OT Harvestore-Blue Silo

Nate V. IA · Jan 29, 2011

There is a guy around here wanting to buy Harvestores for scrap, he'll pay $300. I imagine its worth ten times that in scrap. So I asked him what they weigh, he didn't know. I asked what he would charge me to lay it down, he wasn't prepared for that question but decided $500. I would not get rid of it for $300, but I would for $3000. My question is what does one of those 4x8 sheets weigh?
Thanks
Nate

Bob · Jan 29, 2011

I wonder what the fused-glass/steel sheets would bring for scrap???

On another note there used to be at least one outfit in the midwest that had a rig to lay a pretty good sized one down and move it to new location. I think they even bought and sold used/repaired units. I wonder if they are still around?

JDseller · Jan 29, 2011

A 20 x 70 weights about ten tons. I have used those panels for a lot of things. I have several setup as a circle squeeze chute. I also lined an old corn crib with them for shelled corn.

IaGary · Jan 29, 2011

One square foot of 1/4 inch thick metal weights right at 10 pounds. Soo a 4x8 sheet would be 320 pounds give or take a few pounds.

3/16ths is 7.5 pounds a square foot.

1/8 would be 5 pounds a square foot.

You can figure from there.

Gary

RodinNS · Jan 29, 2011

1/8" = 5#/ft = 80#/sheet
3/16"= 7.5#/ft= 120#/sheet
1/4"= 10#/ft = 160#/sheet

I don't know what the thickness is of those sheets or what the glass coating will add to the weight... but my opinion... take it for what it cost you... is that if you can get someone to take the blasted thing down at no liability to you and pay you anything... I think you got yourself a deal.
As an example... say you have a 20x60. That would require 8 sheets to make a round. Say you have 8 rounds of 3/16" and another 8 rounds of 1/8" to make the height... that's 64 sheets of each... so you have 7680# of 3/16 and 5120# of 1/8"... basically 6 ton of scrap. Around here you'd be damn lucky to get 600 bucks for that. Even when scrap was at it's peak a few years ago we'd never have gotten more than 1200 for that much steel. You mabey have higher scrap prices than we do here... but even if it was double that... would you take on that kind of risk for so little moeny to remove the silo? You certainly won't get 3 grand for it as scrap.
What you might do is sell it to someone who moves Harvestores. There is some market for that as they're getting used more for high mositure grain in some places.

Rod

RodinNS · Jan 29, 2011

Made a mistake in calculating the sheet weights. Double the number for the sheets...
Still don't think it's worth much for scrap tho...

Rod

bison · Jan 29, 2011

If you think the guy is stealing it from ye.
You ever tried to take one apart?

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2011

Don't remember which is more desirable but neighbor had 3 of them.1 with a white top and 2 with blue top.I think a guy moved the blue tops but scraped the white top

rrlund · Jan 29, 2011

I remember seeing that rig in Farm Journal or someplace one time.
As far as what the glass lined sheets are worth,don't know what they would dock you on those. I know there was a place over east of here where they tore the barn down,they tipped one over and cut it up. A friend of mine had one explode one time too. They got a crane in and layed that one down so they could cut it up.

rrlund · Jan 29, 2011

Either way,some folks just call them "the status symbol of the 70s".

Nebraska Cowman · Jan 29, 2011

He wanted to buy it but did not KNOW what it weighed or how to take it down? You can do better than that.

Bob · Jan 29, 2011

That must be a NASTY job cutting that stuff up!

JMS/.MN · Jan 29, 2011

White tops are newer than blue tops, change was made about early 70s. Mine are white, put up in "76 and "77. Weight depends on height, since upper panels are thinner. I had my 70 footer increased to 90 feet, so builder had to take it down to 50, then add correct thickness panels, and put the bottom back on. Glass is fused to steel, so weight of a panel is not the same as a steel sheet. Farm Show magazine had the story about the silo mover that moved them intact, laid down.

Adirondack case guy · Jan 29, 2011

There are 100s of them still here in Central NY. If the farms are still viable and productive the Harvestors are being used. We are fortunate that there is still a very good service provider (former dairy farmer) who provides service and parts to keep them operating. We also have many Slurry Stores, and a lot of local villages use Aqua Stores as the base for their municiple water distribution systems. PS the "blue tops" were the early versions. There were also a lot of Seal Store units sold in the area also. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I just had to point out that they are not all relicks, or statis symbols of the past, and that good crops stored in them will make far more milk per pound of feed input, than any bunker or round bale storage system will.
PS from where I am sitting to post this I can see all these silos during daylight hours.

JayinNY · Jan 29, 2011

I was gonna bring up the Sealstore silos, but dident think anyone would know of them. You know Seven View Farm and Seymor V? Around the corner from Jim?? His place is up for sale, 500 acres! He has a couple Harvestore silos, and some bunk silos. There still milking.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2011

How would you seperate the glass from the steel?

RodinNS · Jan 29, 2011

While there is less waste on the bottom unloader I don't beleive it would ever come near, not by a country mile... to paying for it's cost over a bunker. The capital cost is perhaps twice that of a good bunker and the maintenance cost astronomical by comparison. Where they excel is with low feed out rates and controlling spoilage... where a bunker's waste gets very high.
I could see using one for high moisture grain but not much else really... and if one thinks about it... a small bag would probably do nearly as well to control spoilage on the face.
I think they are, for the most part... really a thing of the past.

Rod

RodinNS · Jan 29, 2011

Never heard that one....
Have heard 'Bankruptcy Tube', 'Blue Tombstone' 'Auction Marker' and probably a couple more that escape me right now...

Rod

Adirondack case guy · Jan 29, 2011

Yes I know S Van.. Been near 20yrs. though. He's a real gentlman. I'm figuring Tusesday at DD. shoot me an E-mail. Ps I had to chuckel this summer when I came down by his place and when I went under I88 there were wagons loaded with hay parked under the bridges on the sholders.

JayinNY · Jan 29, 2011

Thats funny Rod! My friend has Harder concrete silos and he still uses them. Im the silo unloder, me and a sliage fork, but they work. Frozen silage is hard to fork... The farm I work has Demuth silos? Dont know if there still around. The silos were put up in the 50s havent been used since 79 but are still standing and are in great shape. Jay

Mark-Mi · Jan 29, 2011

Young guy that bought my uncles place less than a mile from me took my uncles 4 Harvesters down.
Said he went up top hooked a cable on. Started around the bottom with his Metabo and a box of cutting wheels. Left 3 feet uncut for a hinge in line with the cable and pulled them over. Unbolted the panels to get them apart.
Siding the barn with them now. Mark

Nate V. IA · Jan 29, 2011

He knew how to get it down, and would do it for $500, but didn't know, or more likely didn't want to tell me what it weighed.

tomstractorsandtoys · Jan 29, 2011

Here in WI the amish are buying them. They use a crane to lift them and start at the bottom taking off sheets. They are rebuilding them as 10-16 ft. diamater top unloading silos by cutting door holes and adding shutes. Most amish hand fork so they like the steel/glass sheets because silage won't freeze. Some have unloaders with honda engines or hyd. drive.

Nate V. IA · Jan 29, 2011

I know some of you hate em and some like em but mine is in need of repair. The neighbor wanted to rent them before I bought the place and some outfit quoted him $16,000 to get it going again. The bottom ring has a groove from running the unloader chain to loose. I only have 100 ewes now and even if I expand to 300 it would be easier to put silage in bags. From reading your responses it doesn't weigh as much as I had hoped, I guess I'll keep it and use it for the base of my windmill if I ever get around to trying some of that free energy stuff.
Thanks for your input.
Nate

Anonymous-0 · Jan 29, 2011

the panels are lifted by 2 men best by using vise grip tongs,,. after 10yrs use of a 40 ft HARVESTORE feeding hoggs that paid for itself .. 1973 My Neighbor decided to double his production when he found a used 60 ft HRAVESTORE I helped the professional crew put up that 60ft.when i was driving with learners permit,, I stayed inside punching bolts thru.. .it was used for confinement hogs feeding hy -lysene-hi- moisture corn for only 5 yrs before my neighbors health and big dreams were swamped by 20% interest and shattered by foreclosure in 1980 .. Call it whatever you want , they are a lifetime commitment that DOES WORK if market trends will allow your viability.. .. The Harvestore system IS PROVEN in Our area , and MY NEIGHBOR KNew what he was doing.. no doubt there is a learning curve, thus alota folx did not succeed , BUT ONCE LEARNED i feel they will give continuos service and last a lifetime.. troubleis back in the 70s expansion , the 80s interest cost ate a lot of folx alive that were still up against it..

JMS/.MN · Jan 29, 2011

SealStore was a competitive brand, had a fiberglass roof. Usually 21 foot diameter, unlike the 20 foot Harvestore. Quonset also made a sealed unit, was brown in color. Laidig made unloaders, common in the SealStore, could be retrofitted into the Harvestore. Their Power Sweep grain unloader was a very good unit, and cheaper than the Harvestore Power Sweep. Harvestore non-Power Sweep auger was junk. Replaced the one in my corn unit with a Goliath haylage unloader...now, that moves corn! They offered a restrictor plate to control flow, so the roller mill could keep up.

JMS/.MN · Jan 29, 2011

(google)-Hanson Silo, Lake Lillian, MN, retrofits Harvestores with doors, chute, and top unloaders.

paul · Jan 29, 2011

I think you'll be sitting on it for a _looooong_ time to get $3000.

Ain't worth much for scrap, by the time they cook the glass off. It's all low-quality, contaminated steel.

Fella wanting to reuse it will spend a lot to referbish & move it, so will need to get it close to free to make it work out $$$-wise.

--->Paul

rdandersom · Jan 30, 2011

Back in the 70"s and early 80"s blue silos were popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain.They can be fitted with an aeration floor for dry grain storage as some of my nieghbours have done.I was riding to a job last fall and noticed an empty hog barn had been knocked down and the excavator was sitting beside the pile.By late afternoon the harvestore was laying on its side.

This says more about how things have gone to pieces than just about anything I can think of.Twenty years ago that silo would have cost 60 to 80 thousand and the owners can"t see enough future in hogs to pay the taxes on the barn and silo until things improve.

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