1988 - Volume #12, Issue #6, Page #08
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Grain-Driven Bin Distributor
"My grain-driven bin distributor lets me spread grain in level layers without shoveling and for less cost than any commercial electric distributor," says D. Junior Stoesz, Butterfield, Minn.Stoesz' distributor, which he built for his 42-ft. bin, consists of a 14-ft. long, 8-in. wide trough with 4-in. high sides. The trough is connected to the bottom of a vertical 18-in. long, 11-in. dia. pipe that swivels freely inside a 12-in. dia. pipe mounted inside the bin's top opening. The last 18 in. of the trough is offset 8 in. to the left. Grain drops through the pipe and down the trough. The force of the grain hitting the spout's offset section causes the spout to rotate.
"We naturally bin-dry all of our corn in layers, so it's important to distribute corn evenly all the way around the bin," says Stoesz. "Commercial electric distributors, which cost about $500, often pile corn unevenly. Grain may be 2 ft. higher on one side of the bin than the other. Shoveling is the only way to even it out. My distributor doesn't always distribute grain perfectly level, either. But if one side of a fresh layer is too low, I simply grab a rope hanging from the counter-weight to stop the spout from rotating and direct corn to the low area."
A vertical bar extends 10 ft. below the main pipe. A moveable scissor frame-work, which slides up and down on the bar, supports both the trough and a counterweight. From the bin's top opening, Stoesz can raise or lower the spout 10 ft. with a rope that attaches to the framework. Lowering the spout causes it to throw grain in a smaller circle. "An-other advantage of my distributor is that it directs a steady stream of grain to one area, unlike electric distributors that throw it out across a wide area, so that there's less grain damage and compaction making it easier to dry grain," notes Stoesz.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, D. Junior Stoesz, Rt. 1, Box 193, Butterfield, Minn. 56120 (ph 507 956-2644).
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