Grainswest - Tech 2023

Tech 2023 Grains West 34 FEATURE TELESCOPING MOBILE BIN HOLDS BIG BUSHELS Not all farmers sell their grain straight off the combine. In times of harvest surge, many opt for temporary grain storage solutions such as grain bags. Certain farmers would rather not use grain bags, said Patrick Beaujot, one of three T-Bin AG Equipment business partners. While plastic grain bags can hold as much as 8,000 bushels of grain, to fill them requires specialized equipment. Additionally, they are susceptible to the elements. Temperature and moisture can cause problems while insects and animals can also damage the stored grain, literally taking a bite out of profits. “Farmers love grain bags at harvest time because they can stick the grain in a bag quickly and move to the next field and keep combining, but they hate them after harvest when there’s a situation,” said Beaujot. “There’s always room for something better.” Beaujot teamed up with engineer Trevor Phenix and Saskatchewan farmer Dave Kosior whose idea it was to create this grain storage option. The portable bin extends in height telescopically to increase capacity. Seventeen feet tall when collapsed, the T-Bin extends to a height of 36 feet and holds up to 10,000 bushels of grain. The bin addresses several challenges. These include tight harvest windows and the chronic farm labour shortage. Farmers prefer equipment and systems that allow flexibility to spread out and grow. Many tend land far from their binyards, which makes hauling grain a tough and time-consuming gig at harvest. A temporary, moveable storage bin may be just what they need, said Beaujot. If needed, the bin can be equipped for aeration and remote monitoring. The T-Bin comes equipped with a wheeled transport and lift kit that can be shared among multiple units and towed behind a tractor or semi truck. The unit can include an optional independent hydraulic unit that will support both telescoping and transportation lift requirements. A notable nod to its value in the field, the T-Bin team earned the Farm Built Solutions Award at this year’s Manitoba Ag Days Innovation Showcase. FIELD BIN A GIANT HELP Over past decades, western Canadian farms have become larger and more sophisticated. Consolidation has created the need for bigger equipment and more employees. But no matter how big your combine is, you remain limited by the size of your workforce and trucking capacity, said Pieter Cruson, president and co-owner of Vale Industries at Indian Head, SK. Large-scale Australian grain farmers have faced similar challenges. Their solution has been to invest in mobile field bins. Vale’s previous owner believed this type of equipment would serve western Canadian farmers well and so designed prototypes and built a manufacturing plant large enough to accommodate the project. Cruson and his wife Kendra purchased the company in 2020 and launched production of the Vale Grain Giant that same year. The Grain Giant is designed to increase farm efficiency at harvest time. The mobile grain bin offers 6,500 bushels of field storage capacity that allows a farmer to operate at peak capacity while eliminating the immediate need for trucks to move the grain off the field. “Typically the grain cart is desperately waiting for the truck and the truck is hustling to get back for the grain cart,” said Cruson. “With this in the mix, the grain cart always knows to dump into A telescoping, mobile bin that can be towed behind a tractor or semi trailer, the T-Bin holds up to 10,000 bushels of grain. Photo: Courtesy of T-Bin