Self-Unloading Forage Truck

1997 - Volume #21, Issue #1, Page #40

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"My two self-unloading forage wagons were 20 years old and worn out. I didn't want to spend the money on new ones so I converted a truck into a big self-unloading rig that lets us put up silage with only two people and works fast," says Gerben Klompmaker, Saint Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada.
Klompmaker already had the 1971 White 7-ton single axle truck. It was equipped with a 21-ft. long, 8 1/2-ft. wide, and 6-ft. high home-built steel box. He used sheet metal to build a "blow deck" that bolts onto the back of the truck and delivers silage into a silo blower. The "blow deck" is equipped with a floor chain, beater, and rubber conveyor belt that are operated by separate orbit motors. The orbit motors are powered by a chain-driven hydraulic pump that's powered by the truck transmission. To unload the truck, Klompmaker raises the hoist, then uses a valve mounted on back of the deck to activate the floor chain and another valve to activate the beaters and conveyor.
"It works great and cost only about $2,000 to build," says Klompmaker. "I use a 14-ft. long high-dump wagon behind my pull-type forage harvester to fill the truck. I can keep up with the forage harvester with just one truck and dump wagon without needing two or three wagons and tractors and drivers to pull them. I have five silos and three silo blowers. When one silo is full I can start filling the next silo immediately instead of having to spend two hours moving a blower deck to the next silo. The beater and conveyor are on the same valve so if the silo blower plugs up I can stop both of them at the same time. I use another valve to control the floor chain speed.
"I used parts off an old Dion self-unloading forage wagon to make the floor chain and beaters. The beaters were only 7 ft. long so I had to lengthen them about a foot. The rubber conveyor belt is from a potato handling machine.
"I can remove the blower deck to haul small square bales, grain, fertilizer, etc."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerben Klompmaker, Box 736, Saint Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada E0K 1J0 (ph 506 235-2316).

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Self-Unloading Forage Truck HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Forage Handling 21-1-40 "My two self-unloading forage wagons were 20 years old and worn out. I didn't want to spend the money on new ones so I converted a truck into a big self-unloading rig that lets us put up silage with only two people and works fast," says Gerben Klompmaker, Saint Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada. Klompmaker already had the 1971 White 7-ton single axle truck. It was equipped with a 21-ft. long, 8 1/2-ft. wide, and 6-ft. high home-built steel box. He used sheet metal to build a "blow deck" that bolts onto the back of the truck and delivers silage into a silo blower. The "blow deck" is equipped with a floor chain, beater, and rubber conveyor belt that are operated by separate orbit motors. The orbit motors are powered by a chain-driven hydraulic pump that's powered by the truck transmission. To unload the truck, Klompmaker raises the hoist, then uses a valve mounted on back of the deck to activate the floor chain and another valve to activate the beaters and conveyor. "It works great and cost only about $2,000 to build," says Klompmaker. "I use a 14-ft. long high-dump wagon behind my pull-type forage harvester to fill the truck. I can keep up with the forage harvester with just one truck and dump wagon without needing two or three wagons and tractors and drivers to pull them. I have five silos and three silo blowers. When one silo is full I can start filling the next silo immediately instead of having to spend two hours moving a blower deck to the next silo. The beater and conveyor are on the same valve so if the silo blower plugs up I can stop both of them at the same time. I use another valve to control the floor chain speed. "I used parts off an old Dion self-unloading forage wagon to make the floor chain and beaters. The beaters were only 7 ft. long so I had to lengthen them about a foot. The rubber conveyor belt is from a potato handling machine. "I can remove the blower deck to haul small square bales, grain, fertilizer, etc." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerben Klompmaker, Box 736, Saint Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada E0K 1J0 (ph 506 235-2316).

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