Sack Bin Tried For Bulk Handling

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30396, 21 March 1964, Page 8

Sack Bin Tried For Bulk Handling

The possibility of using a sack bin for storage of.grain or seeds harvested in bulk was demonstrated this week by Mr D. M. Halliday, an Ellesmere farmer who has been harvesting this season into hessian-lined wooden bins made out of old motor-truck packing cases mounted on pallets for ease of movement.

Apart from its lightness and cheapness and that it is easy to store when not in use, Mr Halliday sees one of the main advantages of the sack bin as a place where grain or seed harvested out of condition can be left indefinitely to condition up either in the open air or in a 'shed. He believes that bulk harvesting into such a container—arid this seems to apply to. his wooden, bins also—need not be done at as low level of moisture content as that required for bulk - handling where there is- no drying facility. Mr Halliday believes that there are great possibilities for handling bulk wheat in bins in the way that he is doing, particularly on the average to small farm. The outlay is. not large and there is . a substantial saving in time and effort. He regards it as a method which is a half-way house between what is generally regarded as bulk handling and the bag harvesting system, with the advantages of bulk handling but also avoiding some of the difficulties, such as the lower level of moisture generally demanded for bulk handling. -

supports 'could be fitted at corner to give the. bin some stability when filling started. 'Later these supports could be slipped away as the bin,was.filled and' had its own stability.When filled the. bin bulged slightly at both ends to give an overall length of about 7ft and. Width of about 3ft Sin. Mr Halliday' then successfully lifted the bin. on the front fork of the tractor and to test its‘strength he placed on top of.it as. it sat .on-the ground two of- his wooden bins of a total, weight of - about 30cwt, The sack bin stood- up well to this test as Seen in one of the photographs on this page, although it was noticed that some ’ strain was being exerted on. the joins ‘at the ends of the bin.

A sacking bin in use on the farm this week was holding the equivalent of eight sacks of peas. It had been made, for a cost of about 355, including 20s for the timber and 15s for the sacking. Less than three sacks, had been used in its construction. After being opened out these had been joined together with an electric bag sewer and the joins further sealed.with an adhesive used for sack repair and patching.. As with his wobden bins the sacking container was set on a light : wooden pallet. It was taeked at the. bottom, to lengths of timber running longways on each side of the pallet, and cross pieces sloping inwards at each end of the pallet were designed to give extra-support to-the bin. The upper edge of the sacking bin. was attached all round to lengths of timber and further timber set underneath at right angles on each Side formed a lip where

However, Mr Halliday pointed out that he would not normally stack three bins directly oh top of each other as he did in this test. After going two high he would overlap the bins. Mr Halliday, says that a note .of caution has to be struck in all this as the bins will have to be used/for a season, or two-to •determine whether they are absolutely satisfactory, but he. likes the idea of sack bins. He is now storitig wooden bins containing wheat so that they will qualify for the increment op stored, wheat and along with them he has one of the. sack bins. .If it earned the .full 'increment on wheat held to September it would pay for the outlay - bn .it ip a season.’ He will be ’ interested to see. if. there' is any dam-.-age from vermin. Wooden covers have*' been put over the. wooden bins in the shed and the' galvanised iron, covers . bent down on . allsides which he uses to cover his bins in the. paddock have been put along one wall ’ of the shed, which - at present has a dirt floor, td gjve some protection against vermin.. One side of these covers has been set into the ground.