Northern Indiana | Illini90 - 2/2/2024 13:09
Maybe you can enlighten me about the value of an overhead load out for 130 loads per year. Even if you are paying someone to babysit while a truck loads it is only 15-20 minutes for an average older bin setup which equals around 40 hours per year. Many on here hire contractors to help with trucking and they will not charge extra for that minimal wait time. We are not talking a large commercial elevator that will cycle through 500+ loads with trucks backed up if they are not loaded in less than 5 minutes. If you are talking blending, then that is easily accomplished with two augers and in my experience is really only needed less than 5% of the time on my operation. Maybe you enlighten me where the saved time and convenience of an overhead load out is worth the cost when time is not typically at a premium (like harvest). I am wanting to learn.
Bin unloads are all over with elevation changes all over. Moving an auger requires 2 guys and a skid loader usually. Therefore blending is a pain unless there is an auger stationed permanently at each bin, which still doesn't work in the winter. Also pretty inefficient to fill part of a truck then drive it a couple hundred feet and back it under another auger at a different angle. Yes this is all "free" but I can only fill trucks the night before, then it's up to dad and the help to do this work in the January weather while I'm at my day job. The time I spend moving augers, transferring grain with the air system, shuffling trucks, digging holes and throwing out rotten corn probably amounts to 50-60 hours per year? Plus the time to load each truck. Just a guess. Of course this work is generally done in "free time" that amounts to nighttime at 10 degrees in January, or in a heat wave in July.
Blending has proved to be valuable the last several years in regards to moisture and especially getting rid of vomitoxin corn. $.80 discount hurts the bottom line fast. Make quick work of coring bins too, or fixing potential heat/crusting issues.
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