Two-Story Hog Barn Elevator

Two-Story Hog Barn Elevator HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hog Equipment & Ideas (351) 12-5-9 Converting a 2-story barn into a farrowto-finish facility seemed like a good idea to brothers Robert and Doug Ahren, Monkton, Ontario. The problem was figuring out an easy way to move hogs between the two floors. After considering different options, they decided to build their own "hog elevator". First they bought a used forklift for about $700. They installed the forklift mast against the inside of an outside wall. The forklift is anchored with two pieces of 1 1/2-in. rebar running through the wall and anchored in 4 by 4-ft. concrete blocks buried outside. In place of normal lift forks, the Ahrens built a hog-hauling box out of 4-in. channel iron, 1 1/4-in. sq. tubing, and ply-wood. The box is about 7 ft. sq. with enough room for 5 or 6 finished hogs. A set of pulleys, powered by the forklift's hydraulic pump, lifts the hog box. The hydraulic pump is powered by a 2-hp. electric motor. (The 1-hp. motor they tried at first quickly burned out.) The elevator can lift up to 3 1/2 tons. Farrowing and nursery areas occupy the bottom floor of the barn. When pigs reach 4 weeks, they're loaded onto the elevator and lifted to the second floor where they're herded into pens. Once hogs reach market weight, they're herded back onto the elevator. The motor isn't needed when the elevator moves from the second to first floor. The weight is enough to gently lower it. The elevator is positioned so that it faces out onto a ramp and loading dock. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert & Doug Ahren, Monkton, Ontario NOK 1PO Canada. Reprinted with permission from Country Guide, Winnipeg, Canada

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