Meal Bin

Hay_man

How many tonnes of meal of would you need to be feeding to justify a meal bin?

Feed about 5 to 7 tonne a year and I am considering putting in a 6 tonne meal bin(maybe I'm mad )

(I could get a 4 tonne meal bin, but would go for the larger one just incase mimimum delivery might ever increase)

Mimimum delivery is 3 tonne from the supplier, which I would order at a time,

Also do you save anything by buying in bulk?

Thanking you

snowman707

Hay_man wrote: »

How many tonnes of meal of would you need to be feeding to justify a meal bin?

Feed about 5 to 7 tonne a year and I am considering putting in a 6 tonne meal bin(maybe I'm mad )

(I could get a 4 tonne meal bin, but would go for the larger one just incase mimimum delivery might ever increase)

Mimimum delivery is 3 tonne from the supplier, which I would order at a time,

Also do you save anything by buying in bulk?

Thanking you

usually €30 to €40 cheaper per ton in bulk,

so you would saving a bout €300 per year,

TBH don't think it's worth your while , also you would fresher feed available in the bags

grazeaway

yeah usign 6 toone would be hard to justify the payback. We got an old 10 toone one about 15 years ago from a place that was being demolished when we were milking cows. Spend about £100 fixing it up and splitting it to take two types of meal. was well worth it and paid for its self after only a few loads but then again we were using a lot more meal then.

if you are looking for a cheaper way to get bulk buy your self a skip bag these can take about half a toone easily (bigger ones can take more), ideally try to get one that closes on top as you can use it to seal the meal. There are plenty of dealers that will give you same price to pick up as they do for delivery. Put the bag into the car trailer and drive down and pick up half a tonne at a time. we do this if we only need meal for a few aniamls over a short time. you can lift it into a shed with the tractor loader or leave it in the trailer and bucket out the meal as you want. I know a few people that have modifed a stand to hang the bag and have a chute under that can be opened and closed.

Hay_man

grazeaway wrote: »

if you are looking for a cheaper way to get bulk buy your self a skip bag these can take about half a toone easily (bigger ones can take more), ideally try to get one that closes on top as you can use it to seal the meal. There are plenty of dealers that will give you same price to pick up as they do for delivery. Put the bag into the car trailer and drive down and pick up half a tonne at a time. we do this if we only need meal for a few aniamls over a short time.

Thanks

This is currently what I'm doing at the moment, I have a 28 mile round trip to the mill though and find I am going there every day 7 to 10 days there now for a 500kg bag at a time

Thats why I just got this crazy idea of getting a meal bin

Suppose though it is the best for my situation.

bbam

Just at the weekend we cut the top out of an IBC tank. When I lifted my bag to go to town the mice/rats had eaten a hole in it. The one before that I caught on the trailer and split.
Got 660kg of meal into it and still some room left.

Black Smoke

For small farmers a ton of nuts fits in nine of these Rats and birds don't get a look in.

vanderbadger

anyone ever try those indoor bins you see on dondeal, basically a metal frame supporting a large sack, wonder would they keep vermin out?
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/otherfarmmachinery/3497215

PMU

bin = no rats or mice ,meal always dry,no loading or unloading bags, cheaper feed, suits mix or nuts.
get a wheelie-bin for under the spout, its handy for round the yard.

grazeaway

Hay_man wrote: »

Thanks

This is currently what I'm doing at the moment, I have a 28 mile round trip to the mill though and find I am going there every day 7 to 10 days there now for a 500kg bag at a time

Thats why I just got this crazy idea of getting a meal bin

Suppose though it is the best for my situation.

friend of mine was in a similar situtuion about 10 years ago and got a brainwave, clever fella and always thinkin gup of ideas.
He had an old 6 ton tipper trailer that was just parked in the shed for most of the year. it had a chute on the back door. So he got a fews sheets of plywood and made a roof that closed off the top which he could lift on and off as he needed to be able to cover the meal. the mill was only a few miles away so he drove the trailer down and filled up. He welded on a few removable side brackets to the chassis whick kept it steady when parked. when ever he need to shift the nuts to the back of the trailer would lift the tipper. when the trailer was almost empty he would leave it tipped up to get the last lot out. when that mill closed he welded a socket to the front on the trailer and a vent flap and would get the nuts blown in.

might be an idea if you had a trailer that was not in use over the winter.

Hay_man

grazeaway wrote: »

friend of mine was in a similar situtuion about 10 years ago and got a brainwave, clever fella and always thinkin gup of ideas.
He had an old 6 ton tipper trailer that was just parked in the shed for most of the year. it had a chute on the back door. So he got a fews sheets of plywood and made a roof that closed off the top which he could lift on and off as he needed to be able to cover the meal. the mill was only a few miles away so he drove the trailer down and filled up. He welded on a few removable side brackets to the chassis whick kept it steady when parked. when ever he need to shift the nuts to the back of the trailer would lift the tipper. when the trailer was almost empty he would leave it tipped up to get the last lot out. when that mill closed he welded a socket to the front on the trailer and a vent flap and would get the nuts blown in.

might be an idea if you had a trailer that was not in use over the winter.

Now that's using your head :cool:

Hay_man

Black Smoke wrote: »

For small farmers a ton of nuts fits in nine of these Rats and birds don't get a look in.

How do you get the meal out when your barrel is near empty? :pac:

Black Smoke

Hay_man wrote: »

How do you get the meal out when your barrel is near empty? :pac:

I can reach in no bother with a handy little scoop. When it gets to the last inch or two, just grab the barrell top and bottom, and tip it into the meal barrow.

PS: Whan I said small farmer, I meant as in farmer with relatively small annual demand for meals, say four tons max. I didn't mean a fella of five foot two:cool: That sort of a farmer might be "barrell challenged"

pgodkin

snowman707 wrote: »

usually €30 to €40 cheaper per ton in bulk,

so you would saving a bout €300 per year,

TBH don't think it's worth your while , also you would fresher feed available in the bags

How much would a meal bin set you back??

If you could pick one up cheap, you could pay for it over a couple of year's obv if you used more it would pay back faster but I personally wouldnt rule it out just because you use a small amount, Meal bins are a much tidied job and all you have to do is lift the phone

Cost of Meal bin + (Maintance per year X No of Years) Vs (Cost of driving 28 miles every 10 days X no. of years)

With the price of diseal and your time it wouldn't be the worst investment in the world


Also Barrells are a good idea, we use to buy pig meal by the bag and just stuck them into the barrell in the bag, once you got to the end just lift the bag out, nice and clean.... only thing is we could not take advantage of buying in bulk

Black Smoke

pgodkin wrote: »

snowman707 wrote: »

usually €30 to €40 cheaper per ton in bulk,

so you would saving a bout €300 per year,

TBH don't think it's worth your while , also you would fresher feed available in the bags

How much would a meal bin set you back??


Also Barrells are a good idea, we use to buy pig meal by the bag and just stuck them into the barrell in the bag, once you got to the end just lift the bag out, nice and clean.... only thing is we could not take advantage of buying in bulk

I priced a four ton (min size) bin from spiroflow last year at €1800.
I use 4 tons per year, and if I saved €30 per ton that's €120 per year.
Many different investments of €1800 would give me a better return. Like for example a weedlicker!
Other thing I was concerned about buying four tons in one shot. Would I have spoilage? Then my four tons is split over weanling crunch, beef nuts, little bit of dairy nuts maybe for a springer to help with milk.
Couldn't manage that with a bin!

End of day, I reckon a bin is for fellas in the twelve ton plus bracket.

Hay_man

I priced a four tonne bin @ 1400 a few weeks ago

They would probably suit me best, only problem would be if in a few years the mimimum delivery is up to 4.5 tonne

aonsceal

To be fair your best bet is continue buying your ration in 25kg bags, ration is best used quickly in a bin. If your paying on collection you should be able to negotiate so the price of the bagged ration is the same price as the bulk ration.

MfMan

Hay_man wrote: »

I priced a four tonne bin @ 1400 a few weeks ago

They would probably suit me best, only problem would be if in a few years the mimimum delivery is up to 4.5 tonne

My advice, get one. Bins are very handy and the gravity discharge is a big plus - no tilting, scraping etc. I feed 12+ ton a year and have a 7 ton McAree one that is enclosed to the ground; very handy for storing other feed stuffs etc. within. No problems either with the last of the stuff going off. To me, it's a bit like asking is having a horse more cost-effective than having a tractor. Sometimes its hard to put a value on convenience.

Fat Cant

I would use 8 ton a year , I will more than likely get 1 in the future to save me on time and they are a clean job . Even if you are getting under the minimum amount you only pay €30 for the haulage .

pgodkin

Black Smoke wrote: »

I priced a four ton (min size) bin from spiroflow last year at €1800.
I use 4 tons per year, and if I saved €30 per ton that's €120 per year.
Many different investments of €1800 would give me a better return. Like for example a weedlicker!
Other thing I was concerned about buying four tons in one shot. Would I have spoilage? Then my four tons is split over weanling crunch, beef nuts, little bit of dairy nuts maybe for a springer to help with milk.
Couldn't manage that with a bin!

End of day, I reckon a bin is for fellas in the twelve ton plus bracket.

Yeah agree with you above i assumed the four ton of feed was the same product, although i dont think you are taking into consideration the time you spend purchasing meal + cost of transport these have to be put with the other savings to give you a more clear picture.

although if your four ton is split between a number of products you wont achive any savings.

MfMan wrote: »

My advice, get one. Bins are very handy and the gravity discharge is a big plus - no tilting, scraping etc. I feed 12+ ton a year and have a 7 ton McAree one that is enclosed to the ground; very handy for storing other feed stuffs etc. within. No problems either with the last of the stuff going off. To me, it's a bit like asking is having a horse more cost-effective than having a tractor. Sometimes its hard to put a value on convenience.

this is important but you must make a clear case for needing something, there is no point in having a horse or a tractor if you have no work for both!

It's crazy the amount of money you can spend on Convenience, if you douth me keep an excel spreadsheet with all the things that would be make your life easier... it doesnt take long for it to mount up.

My advice is make a strong case for it (normally this is against the wife:rolleyes:) the result should tell you if need it or just want it!

49801

havn't got one here but would love one. Use about 15ton per year.

Find bags very handy though. Particularly when feeding outside. Just drop over the fence from where they will be feeding and means no trip to the yard to pick up meal in the evening when they are being fed.

I did build a homemade indoor bin that will take 4ton just about in an old outhouse. I raised the floor with straight logs of pine that fell and the floor is sloped too. So the outlet is high enough to get a tub under


Blend is a pain though and you have to climb in to get it all out.

reilig

Don't have a meal silo but have an insulated and vermin proof meal shed that can hold almost 20 ton. Its built in an old cow byre. We got "seconds" sheets of insulated cladding. Tex screwed it together - floor, roof, sides and ends. Have a blow in pipe at the top of it to allow the lorry to blow meal in. It has a steel door. It never gets damp, no mice or rats, we can feed out of it with the wheelbarrow. It cost £500 at the time and we got a grant of £300 from the local partnership who at the time were offering small grants for feed storage on farms.

grazeaway

reilig wrote: »

Don't have a meal silo but have an insulated and vermin proof meal shed that can hold almost 20 ton. Its built in an old cow byre. We got "seconds" sheets of insulated cladding. Tex screwed it together - floor, roof, sides and ends. Have a blow in pipe at the top of it to allow the lorry to blow meal in. It has a steel door. It never gets damp, no mice or rats, we can feed out of it with the wheelbarrow. It cost £500 at the time and we got a grant of £300 from the local partnership who at the time were offering small grants for feed storage on farms.

good idea too. was on a farm walk a few years back saw a fella do something similar but had the door wide enough to drive in the tractor, he would scoop up and bucket load and then take that out and tip it into the trough, or into a diet feeder. had worked out how much could fit into the loader bucket and marked the insides

kevthegaff

I have a 13 ton for the cows, any idea how much a ten ton is or maybe smaller

epfff

kevthegaff wrote: »

I have a 13 ton for the cows, any idea how much a ten ton is or maybe smaller

12tonne pe services 2400plus vat
it will hold abt 9 of ration

1chippy

I'm in the middle of making a tow behind meal bin for behind the van. it consists of an 8 foot steel oil tank 4' diameter built onto a chasis of a trailer on the flat. i'm cutting the top of on the lenght, stick on a few hinges and a handle, sticking on a lenght of flat along all the edges to make it waterproof and away i go. total cost of 185 euro for chasis, 2 consaw discs a couple of hinges and i got the oil tank free to take away. i reckon it should hold between 1.5-2 ton. i'll let you know when i fill it, i'm sick of the big bags and crow **** everywhere.

49801

1chippy wrote: »

I'm in the middle of making a tow behind meal bin for behind the van. it consists of an 8 foot steel oil tank 4' diameter built onto a chasis of a trailer on the flat. i'm cutting the top of on the lenght, stick on a few hinges and a handle, sticking on a lenght of flat along all the edges to make it waterproof and away i go. total cost of 185 euro for chasis, 2 consaw discs a couple of hinges and i got the oil tank free to take away. i reckon it should hold between 1.5-2 ton. i'll let you know when i fill it, i'm sick of the big bags and crow **** everywhere.

Know what you mean.
Show us later how it works out.
Like someone mentioned above seen a 8ton trailer with a grain shoot door parked in a field with a roof on it. the meal troughs were under the chute.
Was left tipped up when near empty. Looked very handy.

To get back to the orginall question. I would think that if you are using 20ton per year and using it at a rate of half a ton a week a bin would be justified.

cow man

cant see minimum 3 tonne ever changing

jerdee

I bought a old 20 container with treble fridge doors on back store all my meal in there rat proof and stuck a pipe for blowing in on the back up half way in container .takes about5ton but handy to store bags or loose for mixing all in one area as three doors fold back to put in big bags etc. Cost 700 well worth it

Nobbies

i use bulk bags at the moment,thinking of getting abin.spoke with the meal company rep other day.told me he could sell meal bulk delivered at 18euro aton cheaper than i currently pay getting it at the co op in the bulk bag.i would,nt have thought it would be that much,but still agood bit off the 30 too 40 euro mentioned here.priced achore time bin 4tonne cap, €1500 inc vat and delivered.

passie

Nobbies wrote: »

i use bulk bags at the moment,thinking of getting abin.spoke with the meal company rep other day.told me he could sell meal bulk delivered at 18euro aton cheaper than i currently pay getting it at the co op in the bulk bag.i would,nt have thought it would be that much,but still agood bit off the 30 too 40 euro mentioned here.priced achore time bin 4tonne cap, €1500 inc vat and delivered.

The real beauty of a bin is you can spec the meal you require from the mill to suit your needs and not have these useless ingredients included that would be in pre mixed rations.