Old Uni-Harvester Powers Huge Grain Conveyor
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North Dakota grain farmer Andy Steinberger runs and moves his huge 20-in. wide, 110-ft. long belt conveyor with an old self-propelled New Idea Uni-Harvester power unit that he calls “The Goat”. He says the Uni-Harvester has more than enough power to move and operate the huge conveyor. It’s easier for Steinberger to line up the spout with the bin because of the extra maneuverability, and using the “Goat” also frees up the conventional tractor that had been running the conveyor for other jobs.
“I had the idea to make a self-propelled conveyor and even talked to one company about making one,” Steinberger says. “When they told me the cost was going to be around $80,000 for the power unit, I changed my mind in a hurry and went to plan B.”
Steinberger bought the old New Idea Uni-Harvester drive train from Jack Welti, a farmer he learned about in FARM SHOW. During the course of 2 cold Dakota winters he removed the cab, the metal sheeting around the motor, the hydraulic system, and power train components. He converted the main drive from the engine that previously operated the implements into a pto system to power the conveyor. He also widened the rear steering wheels and attached a drawbar linkage so he can lift and move the conveyor from one bin to another. Says Steinberger, “If the Uni does give out at some point I can just unhook it and use a tractor again. Right now it works just fine, especially with the power controls close to the ground for easy access.”
Initially Steinburger was going to convert the Uni into a hydrostatic pto drive, but after closer examination he found that the clutch drive functioned just fine and didn’t require all the extra conversion work. His “Goat” has a 200 hp Allis Chalmers engine that supplies more than enough power to operate the conveyor and run the hydraulics that raise and lower it. Hydraulics also power the swing conveyor. The 6-cyl. engine can rev up to 2,800 rpm’s, but most of the time he runs it at 1,800 rpm’s, which is ideal for the conveyor.
“I’ve got about $5,000 invested into buying the Uni and the parts I needed, so that’s a long ways from the $80,000 that someone else wanted to supply a rig that would do the same thing,” says Steinburger.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andy Steinberger, 16691 21st St. S.E., Gardner, N. Dak. 58036 (ph 701 430-1554: andysteinberger@hotmail.com).
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Old Uni-Harvester Powers Huge Grain Conveyor COMBINES Miscellaneous North Dakota grain farmer Andy Steinberger runs and moves his huge 20-in wide 110-ft long belt conveyor with an old self-propelled New Idea Uni-Harvester power unit that he calls “The Goat” He says the Uni-Harvester has more than enough power to move and operate the huge conveyor It’s easier for Steinberger to line up the spout with the bin because of the extra maneuverability and using the “Goat” also frees up the conventional tractor that had been running the conveyor for other jobs “I had the idea to make a self-propelled conveyor and even talked to one company about making one ” Steinberger says “When they told me the cost was going to be around $80 000 for the power unit I changed my mind in a hurry and went to plan B ” Steinberger bought the old New Idea Uni-Harvester drive train from Jack Welti a farmer he learned about in FARM SHOW During the course of 2 cold Dakota winters he removed the cab the metal sheeting around the motor the hydraulic system and power train components He converted the main drive from the engine that previously operated the implements into a pto system to power the conveyor He also widened the rear steering wheels and attached a drawbar linkage so he can lift and move the conveyor from one bin to another Says Steinberger “If the Uni does give out at some point I can just unhook it and use a tractor again Right now it works just fine especially with the power controls close to the ground for easy access ” Initially Steinburger was going to convert the Uni into a hydrostatic pto drive but after closer examination he found that the clutch drive functioned just fine and didn’t require all the extra conversion work His “Goat” has a 200 hp Allis Chalmers engine that supplies more than enough power to operate the conveyor and run the hydraulics that raise and lower it Hydraulics also power the swing conveyor The 6-cyl engine can rev up to 2 800 rpm’s but most of the time he runs it at 1 800 rpm’s which is ideal for the conveyor “I’ve got about $5 000 invested into buying the Uni and the parts I needed so that’s a long ways from the $80 000 that someone else wanted to supply a rig that would do the same thing ” says Steinburger Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Andy Steinberger 16691 21st St S E Gardner N Dak 58036 ph 701 430-1554: andysteinberger@hotmail com
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