Grain vac vs auger?

[dalek]

Never really seen grain vacs around here but I have to upgrade some handling. I have 6 bins for now, handling 5-6 different crops with most being just temporary storage if the elevators are moving slow or assembling specialty beans until I can find a backhaul truck. Most of the bins don't have floors or sweeps, would a vac be better than retrofitting?

[farmaholic]

How long do you keep your grain around? Hopper bins beat the shit out of everything. Maybe you don't need long term storage? But it sure is convenient compared to slow noisy grain vacs.

[pourfarmer]

I'd rather run a sweep then a vac.

[farmaholic]

Vacs are still heavy work. But no dust is nice. Slow. Sweeps are too dusty. Kinda brutal. But they probably less labour intensive than those heavy vac hoses.

Get hoppers!! With aeration.

[farmaholic]

Vacs are still heavy work. But no dust is nice. Slow. Sweeps are too dusty. Kinda brutal. But they probably less labour intensive than those heavy vac hoses.

Get hoppers!! With aeration.

[hobbyfrmr]

Sharpen the bottoms and get aeration. Then at least an 8 inch auger. Shop around for good lease rates or else borrow while interest rates are low.
Its 6 times more money than you wanted to spend but the hopperbins will keep their value, aeration allows for conditioning and cooling grain, which gives you and extra 6 days early harvesting.
It used to kill me to think of spending money (because I had none) on hoppers as a "luxury/convenience". Now I would never go without. You can fill/empty and refill, truckers can load without you, grain cleaners can clean without you its just easier all around.
Second choice back to original question, 8 inch auger and bin sweep. n95 dust masks

[fjlip]

I know guys that don't own a shovel, all hoppers, an investment that hardly loses value. No back ache, no dust, 10" auger 100 bu/min, life is good. Way safer investment than stock market, lol.

[farmaholic]

I've "dug" enough grain out of bins in my life. I don't want to do it anymore and I don't want my kids to have to either. It's not like it was even "worth" the effort some years. Lol.

[Guest]

and the first ones we bought are worth 2.5 x what we paid for them at an auction sale today . I agree way better than stock market

[helmsdale]

Long story short, i'd take a 8" auger with mover, and e-kay sweep ANY day over a vac.