LOGISTICS are a key element in farm programs, particularly at seeding and harvesting.
And it was foremost in the mind of Dumbleyung farmer Bradon Mott when he went looking for a new seed and fertiliser bin.
He wanted a unit that suited his enterprise and he found a receptive manufacturer in Lake Grace Engineering.
"It was a truck-mounted 45 tonne unit which was OK, but I wanted a high unloading capacity, remote control of the augers, good lights, good paint quality, simple to maintain and good back-up service," he said.
Mr Mott ticked off all those points with Lake Grace Engineering owners Clint and Tracey Earnshaw and had the aptly-named Earnshaw bin delivered to his farm before seeding this year to fit on his semi-trailer, linked to a Volvo FH16 prime mover.
The two separate bins have respective capacities of 32 cubic metres and 22m3 and Hobbs Hoist pipes are included for storage when not in use.
"It worked very well," Mr Mott said.
"I got 400 hectares a fill servicing a 60 foot (18.2 metres) DBS and a 16,000 litre Bourgault air seeder.
"It's simple to operate and serves our operation well and is certainly an improvement on the old system we used.
"It was basically built to my specs, including the 360 degrees lighting package and it was certainly built to last."
According to Mr Mott, the Earnshaw bin also will be used to cart grain at harvest to on-farm storage and is big enough to use as an overflow field bin if required.
According to Lake Grace Engineering manager Dejan Pravdich, the company was the first manufacturer to use stainless steel auger barrels and to sandblast and two-pack prime and topcoat their bins.
"We can also make our bins with full stainless steel sheet metal and we use the best quality triple lip seal bearings," Mr Pravdich said.
"We use stainless steel on all auger shaft ends for ease of bearing changes in the future and also on potential rusting points."
The standard base model comes with two or three compartments with unloading speeds of the 22.5 centimetre diameter augers rated at a tonne a minute for seed and 700 kilograms a minute for fertiliser, with both augers running at the same time.
Stainless steel is standard on the inside covers, clean-out doors, bottom quarter of the walls, barrels, augers, shafts and bolts, while each compartment has its own hydraulic circuit.
Extras include higher sides for more volume; diesel engine upgrade; load cells; cameras; toolboxes and water tanks; full remote control from engine to auger fold; full stainless steel build and quick-turn spouts.
"We mostly build to customer's specifications," Mr Pravdich said.
"But our components are top quality.
"And we also go the extra mile, for example, using oversize hydraulic lines, adding springs on the top auger to stop 'auger clash' when folding and access ladders front and back."
This year Lake Grace Engineering built its 100th Earnshaw AG machine and also broke into the eastern States market.
