Grain Wagon

[mscheer772]

It's getting too expensive to pay corn by the 50lb. Sack.I'd like to buy a grain wagon that I can pull with my SUV.I don't know what makes up a quality used grain wagon. Can anyone tell me what makes a good grain wagon? Who makes a good one? About how much one would cost? Are auctions a good place to pick up one cheaply? What is a running gear? How do I tell if the running gear is in good shape. How do I tell if the tires are goodWhat is a gravity box?How much does a bushel of corn weigh.

HELP!!!!

 

[mjarrels]

Yikes... you are not going to be able to pull or stop a loaded grain wagon with an SUV... I don't care if it is a Hummer!

mark

 

[Robert_in_NY]

There are a lot of small 150 bushel gravity wagons at auctions with decent gears. Ebay is also another place you can find them. A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds (if my memory works) so if you fill it to max then you are looking at over 4 tons of corn alone plust the wagon and gear. I would not advise pulling it on any hills with a normal size SUV. Maybe an Excursion or something designed to pull heavy loads but even then the running gear won't have any brakes so you will have to be very careful.

Now what you can do is buy a gravity wagon and bring it home empty and have the feed store deliver bulk corn to your place and fill the wagon. This way you don't have to transport it.

The gravity wagon has a sloped floor so that all the corn comes out the side door but some have bottom doors for dumping over a pit. A grain wagon usually has an auger mounted on it to empty the corn and requires a decent size tractor to pull around.

The running gear is the frame and wheels that sits under the gravity and hay wagons. It isn't too complicated to look them over. Lift up the tounge and move it side to side. The wheels should move rather easily with the tounge. If the tounge moves a lot and the tires don't (if there is a lot of play) then it is going to need some work.

The tires are not much different then your car tires. Most have tubes in them so check the apperance of the tire. If there are a lot of big cracks all around the tire you will want to replace them.

 

[BarryinMN]

You will want a tight fitting tarp over that wagon.

Another option is talk to a corn growing neighbor, he will have the equipment and auger to fill your wagon (at your place) & you cut out the middle man. Also saves him a trip to the ethanol plant or wherever he sells the corn.

Ethanol plants have tight specs for quantity, quality, moisture, debris, and delivery dates. The supplier has to operate at a consistent high level to avoid penalties. They sample & inspect each load.

Last thing you want is a load of debris or corn that needs a dryer.