Grain Cart Equipped With Engine

Grain cart equipped with engine WAGONS/TRAILERS Miscellaneous 11-2-6 Keith Eckel, repowered his 400 bu. grain cart with an auxiliary engine so he could move it though mud, snow and other "impossible" conditions with his 4-WD Steiger 225 Bearcat tractor. When he discovered it would cost about $10,000 to have his Steiger equipped with a pto, he opted for a lower-cost alternative. He bought a new 37-hp., air-cooled Wisconsin engine which, complete with clutch, cost right at $3,000 to have mounted on his 400 bu. Harris and Thrush "Big 12" grain cart. It came factory-equipped with a horizontal and vertical auger. The auxiliary engine powers the vertical auger and a hydraulic motor, powered by the tractor's hydraulics, run the horizontal auger. (Eckel notes that his 225 Steiger, like most 4-WD tractors commmonly used throughout the Corn Belt, doesn't have sufficient hydraulic capacity to power big augers on big grain carts.) Separate controls let Eckel operate the augers independently, a key feature which makes for less stress on equipment, especially with the 400-bu. cart full of wet corn. The vertical auger can be started and allowed to clear before the horizontal auger is engaged, thus minimizing wear and tear on the auxiliary engine and clutch.

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