Remote-Controlled Grain Auger Mounts On Pickup

Remote-Controlled Grain Auger Mounts On Pickup PICKUPS Modifications 22-1-38 "When I used to pull my auger around with a garden tractor, it sometimes took up to an hour to move between bins if it was icy or there was snow on the ground. Now, I can move it in five minutes," says Bill Wahouske who mounted his grain auger on the frame of a pickup. Another unique feature of the pickup-powered auger is that the Crookston, Minn., farmer can turn the auger on and off from up to 75 ft. away with a remote control switch. He started with a 1974 Chevy C-10 4-WD 1/2-ton pickup equipped with automatic transmission, a 350 cu. in. V-8 engine and power steering. He stripped off the bed to expose the frame, which he says is heavy enough to handle the weight of the 40-ft. long, 8-in. dia. auger. Wahouske dismantled the old auger, using the frame to make two A-shaped mounting brackets to fit the truck. The bracket on back consists of two 10-ft. long arms. A 1,500-lb. electric winch mounts on a frame rail crossmember about 1 ft. behind the cab. The winch cable runs through a series of four pulleys to gear down speed so the auger doesn't raise or lower too fast. The second bracket attaches to the truck's front bumper and is equipped with a 1,000-lb. manual boat winch. Its cable runs through a pulley on top of a sliding ring. Wahouske used four electric car door lock actuators on the motor's main electrical switch box. They turn the auger on and off with a remote control from up to 75 ft. away. He can also turn the auger on and off manually with a lever running from the motor's switch box to the cab. Out-of-pocket expense was about $2,500, including $650 for the pickup. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Wahouske, 818 Lowell St., Crookston, Minn. 56716 (ph 218 281-7966).

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