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Eastern Iowa | I don't want to start and argument over silos vs. baggers. The silo is sitting here, so I am going to use it.
But I am running two unloaders over 50 years old and two that are 35+. I currently operate a Hanson ring drive, a Hanson surface drive, an ancient Silo-matic surface drive, and a Van Dale surface system. All of them have pluses and minuses, except for maybe the silomatic which is going to be replaced. It's all minuses. TO be fair, it is beyond worn out.
Anybody have input on silo unloaders that would give me something to chew on when deciding?
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New Ulm, MN | have wore at least one of these out in 75+ years
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near Lucan | If you don't consider 50 yrs old ancient, just how old IS the silomatic??? I like ring drives better than pack drives, using Valmetal/Butler now. One pack drive left, a Badger, about 1965 vintage. |
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WC Indiana | I put in a silomatic r-26 couple years ago. works pretty good. Beats the heck out of the surface drives. |
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SO IN 47542 | Keep feedin those cattle so corn stays high
probly buy all new unloaders by end of 2011
Good luck hope your snow is melting |
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west central Iowa | We use all Hanson surface drives. Parts are cheap at farm sales. We have a silo that is not quite round anymore, from high winds. If any of the unloaders you have experience with, works better in this situation, that would be a positive. What do you like better about ring drives? |
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| We used to run 5 of the Jamesway V-3 unloaders, for a 30X80 they were a very reliable machine. Its fair to say they treated us as nice as we treated them. Still got 3 of em hangin around. |
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near dyersville iowa | just a side note ganggreen..i have an older vandale in the silo yet, if youre in the area, take a look, it hasnt been used in 10 years, will sell for junk price. |
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Wisconsin | We are happy enough with our 4 Patz 98b's. I'm not sure if any were bought brand new here at the farm maybe 1 but all the rest were bought used. They are so segmented in part's that they are easy enough to fix if you know were to get part's. Graetz part's are way heavier and cheaper but there distribution center suck's won't let you purchase thru them directly need to go thru a machinery dealer and Patz doesn't let that happen with our nearest supplier. Neighbor had to put unloader's in his silo's when he moved in and went with Hanson's he said that the Patz chipper wheel to keep silage off out of round silo's can't be beat and like everything mechanical will need fixing at some time. |
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Eastern Iowa | OK Wayne. I'll call and set a time up to come up and look at it. I need a 16 footer for this job, if that's what you've got.
Edited by GangGreen 1/5/2011 19:00
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Eastern Iowa | The Silo-matic is the one that is 50 or so years old. Not complaining, we've definitely got our money's worth out of it, but I don't have time to nurse it every morning. The only reason I wouldn't replace it today is that I have five doors worth of silage left to go, and if I can get that out with the Silo-matic putting the new one in will be much easier from the ground.
This is the same unloader that nearly fell on my head from 25 feet above this fall after we filled with corn silage. Cable broke when we had just begun lowering it after leveling off the silo. It was wore out before, but now it's wore out and a little messed up too.
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West Central WI | I'll second the patz is on heck of a animal in the Winter. You get that chipper set up, and forget about anything building up on the walls. We have 2 98B's and a 98C in the newer silo. The C has the big drives, which helps alot. They are kinda tough to get started when you first open the silo, but after a few days they pretty much take care of themselves. Had alot of neighbors over the years that quit feeding out of their silos when it got to cold because the unloader wouldn't go through the frost, but the patz chain cut through it. I remember one year at Farm Progress Days patz had a demo where they had a log under the unloader. That chain tore that log to pieces!! Who's your patz dealer by the way, email is in profile if you want. |
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| Dang, you guys are a glutton for punishment, You couldn't give me a old pack drive Patz. I'd like to take those chains and run them up someones rear, why have all the wear and breaking points?. Give me a auger any day on a ring drive! I will say those new Patz ring drives with augers look like a well built and heavy rig. We had acouple jamesways and I liked those too, although their Big Jim's were a disaster! These new unloaders with teeth on the augers work as good or better than the chain on the patz's with half the headaches. |
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Southern Tier NY | Patz ring drive with gathering chain (not sure of model # now - used to be rd-820 I think) is the only unloader I would purchase. Excellent chipper wheel, digging ability, and blower capacity. 1st time gathering chain breaks, replace it; the 2nd time, replace chain and sprockets. With experience, you will learn when it needs to be replaced before it breaks. With proper maintenance and service, the unloader can't be beat. |
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Thunder Bay, Ontario, Great White North | Patz 98b. The stories I could tell. We ran one until it was absolutely, totally, 100% wore out. And then we tore down the silo. The last two seasons were no fun, trying to get the last life out of the old Patz. Feeding with one guy in the silo about 75% of the time, I can still probably replace a chain link at 20 below in the dark, its a skill that never leaves you. haha Not a bad unloader if you have enough sense to replace it when it is done. |
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near dyersville iowa | its a 16 foot silo..think its a magnum unloader? havent looked at it in awhile, dont know whats still good on it. |
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WC Indiana | guys with silo unloaders should have a support group!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Stratford WI | A Jamesway V3 would be sweet. Only kind we would put in a new silo back in the day.......The new ones don't thrill me though.
Any surface drive should be melted down, especially an old silo-matic.
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nw NC | I'm using 3 Van Dale unloaders. 2- 16 feet and 1- 20 feet. The 20 was installed in 1973 in a 20x 50. Unloaded it every year . Unloader is all original ---( except for several new blowers, spouts, augers, auger end bearing supports , auger bearings and shafts, wall cleaners , wall wheels and mounting assemblys , the main frame pipes, collector ring and a motor). HaHaHaHa!!!!!! The drive shaft to the drive wheels , the drive wheels , the brace pipe from the drive wheels to the frame at end of augers , the torque arm from the blower to the door and the gear case have never given a problem !!!!!!!
The two 16's ( about 10 and 13 years ago were replacements for Badgers put in in '66 and '69). They have had some replaced parts also. |
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Columbia co. Wi | I used a Jamesway Big Jim for 30 yrs. Good unloader, feeds very fast. Really packs in the feed for good fermentation. Clean chute and don't need to climb up and change doors. Horror stories about plugging the hole, tho. Would sell 2 good motors and gearboxes. |
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| Slower than all get out to fill........................Electrical nightmare in the cabinet. |
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Upstate Ny | Jstar/ James way is by far the most reliable unloader made. Got two ring drives. One a v3 and the other a volumaxx. Also have had patz silomatic and badger. James way the best. Silomatic 2nd. |
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WI | The James way were probably the best. We have 4 of them ranging from the v-1 to the v-3. Don't use them much now. Stay away from the van dale center drive unloaders. Complete garbage IMO. |
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Good Silo Unloaders
