Inflatable “No Shovel” Grain Bin Floor

Inflatable “No Shovel” Grain Bin Floor GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous GSI drew big crowds at last fall’s Farm Progress Show with this prototype inflatable “FlexWave” floor lining that eliminates the need to shovel Once you’ve got a bin emptied as far as it will go without shoveling you simply inflate the balloon-type floor liners on each side of the bin and it inflates to dump whatever grain is left into the center unload auger The idea came from an inventor who approached the company 2 years ago A similar idea has been used by the sugar industry for years But handling grain is different so GSI has had to work out a number of issues to arrive at a marketable product The system consists of a 2-piece liner that is attached to the bin and rests on the floor When the grain level gets down low enough that the unload auger is no longer getting grain the liner inflates and pushes grain toward the center trough GSI claims the system will remove 99 percent of grain in a bin with no need for shoveling by hand One interesting thing about the inflatable liner is that it only requires about 1 psi of pressure The liner is constructed from commercial-grade pvc-coated material that’s designed to last 30 years under normal conditions Because the pressure used is so low the inflatable liner can be easily patched GSI continues to field-test the system in a variety of bins and with various crops For more information go to: www grainsystems com/flexwave

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