill hopper

That is a good point about getting bits of cut bag in the metering mechanism. The only other thing which we have and could use is one of these: http://www.weavingmachinery.net/easiflow/. Could puncture it into the edge of the bag which would mean not having to reach far underneath. Not sure if sticking it in would weaken the bag or not.

 

[Lapwing]

We had four one tonne multi use bags failed a couple of years ago: suddenly gave way when quietly moving in or out of the shed. Told the supplier & gave them the batch numbers. Only use half tonne ones now. It's quite alarming how quickly they go with no warning.

 

[quattro]

I once saw someone leant over hopper trying to get lumpy bits out of the bottom of the hopper with a bag hanging over him
But worse still this was hooked onto a round pipe slid over a muck fork tine certainly made me cringe

 

[puppet]

Never leaned in since a hydraulic pipe went on the loader and the fertiliser bag crashed down on the side of the spreader. If I had been cutting the bag as usual would have at least lost an arm. No time to react.

 

[Heathland]

This has been winding me up with this years seed bags,always use new 1ton bags with fss.
The tie off band is way to short and is a pita to tie off,so you have to get right under the bag to tie it off.

why the hell they cut them so short beggars belief,and every bag as been the same.

 

[bobk]

Kept my head out the way today .

 

[horizontal]

First one ever to fail on me earlier this week.
Was very lucky.

 

[yellow belly]

Use mostly bulk home saved seed a lot safer with an auger give time to check drill over when filling

Now use a proper bag lifter on the loader instead of pallet tines since we had 1 tonne Fert bag cut through by the edge of pallet lift tine
Seed bag loops if damaged by tine can fail
New seed comes in bags

 

[Mkfm]

Only in this industry would we carry on using sub standard products. The poor bloke who broke his ankle, if that was on a building site then hse would have shut the seed prosesser down and made them recall all the bags and rebag them. It's a bloody joke that they can get away with it!

 

[Case290]

2 new 1/2 ton bulk bags ( white ones ) Brocken here this year. We use to save all the old bags and re use re use re use. Can't even use the new ones once, .? Progress

 

[Farmer Roy]

err, by " multi use " do you mean bags that are returnable to supplier & used more than once ?

We used to have bags like that, but our sun & high UV an be pretty hard on the materials they are made out. Had a few older ones fail or split

All 1 tonne bags here are now only "single use" - clearly stamped on the side
A bit of a pain, as the bag numbers quickly build up & they used to be worth $20 refundable deposit . . .

 

[marcot]

Are these bags that are failing being lifted with purpose made bag lifters or pallet tines?

 

[Zippy768]

As a few others have said, the knots this year have been a real pain. I have had more this year that I haven't been able to untie than in the last 5 years combined.
If it won't undo in a couple of big pulls then I just cut the tie.

 

[Try to succeed]

Another half ton bag broke here without warning last night. Luckily only 3 foot off the ground. New bag from seed processor this year.

 

[Mr Charisma]

As a few others have said, the knots this year have been a real pain. I have had more this year that I haven't been able to untie than in the last 5 years combined.
If it won't undo in a couple of big pulls then I just cut the tie.

It's the opposite for me ,,,, both my seed suppliers have improved the tying of the outer knot so that it unties very easily , yes the inner tube is still well tied tho

 

[Zippy768]

It's the opposite for me ,,,, both my seed suppliers have improved the tying of the outer knot so that it unties very easily , yes the inner tube is still well tied tho

The trouble has been that the little bit of rubber pipe, that is used as the draw, has been pulled the other side of the knot. Possible to undo with two hands but that does mean your head under the bag as well.