Tuesday, we finished putting up the sides of the grain bin. With help from a our fathers, a couple high school boys, and a few neighbors we were able to add six more rings to complete the bin and anchor it to the concrete in one day.
During the whole process people kept telling us stories of what they have used in the past to put bins up. They used hand jacks where you had to have one person per jack and crank it up. Luckily we were able to rent these jacks that raise with the aid of hydraulic hoses connected to a motor in the middle. First you evenly space six of these around the bin before drilling a hole in the concrete and anchoring it to the ground. The upper red bar that has seven holes. Each of these line up and bolt to the bin walls. In the background you can see seven tiny little holes were these were just attached to the bin. Once each one is a attached you fire up the engine and push a lever to raise it. They work like a dream!
The inside ladder helps you get in and out when the grain is higher than the door. Also, you can still see the row of bolt holes we need to finish after we took down the jacks.
Here is our door complete with lots of warning labels about the dangers of a full grain bin and when an auger is in use. You might be wondering why it is so high off the ground that's because there will be a drying floor in the bin. The bottom of the step is where the floor will be on the inside.
Now you can see the outside ladder and platform. You also might see that one row is slightly a different color. That is partially due to the fact that six different weights of metal were used. They measure weight of corrugated steel in gauges. Let's say the gauge is 20 that means 20 pieces fit in one inch or 12 gauge means 12 sheets fit in an inch. The top three rings were the lightest. Then each ring got a little heavier until the two rings that encircle the door, they are the same gauge.
Doesn't our work from last week seem so tiny now? My husband keeps trying to convince everyone that stops by to look at the bin that they want to attach the stirators to those motors. The stirators are three long augers that will dangle down from the motors.
Where's Ace? Take a look at all the outdoor pictures. Can you find our dog, Ace?
The to do list is shrinking. Here is what's left.
1. Attach fan to the back.
2. Cut a hole in the bin and put together discharge auger.
3. Put drying floor in.
4. Bake cookies for electricians. (They are childhood neighbors of mine and like to give me a hard time.)
5. Call electrician back to wire fan, discharge auger, set electricity pole, and hook up electricity to bins.
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