MTFCA Forum

My daily driver is in the panel shop, so Henrietta had to work today. It was seed grading day for the next planting season, and if I wanted some screenings for chook feed, I had to be there. The grader delivered the screenings directly to bins on the tray. Going home on the umsealed road was much more pleasant with a bit of a load on.[attachment=1]20220428_200755.jpg[/attachment)

Allan from down under.

That T looks absolutely in its element and not the least but out of place Al.
One day I must take the time to master posting photos!
Alan

What a great picture of a Model T at work. Did the work crews loading your T make any comments about it?

How much weight do you figure you were hauling?

She looks happy to be working. Thanks Allan for the photo.

Dennis, they sure did. The operator was amazed to learn that it came from near his home from the Webb farm. He often travels Webb Road on his way home.
Katie, USDA conversion for bushells to pounds would have the load at about 500 pounds, perhaps a little more because screenings are often finer than prime wheat. The grader offered to directly fill the bulka bag, but I declined, saying it would be too hard for me to empty when I got home from the farm.

Allan from down under.

Any pickup type vehicle I've ever owned rides and handles better with some load in the back. A couple of hundred pounds, well-placed, can make a 1/2 ton pickup ride much better on uneven surfaces. A 3/4 ton vehicle needs more, around 300-400 pounds. Burlap sacks filled with washed pea gravel make ideal ballast. Lubricating springs can make a big difference, too. Besides increased riding comfort, smoothing the ride promotes vehicle durability and can reduce rear tire wear.

Cool picture, really neat to see the pickup "earning its keep"
And of course, pretty nice looking "yard dog" in the second pic! That's quite an interesting
way of loading grain.

Tim, the grading machine is a work of art. Nothing is manually handled any more. A two piece, folding auger accepts input grain, either directly from a tip truck or from a stationary bin. It discharges cleaned grain by auger back into a truck or stationary bin. The screenings are augered to the side into whatever receptacle the farmer has, in my case three plastic drums, the remainder into the white bulka bag. We used to bag the screenings and sell them at the local market to poultry keepers. Then the grader man's bag sewer gave up and he did not replace it.

The whole machine is powered by a 3 cylinder industrial Diesel driving an alternator. All sections of the machine run on electric power with multiple hydraulic motors.

Allan from down under.

This is what makes it all worth the time and effort.