Self-Propelled Grain Auger

Self-Propelled Grain Auger GRAIN HANDLING Augers (4) 16-4-7 Alberta farmer John Rozak "self-propelled" his 32-ft. long, 6-in. dia. grain auger by equipping it with hydraulic motors that not only drive the transport wheels - making the auger simple to move around the farmyard - but also raise and lower the top and bottom ends of the auger. The hardest part of the conversion was figuring out the design. "Now it would be simple to make. Once you have all the materials, you can make it in two days," he says, noting that the only parts he had to buy were hydraulic hoses and the orbit motors. The auger's standard 18-hp. auger motor chain-drives a hydraulic pump with a 2.5 gal. oil reservoir. An orbit motor mounts above either end of the axle, which is fitted with automotive wheels and hubs. Large drive sprockets from a salvaged swather (any make or model would do) attach to reversed brake drums on either end of the axles. Drive chains run from the orbit motors to these large sprockets. A set of control levers mount on the side of the auger tube. The auger is steered by sending oil to one side or the other. Drive chains can be quick-detached for road travel by lowering the orbit motor frames. The chain drive from the auger motor to hydraulic pump can also be quick detached so hydraulics aren't activated during stationary use. The bottom end of the auger is raised and lowered by a small hydraulic ram. A third orbit motor at the bottom of the auger drives a bin sweep attachment, which breaks down into pieces that can be carried on a platform between the auger wheels. A fourth orbit motor hydraulically raises and lowers the top end of the auger by driving a winch. One modification Rozak made to the auger itself was to enlarge the diameter of the bottom 2 ft. of the auger tube from 6 to 7 in. dia. "It increases grain handling capacity by 30 percent," says Rozak. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Rozak, Waskatenau, Alberta, Canada (ph 403 358-2284).

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