Dory Tuvim is out to revolutionize how farmers transfer grain from the field to the end user. He wants them to move shipping containers full of grain instead of transferring grain from combine to wagon to bin to truck, etc.
But before Tuvim, president of a company that manufactures shipping containers, could start making his vision come true, he needed to answer the question, "How can I add wheels to a shipping container so it can be towed by a tractor?"
His answer is the Dory Container Traveler (DCT). It consists of a pair of horseshoe-shaped frame members attached to a sub-frame on wheels.
A tractor with a DCT attached backs up to surround the container on three sides. The DCT's four hydraulically-controlled corner latches are set in position to lift the container at its four corner posts 18 in. off the ground within 20 sec. "We've tested it with a 250 hp tractor at 20 mph and a load of 70,000 lbs.," says Tuvim.
Each shipping container holds about 50,000 lbs. or 800 to 1,100 bu. of grain, depending on the product. Tuvim wants to use the containers and DCT on chickpeas, wheat barley and malt barley.
"The advantage is that the container has a product in it that is identified by a serial number which is on the container," he says. "The world market now demands identified product from the source.
"Another thing is that it'll eliminate all the handling from a bin to the elevator going from grain cart to a truck, from the truck to the harbor and so on and so forth," Tuvim says.
After getting a patent and creating a model, he went to Doepker Industries of Anaheim, Sask. who engineered the prototype.
Randy Doepker, company vice president, says the biggest challenge was coming up with the right wheels. "We had to find something that would meet that would handle the load yet with enough floatation to minimize impact on the fields."
Tuvim plans to make the DCT available to farmers or groups of farmers to lease or buy. Lionel Doepker, chief customer officer with Deopker says it's designed, tested and ready for market.