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Big Hoppers Make Grain-Hauling Easy
Jimmy Walker knows the value of time and how much gets wasted when combines have to wait for transport to show up or when drivers have to wait to unload grain at the bin. His solution to both money wasters is the Rol Hopper, a container designed for transporting and temporarily storing grain to keep combines rolling. Best of all, he says it will be less expensive than current grain transport.
"You can spend $100,000 pretty quickly on a couple of hopper trucks, drivers and insurance to move grain," he says. "I figure you could buy four Rol Hoppers for the cost of one hopper grain trailer."
Walker, a farmer and owner of Saf-T-Cart, a manufacturer of welding carts, figures using big containers to move grain just makes sense. He envisions a situation where several containers are dropped alongside a field based on projected yields. A transport driver can pick up containers as they fill, move æem to the storage facility and drop æem one at a time. No waiting for the first fill or waiting in line to unload. The tarp-covered Rol Hoppers would keep grain protected until it could be unloaded and neither combine and driver nor transport and driver would suffer down time waiting.
Walker has been testing a prototype for several years and is close to introducing the final design. It has a round bottom, which he says allows it to be built for less cost. Each Rol Hopper holds 1,000 bu. of grain and is expected to sell for right at $7,000. A trailer to move it is projected to be in the $40,000 range.
Fifth wheel dollies available commercially could be used with tractors to haul containers to the field or around the storage facility, notes Walker.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Saf-T- Cart, P.O. Drawer 1869, 1322 Industrial Park Drive, Clarksdale, Miss. 38614 (ph 800 542-2278; fax 662-627-1640; sales@SafTCart. com).


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2008 - Volume #32, Issue #1