Beer Trailer Supply Wagon

Beer trailer supply wagon PLANTERS Planters 16-6-23 The classic old polka tune "Roll Out The Barrell" has new meaning for Nebraska farmer Mike Bjorkman, of Phillips, who converted a beer trailer to haul large quantities of seed, herbicides, fertilizer and water to the field. Bjorkman bought a 32-ft. long Strohs beer trailer from a used truck dealer for $750. The trailer was equipped with eight compartments and roll-up doors on each side. Bjorkman removed the partitions between two sets of compartments to make room for tanks. The front compartment of the trailer holds a 1,100-gal. water tank while the rear compartments contain a 1,500-gal. starter fertilizer tank and a 175-gal. herbicide tank. Seed bags store in three middle sections and can be accessed from either side of the trailer. He pulls the trailer with a semi-tractor that he already owned. "Our 900 acres is spread over seven miles. Having all our seed and fertilizer in a mobile unit that can be parked in a central location or moved to supply either of our two 8-row planters saves a lot of time," says Bjorkman. "We don't have to worry about seed getting rained on and when we're not using them the tanks don't take up storage space in the shed. The trailer also provides a safe environment for handling chemicals. We use a closed chemical handling system with a direct inject tank for herbicides. We bolted a steel frame and expanded metal deck on back to hold chemical mixing equipment." To modify the trailer, Bjorkman first cut out a wall that ran lengthwise down the center of the trailer in order to make room for the tanks. Removing the wall weakened the frame, causing the floor to sag in the middle so much that he couldn't open the doors. To solve the problem he welded two 32-ft. long steel I-beams (purchased for $200 apiece) along the top of the trailer (one on each side). The I-beams lift up on the floor by welding to the tops of the support posts on the partitions. "I don't fill the 1,500-gal. starter fertilizer tank completely full because I'm still not sure the floor could handle the weight. Next year I may reverse the positions of the fertilizer and water tanks to try to solve the problem. I used a beer trailer because it has wider doors than beverage trailers which meant I didn't have to cut out as many partitions in order to make room for the tanks. One problem is that when fully loaded the single axle trailer is too heavy for legal road use so I'm careful about how I load it. It would be nice to have a tandem axle trailer. But I don't drive the trailer on the highway very much so it's not a problem." For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mike Bjorkman, 1408 North H. Road, Phillips, Neb. 68865 (ph 402 886-2562).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.