Bin Windows Help Check Grain Level

Bin Windows Help Check Grain Level GRAIN HANDLING Accessories 27-3-4 Chuck Barth, B&B Farms, Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, decided he was getting a little old to be running up and down the ladder to check the grain level in his on-farm storage bins, especially at night. So with help from his sons and farming partners, Scott and Dan, he added windows to every ring in each of his 10 bins. "Now we can see how full the bins are from the ground," Scott says. "It saves us all a lot of time and effort when we're filling and when we're unloading the bins." The Barths made the grain bin windows from 3-in. schedule 40 pvc pipe, covered on the inside with a piece of 1/8-in. plexiglas. "We installed them next to the ladder, with one in the top of each ring," Scott says. They cut the plexiglas into 4-in. circles, so they lapped over the edges of the 3-in. pipe by about 1/2 in. all the way around. Scott says they used a utility knife to score and cut the plexiglas, but still had to smooth the edges with a grinder. They cut the pvc pipe into 1 1/8-in. lengths using a chop saw. "The pvc pipe needs to be just long enough that it extends past the ribs in the bin sides," he says. Then they used pvc pipe glue to fasten the plexiglas windows to the pvc pipe sections. Standing on the bin ladder and using a cutting torch and a template they made to fit the pvc pipe, they cut circles in each ring, cleaned off all the dirt and debris on the inside and outside of each cut, and inserted their pre-assembled bin windows, with the plexiglas on the inside of the bin. "That way, the grain won't push against the plexiglas and break it off," Scott explains. And because the plexiglas laps over the pvc pipe, even if the pipe is pushed loose, the grain on the inside can't force it completely out of the hole. Once the windows were in place, they caulked them inside and out with the best silicone caulk they could find in order to keep air and moisture from leaking into the bin. Besides sealing around the pipe, the caulk also helped glue the windows in place. Finally, they used aluminum paint to cover the caulk and any scorched places on the bin caused by the cutting torch. "It really makes it easy to check the bin level," Scott says. "At night, all we have to do is turn on the light in the bin and look at the windows to see how full it is." With the windows located at the top of every ring directly beside the ladder, they can clean them easily. Scott says the out-of-pocket cost was less than $25 per bin, with the plexiglas being the biggest expense. He says pre-assembling the windows was quick and fairly easy. Installing them was a little slower. With the cutting, cleaning and caulking, they could only install windows in two of the 12-ring, 30,000-bu. bins per day. With 10 bins to do, it took about 5 days to complete the job. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, B&B Farms, 356 Hope Rd., Enon Valley, Penn. 16120 (ph 724 336-5120; email: sd_barth@hotmail.com).

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