Grain Cart Built From Used Fuel Tank

1994 - Volume #18, Issue #5, Page #28

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Hauling big loads of grain with no fuss and muss.
That's what Stewardson, Ill., farmer Dennis Vahling discovered he could do after turning a used fuel tank into a big grain wagon that dumps out the back.
"I got two underground fuel storage tanks from a service station for about $200," ex-plains Vahling. "They were like new, but the EPA said they had to pull them up any-way."
Both tanks had been thoroughly cleaned out by the service station to eliminate any safety risks. Vahling made one into a bulk feed bin. The other, 8 ft. in diameter and 16 ft. long, he turned into a grain wagon. He plans to paint it to look just like an ear of corn, the commodity he hauls in it most often.
The cylinder-shaped wagon holds 600 bu., compared with most commercial wagons that hold a maximum 450 to 500 bu. Besides its big capacity, because the wagon's round, "you never have to clean out the corners," Vahling notes.
Here's how Vahling did it.
First, he cut the top 18 in. off the tank so it's 78 in. deep at its deepest point.
Next, he made a rectangular frame, which runs the length of the tank, out of 2 by 12-in. channel iron. It's welded to the bottom of the tank and seven metal braces on each side secure the tank to the frame. A 20-ton hoist mounts between the tank frame and wagon frame, which Vahling made out of 4 by 6-in. steel tubing.
Two feet back from the center of the tank, Vahling bolted two trailer axles from a wrecked grain bed to plate metal reinforcements running the length of wagon's sides.
To complete the conversion, Vahling cut out a 20-in. square opening in back of the tank. Fitted with a winch and crank, he re-used the cut-out section as a sliding end gate for unloading.
Including semi axles complete with truck tires, Vahling's total investment in the wagon was about $4,000, he says. However, $2,500 of that was for a new hoist, he adds.
"Since that was the only moving part, I didn't want to spare any expense," he says. "You can sink a lot of money into an old hoist that leaks."
It takes a 185 hp tractor to pull the wagon because of the weight of 600 bu. of corn, he says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Vahling, R.R. 1, Box 51, Stewardson, Ill. 62463 (ph 217 682 5409).

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Grain Cart Built From Used Fuel Tank GRAIN HANDLING Wagons (63E) 18-5-28 Hauling big loads of grain with no fuss and muss. That's what Stewardson, Ill., farmer Dennis Vahling discovered he could do after turning a used fuel tank into a big grain wagon that dumps out the back. "I got two underground fuel storage tanks from a service station for about $200," ex-plains Vahling. "They were like new, but the EPA said they had to pull them up any-way." Both tanks had been thoroughly cleaned out by the service station to eliminate any safety risks. Vahling made one into a bulk feed bin. The other, 8 ft. in diameter and 16 ft. long, he turned into a grain wagon. He plans to paint it to look just like an ear of corn, the commodity he hauls in it most often. The cylinder-shaped wagon holds 600 bu., compared with most commercial wagons that hold a maximum 450 to 500 bu. Besides its big capacity, because the wagon's round, "you never have to clean out the corners," Vahling notes. Here's how Vahling did it. First, he cut the top 18 in. off the tank so it's 78 in. deep at its deepest point. Next, he made a rectangular frame, which runs the length of the tank, out of 2 by 12-in. channel iron. It's welded to the bottom of the tank and seven metal braces on each side secure the tank to the frame. A 20-ton hoist mounts between the tank frame and wagon frame, which Vahling made out of 4 by 6-in. steel tubing. Two feet back from the center of the tank, Vahling bolted two trailer axles from a wrecked grain bed to plate metal reinforcements running the length of wagon's sides. To complete the conversion, Vahling cut out a 20-in. square opening in back of the tank. Fitted with a winch and crank, he re-used the cut-out section as a sliding end gate for unloading. Including semi axles complete with truck tires, Vahling's total investment in the wagon was about $4,000, he says. However, $2,500 of that was for a new hoist, he adds. "Since that was the only moving part, I didn't want to spare any expense," he says. "You can sink a lot of money into an old hoist that leaks." It takes a 185 hp tractor to pull the wagon because of the weight of 600 bu. of corn, he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Vahling, R.R. 1, Box 51, Stewardson, Ill. 62463 (ph 217 682 5409).

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