Bulk Feed Trailer

[EddieWalker]

The more chickens my wife hatches, the more feed I have to buy. I also buy feed for goats and horses. I'm spending a stupid amount of money feeding all these animals, and I'm trying to figure out a way to save a buck so she can have more animals. Joking. I enjoy the animals too, but I would like to spend less money on them if I can.

I talked to a local Farm Supply store the other day that just started selling bulk feed from a couple of silo type things. You drive under them and they fill up your barrels, or whatever you have, with either 14% all stock, or cattle cubes. The 14% is .23 cents a pound. That's about $4 less per sack that I'm paying for feed at Atwood's. Tractor Supply is even more!!!

Has anybody done this? What should I know before doing it?

I don't have anything to put the feed in, so I'm thinking about buying a barrel to give it a try. I just hate the idea of scooping feed out of a barrel. I have a couple of IBC totes that are not doing anything, but I'm not sure how well feed would come out of them. I'm guessing it might create more problems then solve.

Buying a trailer has been my goal, but it's tax season and I owe lots of money. I'm also paying off my brother mortgage, and I'm helping my mom with her bills now that my dad has passed away. It doesn't make sense for me to go into debt to buy a trailer right now.

Hotwoods has one called the Versa Tote, but I wasn't impressed by the YouTube video that I saw of it, or any other brand. Their 3,000 pound capacity trailer is $3,550 and about an hour away from my place. The exact same trailer is also for sale in Alabama for $3,200 with a different paint job. I have no idea who actually makes them, they both claim to make them, which appears to be a lie. I've also watched some reviews of other brands on YouTube, and they all have their issues.

Versa-Tote Grain Cart — Hotwood's

protatch.com

My wife suggested that I build my own on one of our single axle trailers that we have sitting out back that don't really have any use for. Just a plywood box type of thing. Has anybody done this before?

I'm thinking that I could put something together for a couple hundred bucks, but I have a few concerns.

Why don't the trailers for sale have springs? Their axles are welded solid to the frame. Are leaf springs bad?

The trailer for sale at the Farm Supply store with the bulk feed tanks has a sticker on it saying not to exceed 25mph. That seems kind of crazy to me. Reading on the other websites, I saw 60mph to be the limit for their trailers. I also read that they recommend 35 psi in the tires for towing empty, and 60 psi when full. This also seems kind of crazy to me.

I have two design ideas in mind. One is to copy what the metal trailers did with their tanks. Build a box with a funnel to the back where the feed would come out. This would be top heavy and probably lead to issues when towing if I go too fast, or if the springs bounce too much. I might be over thinking this, but since I've never done it before, I'm hoping for some advice. I can see issues with the funnel working properly over time because plywood might start to hold the feed and built up material. I'll probably have to do a good cleaning before refilling it every time.

The other design idea is to just make a box. Kind of like the barrel method, but make it bigger then a barrel, and just two or three feet tall so we can reach into it to scoop the feed out. Probably 45 the corners for extra strength, but also to stop feed from building up there. I'd have to come up with an easy to lift lid, but I don't see that as being too difficult. To keep the weight over the axle, I'm thinking that it should be a rectangle. I would have to use a hoe of some kind to pull the feed back to the rear of the trailer for scooping. What am I missing with this design?

Weight is an issue. I'm thinking that I'd buy a ton at a time. That keeps my cost under $500 per trip, and that should last long enough to be worthwhile. More would be better, but the single axle trailer just has five bolt wheels and I'm guessing 3,500 a pound axle.

Does anybody know the math for figuring out what feed would weigh per square foot? I might try figuring out the dimensions for a 40 pound sack of feed and go from there.

What else am I missing? Good idea, dumb idea? Other ideas?

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[Mulder]

Check out just a few acres farm on YouTube he uses gravity wagons for his feed for his animals . I'm not sure how far he has to go for feed though

 

[chim]

I HAVE NO REAL INFO, but guessing they may not have springs for one of two reasons: 1 At one time I bought a small trailer here in PA and without springs it didn't require license plates. Not sure how it is now - or in other areas. 2 Perhaps a concern about leaning a top-heavy trailer in turns?

Tires - firm for a load, and air down to act a bit like shock absorbers when empty?

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Eddie, I use an Apache creep feeder for bulk cattle feed and cattle or goats or sheep, etc can just eat directly out of the feeder, but I'm not sure that it would work for what you are wanting, just keep in mind any type of feeder or feed wagon you get won't work well with feeds that have mollasses/sweet feed type of feed , they only work well with ranch mix types of feed, grain, cotton seed hulls, pellets etc. Sweet type of feeds tend to hang up in them and not flow well.

 

[rgr33]

I wonder how big a gravity bulk feed tank you would need in order to have the feed delivered by the feed mill?

just typing it into google I see a variety of sizes offered

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Do you have a tractor with a front loader? Could you build something that could be put in your truck bed, or on a trailer to go get feed, then put it in a barn when you get back?

 

[WM75Guy]

Check out just a few acres farm on YouTube he uses gravity wagons for his feed for his animals . I'm not sure how far he has to go for feed though

Pete at Just A Few Acres Farm has his feed delivered in bulk, the truck fills up the carts.

 

[WM75Guy]

Built a stand and use a hopper bottom bulk container. Use your forks to put it in the back of your truck or on a trailer to take it to the feed store.

57 x 45 x 41 Hopper Bottom Seed Box

 

[EddieWalker]

My reasoning for using the trailer is that I don't need it for anything else, and it would be dedicated for just this. Drive it to the feed store, fill it up, then park it under the overhang of the barn so my wife can get feed out of it without being in the rain. When it's empty, I just do it all over again.

If I used a pallet and needed a tractor to load and unload it into my truck bed, then I would have to take off what's on the tractor, which isn't a big deal, but it's still another step in the whole process that I'm trying to simplify.

I noticed that none of the trailers that are for sale have license plates. I wondered about that. Could be that not having springs has something to do with it. I assumed they didn't need a license because of farm use, but then there should be a red triangle on them.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[LouNY]

How far is your tow going to be, just a couple of miles or 10+.
For short tows a trailer with an SMV pulled by your tractor would work nicely and not heat up the tires or axle bearings.

If your existing trailers are single axle with 3500#axles carrying one ton shouldn't be an issue.
If you made a 4x8 4ft tall box you would have a volume of 128 cu. ft. not knowing the volume in a 50# bag it's hard to get an exact number but if you go with 35-45 pounds per cubic ft for pelleted feed you would be between 4480 to 5760 pounds so more then twice your trailers rating.

You could throw one of your IBC totes on a trailer and fill it up, once you get home cut 3 sides of the top to open up the top like a door and lean in with a pail to scoop it out to see how the bulk product works for you. After an initial load you would know if the savings were worth putting some money into it.

My first choice if it was feasible would be a gravity box on a wagon.

This is the first one that comes up on Auction time and it's even in Texas; 325 bushel / 13 ton capacity
https://www.auctiontime.com/listing...Be6aE49EGR40TlWcaAMD1YFM7c4ihuzBoCAdwQAvD_BwE

 

[Peter 315]

Amazon.comYou could use a 5x8 dump trailer and weld on 2 grain gates on the tailgate. Make some wood sideboards and cover it with a heavy duty tarp.

 

[chim]

Way back in '73 I picked up an M&W Little Red Wagon and towed it back to the farm that my FIL bought from a seller about 50 miles away. Part of the trip was on a 4-lane highway. I had a 3/4 ton 1972 Dodge Power Wagon and it was white knuckles all the way. It was the first time I'd ever towed a 4-wheel wagon and it wasn't happy about following the truck.

 

[LouNY]

The wagon likely needed some front end parts and as strange as it may seem an alignment, the toe in is critical if you wish to tow with a truck over 25 mph.

 

[Needville]

When I'm feeding I use about 1000 lbs of feed a week. I tried to use a feed wagon similar to what you are thinking about that held 5000 lbs. By the time I was getting to the end of the load the feed would start getting moldy and clumped together. Ended up costing more in wasted feed and time to clean out the wagon than the savings.

Also check around on your feed prices. I'm not that far from you in Wharton. 14% all stock is $10.50 per 50lbs at the feed store. There is another feed store about 10 more miles from me that is usually cheaper, but I haven't been there in a while. Don't buy your feed at Atwoods or Tractor Supply.

 

[EddieWalker]

You bring up a good point. I'm paying .30cents a pound for 13% All Stock at Atwood's in 40 pound sacks. At .23cents a pound for bulk, I'm saving $2.80 per sack if I buy in bulk.

I'm saving money, but not if I'm paying for a new trailer. And definitely not if I have feed that's rotting before it's used. With our extreme humidity, I might lose more feed then I use!!!!

I need to do more thinking on this. Thank you.

13% All Stock Pellets - 40 lb

13% All Stock Pellets - 40 lb

www.atwoods.com

 

[bigtiller]

When I'm feeding I use about 1000 lbs of feed a week. I tried to use a feed wagon similar to what you are thinking about that held 5000 lbs. By the time I was getting to the end of the load the feed would start getting moldy and clumped together. Ended up costing more in wasted feed and time to clean out the wagon than the savings.

Also check around on your feed prices. I'm not that far from you in Wharton. 14% all stock is $10.50 per 50lbs at the feed store. There is another feed store about 10 more miles from me that is usually cheaper, but I haven't been there in a while. Don't buy your feed at Atwoods or Tractor Supply.

I'm glad you mentioned mold / humidity. It happens, even up here in central Iowa. We had about a third of a pickup load of hog feed turn moldy in a good, tight, 10x10 portable wood shed.

 

[jaxs]

I find that folks underestimate the effect rats and mice have on livestock feed. I once leased hunting rights on a place where I would take my grandsons. When we arrived to dove hunt one sweltering hot September day the farmer and his hired hand were scooping corn off the floor of an out building. He was soaked in sweat and in a bad mood when he laid into me for making such mess. When I explained the corn had been there since I leased the place 18 months earlier and must have been from hunters before us he called me a liar based on the fact rats were abundant and would have long ago ate the corn. I'm thankful for my raising because instead of filling him with lead,going to jail and setting bad example for my grandsons I left and sued the idiot. The man was born on the land 50 years earlier and worked there since but didn't know what happens when rats come across more food than they can quickly consume. I told you that only to say if you are already aware,don't be offened by my telling you how rats spoil livestock feed. Everywhere rats go they are dribbling urine,including while they eat. After they urinate on feed rats won't even eat it themselves so your cattle certainly won't eat it. To store bulk once you have it home I suggest you go to what effort it takes to have rat proof space to store until fed. If puting enough feed in pasture and stall feeders to last a few days I recommend wrapping feeder supports in tin to deter rats climbing in. Any woo let's get feed from store to the house. Most vendors offer free use of super-sacks with funnel bottom. You probably have a spear on tractor for moving rounds that can be used to unload and/or support sack while contents are dumped. I've seen a couple of people hang sack where funnel dumps into a metal tray tilted so that feed slides into buckets as it's dumped then sack funnel pulled up and tied to stop flow.
You mentioned paying on your brother's mortgage. I recall when he passed and his place being quite a drive to look after. Did you bring his stock to your place or do you drive back and forth to his place? I'm glad to hear your wife overcame the health challenges and able to enjoy what she loves doing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for asking about my wife. She is a lot better, but will never be normal. The chemo destroyed her immune system and woke up a very mild case of Lupus that she didn't know she had. Now it's become an issue. Most days, she's fine. Some days are harder then others.

I'm down to four cows at his place right now, but that should change any day now. They are all pregnant and it's about time for babies. They are on 40 acres, so I just bring them hay every other week, and a sack of cubes so they come running when they see me. I also keep them in minerals. It's 62 miles away, so I have to plan when I'm going there, and what else I can do while I'm there.

My fence project has been delayed by an issue with my backhoe. I can't get one of out outriggers down. I replaced the cable, but that seemed to make it worse, so now I'm going to see if there is an adjustment that I can make to get it working properly.

 

[gsganzer]

Eddie,
We have a feed trailer at the deer lease for corn. It was home built as one of the members used to run a fab shop and he accumulated the shop scrap to help build it. It's been a terrible design that we'll probably rework. The commercially available ones are expensive and you need a blower or auger to dispense. We were too frugal to buy one, but our trailer has some shortcomings.

Our trailer was designed after some of the game feeder trailers we saw, minus a delivery system. We just have a slide gate to dispense into 5 gallon pails and it's a PITA, not any better than slinging sacks over your shoulder. One of the issues is most of those trailers aren't really designed for storage, just dispensing feed that you get from a silo. So, the trailer would have issues with condensation and spoiling if the feed sat in it for any length of time. To try to fix this, we'll add some ventilation that is also shielded from rain ingress. The other issue is bugs and weevils if the feed is in it for any length of time.

The rancher has a three bay silo that we drive under, so we use that when they have an open bay for us. The silo doesn't have a condensation problem because it's well ventilated, but it can have a bug and weevil problem if the feed is there too long. They used to overcome this by adding a bag of Sevin dust when they load it. (I don't know how much they add, but it isn't much). There might be some other products that can be used now for this purpose that are more natural/organic.

 

[gsganzer]

Eddie,
It sounds like what you might really be needing is a cake feeder. Google those. That's what our rancher uses. They come in lots of sizes and you could size it for a 1 month supply. There's is either mounted on their truck bed or on a trailer.