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Post by kevlar on Dec 17, 2021 13:09:17 GMT -6
Yes this one had the adjustable pipe on it, but it came off a longer auger, so the frame of the mover is a little too long for this auger. I thought I would try it first like this but can see now I need to cut a couple feet off the mover so I can put the pipe back on and give it more lift. Most augers seem to struggle to go high enough to get in the door with the higher openings. We have some 10,000's that the hole is close to waist high, sucks because you have to lower the augers to get them right out/in.
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Post by northernfarmer on Dec 17, 2021 15:26:17 GMT -6
Exactly the issue I have as well with a few bins that were weird from the start in how they were designed or were modified to have a steel floor/tub and caused the bottom of the door opening to be up around that waist height. My only resort then is to lower the auger with the winch so I can raise the bottom enough to get it into the opening and set on the grain and then crank the auger back up again. I don't own another style of mover to compare but can see most of them on the market probably having struggles to kick the bottom end up to a height like we have to do. Perhaps some fancy linkage could be built if it would work within the confines of the space it has to work like a scissor style truck hoist so the stroke of the ram used is exaggerated with the scissor assembly. One also has to keep in mind the balance point of an auger and not have it flip on a person, cranked way up on the top end and then able to lift the bottom higher could put it over the tipping point !.
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Post by OptimallyDismal on Dec 19, 2021 20:30:57 GMT -6
We bought a new Brandt 852 with the 35hp Kohler and the 2 wheel mover. I had an idea that Brant was a good quality auger and we really wanted a mover so we went big and got the first NEW piece of machinery ever. 10 minutes into loading canola the engine ran up about twice the speed it had been running at, thought the slide was blocked in the bin, but it wasn't, turns out the plastic governor gear on the shaft in the motor lost its pin and it had slid down and got chewed up in the other gear, so basically no governor. Warranty issue so off it goes for a 3 week vacay to get fixed. Harvest time we are unloading in a fine misty rain in the dark and the belts come off, take a look the gearbox pulley is all cockeyed, so gearbox is shot. Also noticed the tube is dry in a few places while the rest is wet in the mist, put my hand on it and it is hot. I had noticed the auger is a lot noisier than any of the others around here that are minimum 30 years old. The dealer was good, had a temporary fix with a used gearbox to keep us going and ordered a new one. Asked about the hot tube and noise so he gets Brandt rep out, he takes a sound reading and says it is ok, just needs to break in. I said he was full of shit and this is not normal, and this auger isn't going to last long enough to make the payments, he authorizes an inspection. Dealer pulls bottom flighting out and it is bent in several places hence hot tube. There is also a banging noise in the top end that I can't figure out, was talking to a neighbor that has an 842 and says it was the idler sprocket on his. He has had mostly engine related trouble on his 25hp Kohler but is overall not impressed with his auger. So far we have less than 3 hours use on this auger, it has been in the shop for 2 months for the flighting, and they aren't getting the parts from Brandt. I do know this could be a supply chain issue so I asked for warranty extension, I have yet to hear back about that as they said they would look into it and get back to me! The 40 year old Farm King auger we have was built by Brandt and other than bottom flighting bearings has been trouble free, I think Brandt has changed since then. Neighbor says his Brandt swing auger is good though.
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Post by slipclutch on Dec 19, 2021 20:43:10 GMT -6
I notice that you can buy a kohler diesel for meridian augers. Would that be a good choice? Or is a gas just as good.
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Post by OptimallyDismal on Dec 19, 2021 21:19:34 GMT -6
I would like a diesel, not sure if Kohler is my first choice, it was $5000 when I asked about a Cat if there were any available. I guess gas might be better in winter? Dealer also said block off the air intake on the fan, Kohlers need to be kept up to temperature, said duct tape allows adjustment as you can add and remove strips for optimum temp control easy and cheap.
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Post by kevlar on Dec 19, 2021 21:31:50 GMT -6
A piece of cardboard works as well, unless it's too windy. Ours has the cold weather set up, and have never closed off the fan, even in -40.
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Post by OptimallyDismal on Dec 19, 2021 22:01:26 GMT -6
If all goes well I will never need it in -40! I am thinking the duct tape will leave a bunch of goo all over which would cause future problems with fuzzies sticking all over.
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Post by meskie on Dec 19, 2021 22:04:09 GMT -6
I just use a old elevator receipt since I have several in the truck. The paper just sticks to the housing while running and you can move it where you want for how cold it is. I try to keep it so the oil filter is fairly warm to the touch. If I can’t hold my hand on it I let some more air in.
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Post by OptimallyDismal on Dec 19, 2021 22:08:32 GMT -6
Good point, I forgot the oil filter part, dealer did mention that.
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Post by northernfarmer on Dec 19, 2021 22:30:17 GMT -6
If all goes well I will never need it in -40! I am thinking the duct tape will leave a bunch of goo all over which would cause future problems with fuzzies sticking all over. I took note a few years ago of a neighbour that had a winter cover type item made for the fan side of the motor, not sure exactly how it was attached but it had fold back flaps with either snaps or those half turn twist items you see on some winter fronts. It actually looked pretty slick and was made from a winter grade vinyl as that area of the engine doesn't get hot. Its an idea anyway if you are handy at making upholstery items.
By the way that auger is sure paying its way, I feel sick just reading about it.
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Post by kenmb on Dec 22, 2021 9:42:29 GMT -6
That's pretty crappy Opt Dis. New equipment is nice when it works properly. I just don't like the idea of spending a few years figuring out if it is working properly or ever will. Hopefully my new Meridian 10" swing will be able to equal the bu/hr of the 35 year old wore out Westfield it is replacing. Time will tell. Meridian were good to deal with so far, but I never did go through the local dealer on any of it since my questions originated from a design standpoint (ie this things sucks in capacity) and I was immediately able to talk to one of the main designers and got some things sorted out.
One of my functions in my career as a service tech was to deal with warranty stuff. Let's just say it can be an interesting experience. Rarely I would call it a "good" experience as a service tech. The odd time it was. And it was not always the guy on the other end of the phone being the problem either, or corporate policy, etc. There are lots of things like procedures, paper work, parts availablity, engineering gets involved for curiosity and investigation, accounting, etc. I mean the things I could post about warranty dealings would keep me going for a few hours here. And I did what I could as the guy on the customers site but when your hands are handcuffed and you have tried all the things you learnt over 20 years to get the customer satisfied - and can't - it puts the service guy in a bad spot. So, for example, dealing with the Meridian service guys that came out I had a pretty good experience as I was able to talk with them as I could stand in their shoes. Not that I had reason to be upset, but they did recount some experiences with farmers that they had where things went really bad. Same guys still working on augers, but the farmer may hold the service rep as a problem. Yes, it can be the service guy not doing enough, but maybe it is not.
Let me just say that being a service rep and warranty can be a difficult situation. An auger is a simpler situation and one's fight is generally with the company itself. The reps are more or less there to witness and say the problem is this or that and it is up to the company to step up then.
I do wonder if people know the "bathtub curve", I think you can look it up. Basically equipment life follows a bathtub shape. The first couple years equipment reliability is questionable because of all the issue possible with defects, assembly, piss poor design, etc and there is hopefully a lengthy period of high reliability (the flat part of the bathtub) and then the failures increase again as the equipment reaches end of life. So I am perfectly happy to be operating equipment that is in the bottom of the tub and see if I ever get to the end of the tub where failures start to rise. Because it is rare I can find the end of the bathtub. If a piece of equipment is well designed, assembled right, has quality, then it can run reliability for a long time. But the front part of the bathtub is the tricky part since a piss poor unit never gets into the flat spot of the tub - it can always be a problem. So the tough part is to sort out where you are on that curve.
It is one of my fundamental issues with too much tech. A guy can now have a perfectly fine piece of machinery operating with a potentially long service life but if some of the high tech components are obsoleted becuase "technology keeps changing" then that machine as a whole never can find the far end of the bathtub.
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Post by kevlar on Jan 17, 2022 12:41:03 GMT -6
Finally remembered to time a load yesterday with the 10 inch auger. About 2020 bushels of 50 pound barley took 27 minutes, including the time to move between trailers and having to stop once because it was getting too full before he moved. Overall I'm pretty happy with that. Also didn't have the auger pushed right into the bin, looked to be pretty well full, not sure if it would make much difference with it pushed in more.
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Post by Oatking on Jan 17, 2022 16:30:42 GMT -6
Is that your electric motor auger? Not a bad idea to have one. I like my vanguard 37 hp and 10-46 but nothing is as nice as electric in minus 25c. For some reason when the temps get really cold my oil dip stick came loose a few times and blew oil all over my new auger. Least the vanguard runs well and does not suck gas into the oil pan like my past kohlers.
What size beaker do you use for your electric motor? 30 50,or 70 and what length of cable do you use.? sorry to pick your brain.
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Post by northernfarmer on Jan 17, 2022 18:18:54 GMT -6
Oatking, is there a chance that the dipstick is blowing out due to the crankcase vent icing off by any chance ?. If that is not the case and its just the dipstick design itself ( I have never looked at a dipstick on a Vanguard to know how they are designed ) , does it by chance have an oring set into a groove or just a rubber type end that friction fits into the top of the tube ?
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Post by kevlar on Jan 17, 2022 19:15:49 GMT -6
Is that your electric motor auger? Not a bad idea to have one. I like my vanguard 37 hp and 10-46 but nothing is as nice as electric in minus 25c. For some reason when the temps get really cold my oil dip stick came loose a few times and blew oil all over my new auger. Least the vanguard runs well and does not suck gas into the oil pan like my past kohlers. What size beaker do you use for your electric motor? 30 50,or 70 and what length of cable do you use.? sorry to pick your brain. Yes the electric auger. I honestly don’t know what size of breaker, my friend is an electrician and he just tells us what we need and he does it, I know diddly squat about anything electrical. The cord is a good 40 feet, maybe even 50, heavy gauge, again what size I don’t know.
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