Bin Latch Could Make Grain Bins Safer

Bin Latch Could Make Grain Bins Safer GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous Jake Lay s Lifesaver 2000 grain bin safety latch could prevent most accidental deaths in grain bins The simple electric switch and hatch gate make it nearly impossible to run an electric bin auger if someone is inside the bin Once installed if you open the hatch gate the auger shuts off says Lay It can t start up again until the latch is locked shut and that can t be done from the inside Lay developed the Lifesaver 2000 after hearing about a friend s son who died in a grain bin accident He designed it to be simple and easy to install and operate The system consists of an electric switch a wire mesh guard gate and an external latch Electrical power normally connected to the unloading auger is run up the outside of the bin to the gate switch A second cord carries electricity to the auger If the safety gate is unlatched and swung open the power shuts off to the auger Shutting the gate repowers the auger We designed it to make operation as simple as plugging in a lamp says Lay It only requires 6 bolts to install With the wire mesh guard you can visually inspect the grain without opening the gate You could even go inside and hold the guard shut so the auger would run However if you started to get pulled down the gate would swing open and the auger shut down Lay has demonstrated the Lifesaver 2000 at farm shows and shown it to grain bin companies and insurance companies The response has been surprisingly lacking Nobody will even look at it says Lay Grain bin companies are afraid it will suggest their bins are dangerous Insurance companies won t endorse it until it is UL approved Farmers don t want to spend money if they don t have to do it Lay can t justify spending the money on testing if no one will buy the unit Meanwhile farmers and their family members continue to die in grain bin mishaps According to Purdue University 38 grain entrapments occurred in 2009 with 42 percent of those resulting in death About a third of grain suffocations are children Lay fears that the installation of safety steps on the outside of large bins may actually increase the danger to young children A child sees dad go into the bin and later when dad isn t looking goes in says Lay Then when dad turns on the auger the child is trapped With the safety latch the auger couldn t be turned on if the child had entered If built in quantity the cost of the system and installation would be less than $500 While producing the Lifesaver 2000 one at a time will raise Lay s estimated price he s willing to make them to order It s frustrating to pick up the paper and read about a guy suffocating in a bin says Lay For less than $500 he could still be walking around Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jake Lay 9388 Lay Rd Tremont Ill 61568 ph 309 925-3287; cell 309 645-0343; jakelay57@yahoo com

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