Types of Silos and How to Transport

Silo tank prepared for transport on a lowboy trailer
August 3, 2021 Renan 0 Comments

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What are Storage Silos?

Silos are mostly used in Agriculture as bulk storage units for grains and fermented animal feeds (silage). They are also perfect storage choices for coal, sawdust, and other fuel sources, including animal waste for producing biogas. The most common types of silos are cylindrical with strong metal for support, while others are square and rectangular shaped. Their interior surfaces are smooth, with special linings to prevent potential reactions with the stored produce. Besides, they have intake and dispatch openings to facilitate easy loading and off-loading of the materials.

A silo’s design and structure largely depend on the nature of the product, its quantity, environmental and site conditions. Three main types of silos are prevalent in use today-tower silos, bag silos, and bunk silos. Depending on the type and size, transporting a silo may have different requirements. That’s why working with a farm equipment transport company is essential.

Tower Silos Shipping

These cylindrical structures are typically 2 to 27 meters in diameter and 10 to 90 meters high. Tower silos can be constructed using various materials, including wood staves, steel panels, concrete staves, and cast concrete. Suffice to say, these materials come at different costs, varying impermeability trade-offs, and longevities. Tower silos used grain, cement, and woodchip storage can be unloaded with air slides and augers. They can be unloaded into trucks, rail cars, or conveyors.

Tower silos used for silage storage can be unloaded from the heap’s top using a pitchfork, silage folk, or other modern mechanical unloaders. The silage tends to pack well inside the silo owing to its weight except for the topmost few meters with less weight for compaction.

A removable gooseneck trailer comes in handy when shipping such heavy loads as tower silos. They can be lowered much closer to the ground, making it a perfect option for hauling large equipment without dealing with height permits and other restrictions. They can also be configured with up to 20 axles for extra support when shipping the heavy tower silo or any other agricultural equipment.

Silo tank prepared for transport on a lowboy trailer

Low Oxygen Tower Silos Transport

They store fermented products in low-oxygen environments. They enhance the product’s quality and prevent decay and mold formation. The inlet provision is strictly opened to the atmosphere only during the loading process. The unloader chute remains sealed and airtight to prevent air entry. How to Ship Storage Silos.

Concrete Stave Silos Hauling

They are made of small molded concrete blocks. The block edges have a rigid groove that locks them together, forming a strong and durable shell. These silos are highly versatile and can be increased in size to meet the farm needs and the farmer’s budget. Besides, they can be taken down from one farm and get reinstalled in another.

Bunker Silos Shipping

Bunker silos are ditches mostly with concrete side walls, filled and compacted by trucks and loaders. Once filled, the trench is made airtight and impermeable using a plastic tap covering. Materials from bunker silos can be unloaded with a tractor or a loader. These silos are affordable as they are easy to construct and perfect for large operations.

Bag Silos Transport

They are large, cylindrical, and heavy plastic bags mainly used for silage storage and conservation. They are mostly 2.4-3.6 with numerous length variations. Silage is packed into the plastic tube using a bagging machine, after which both ends are sealed. The bag is torn off into segments, and the storage material unloaded using skid-steer loaders or tractors.

Bag silos are inexpensive and can be re-used if they were damaged from the previous project. They can also be temporarily used in the farms when the crop growth and harvest conditions require extra space. Bag silos are highly economical and take up much less space compared to most storage warehouses. However, farmers should be careful when using bag silos for grain storage. Grain decomposition in these storage units results in toxic, inflammable gases, which can cause suffocation when inhaled. Bulk amounts of bag silos can be shipped using convenient containers or trucks to their destinations.

Shipping a silo is a seamless process with professional experts by your side. At Tractor Transport, we boast a wide range of specialized equipment and valuable experience in silo transporting services. We will help you ship your silo anywhere across the states or internationally to Canada and Mexico. We are professional, reliable, affordable, and well-equipped for all your shipping needs.