# Re-using grain bins



## tomjones (Dec 22, 2007)

This may seem like a silly question, but have any of you ever reused grain bin panels for anything else??? Around here you can find 3000 bushel grain bins for little or nothing. They are too small for modern grain handling equipment.

I was thinking about maybe taking them aprt and making an arch out of a series of them, then pulling the bottom together a ways to make an animal shelter a little taller than wide. Or maybe rebending them a bit further to make a cylinder to use for a water storage tank. Or going the other way and opening them up a ways and making a pool. 

My question is a wonder if it is possible to bend these like I am talking without putting a fold in them???

Anyone have any experiance with this???

Tom


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## Up North Louie (Nov 29, 2007)

Aren't those things made of corrugated galvanized stuff? I am not sure what bending one any way other than "with the grain" would do.

3000 bushels is pretty big, I would think. I would like to get a couple used grain bins for grain, but I'm thinking those would be way in excess of my needs. 

Maybe make it into some sort of corrugated yurt?  They have roofs...

Don


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## tomjones (Dec 22, 2007)

I know the corrugations cause problems. The bins are like 16-18 feet in diameter, so an arch made from half would be 18 feet wide by nine feet tall. I dont really want it that big. iwould just like something maybe ten feet wide by 6 feet tall in the center. I am not doing the math, but maybe if each section were ten feet long, put to together in length and then fasten more on each side so you had an arch 5 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Then take a beam and attach it to each side, put a cable winch on each side and pull them together into an arch. 

Tom


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

I've seen one ring set into concrete to make a sheep water tank out on the range. 

Find a 3000 bushel and a 5000 bushel. Build one inside the other, insulate the gap between them, and you could heat your little house with a candle on those SD nights.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

tomjones said:


> I know the corrugations cause problems. The bins are like 16-18 feet in diameter, so an arch made from half would be 18 feet wide by nine feet tall.
> 
> Tom


Seems like an intelligent and resourceful quest to me Tom.
Possible Applications: Put two of these half bin arches end to end, pour the feet of the arch right into a concrete slab and you have a mini-Quonset to park cars, trucks, lawnmowers in. 
Or put posts in the ends with a pipe gate across entrance to mimic a hoop house livestock shelter.

Handling Tubs - You have seen, no doubt, cattle handling tubs. If you take a chunk of these grain bin wall panels(about 6 feet tall for cattle) and use pole barn screws or the like to fasten them to RR ties or wood posts set in a circular arch, you have the lion's share of a cattle handling tub. One ring might be enough to construct a similar facility for loading hogs into a stock trailer. Solid wall, they can't see thru it so they keep moving until the trailer is the only way out. With your background you know how these things work.

Raised bed Garden. One full circle ring. Cut a second ring down so you can set it inside the outer ring like a concentric circle. The inner ring should be about 30-36 inches in from the outer ring when complete. Fill this outer circular area with black dirt and you have a raised bed garden so you don't have to bend over to weed or harvest your veg. When you are standing outside the raised bed, you don't want to reach in any further than the 30 to 36 inches. As to what to do with the large inner circle remaining, well, get creative! Maybe a decorative rock garden. Maybe a pond with Water Lillies and Goldfish would create a peaceful backdrop to your gardening, LOL.

Maybe you take an old cornpicker down to the farm shop, whip out the torch and welder and turn it into a scultpure of a fire breathing dragon. Let's see, a planter marker arm with a discarded pitchfork iron welded to it would form an arm and a claw. Then you must have scales along the spine, naturally. Start with worn out sickle sections and progress in size as you go down the spine formed by the picker discharge chute.
Then the Piece de'Resistance. You take a branding iron Propane Torch and mount it inside the Dragon's mouth. Run a hose down thru Dragon's body to a propane cylinder out of view.
Let the kids or the 4-H club paint that bad boy in John Deere Green. Worn out Disc blades make pretty good scales, dontcha know. Then you plunk the whole assembly in the middle of the raised bed garden, preferably near a well travelled area.
Then when the in-laws or other unsuspecting guests see the beast you light the propane torch for a little fire breathing Dragon action. Preferably with a remote ignition device for maximum surprise value. I haven't got that last part sorted out yet, LOL!

Anyways, have fun in your quest! Brainstorming followed by the Torch is a beautiful thang......


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## Scrounger (Jan 6, 2007)

It will probably be VERY hard to bend (or flatten out). There are a few guys around here who have built hay shelters and machine sheds out of them. They make EXCELLENT sheds standing just the way they are.


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## Up North Louie (Nov 29, 2007)

Can anyone tell me the approximate dimensions of a 3000 bushel bin? Could one put up a divider inside, and house two different grains, oats and corn, for instance, and then configure the unloader to be able to be switched between the two?

BTW, just how much money are they getting, if one does the work to dismantle and load the bin?

Don


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Up North Louie said:


> Can anyone tell me the approximate dimensions of a 3000 bushel bin? Could one put up a divider inside, and house two different grains, oats and corn, for instance, and then configure the unloader to be able to be switched between the two?
> 
> BTW, just how much money are they getting, if one does the work to dismantle and load the bin?
> 
> Don


'Govt bins' from the 1950s/60s tend to be 18 feet high & 18 feet across. These would hold from 3000-3500 bu depending on a peak on top, drying floor, etc.

No on the divider, no way no how. You would collapse it, they are designed as tubes & you need to be careful unloading them, bigger bins need to unload from the middle to keep sidewall pressures even.... 18 feet of grain offeres a lot of pressure, do not fool around with this.

Used to be you could buy them for about 10 cents per bu of capacity.

--->Paul


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## tomjones (Dec 22, 2007)

If you pay attention you can get them for the taking. The one I am looking at now I could get for a hundred bucks and the work of disassembly. Seems like a good opporuntiy for salvage and cheapness to me....:hobbyhors


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## Up North Louie (Nov 29, 2007)

Rats. I hadn't considered wall pressure. I doubt that I would ever produce the volume to actually fill one, even with the hypothetical divider.

Oh, well, back to the drawing board.

Thanks.

Don


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

When considering a bin for any use remember that some harsh insecticides have probably been used and may be on the metal. For use with up close and personal contact such as converting to a cottage one might wish to power wash and rinse well. 

Sure wish I could find a decent grain bin relatively cheap and I'd have some on the farm for grain storage, other storage, and would probably be living in one. It would be quite easy to build an inner wall for insulation with studding, and to also add a second floor.
To prevent condensation I wonder if it wouldn't be best to use sprayed on foam insulation?

Some smaller bins can be moved on a flatbed Donohue syle trailer that lets down completely flat onto the ground--if the bins have floors and can be moved assembled. 

To reassemble remember that top rings are assembled first with bottom rings added which means that the bin is jacked up as it is being built so that the lower sections can be added. I was never thrilled with working on a bin on jacks in windy Kansas.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

First. 
Those rolled panels were likely post galvanized. Meaning they were galvanized after being rolled.
As it stands, this would make an interesting guest house or summer kitchen.
If you try to change the radius in or out the galvanizing will be compromized. The panels will then begin to rust.
Have you thought about cutting a pair of doors in the side, making it into a storage shed for whatever will fit. Windows could be cut in the same way.
I know a man who made an old barn into a house. In the silo along side the barn he built a spiral stairway to access the loft. He has a beautiful bedroom upstairs. (Bachelor pad)
From the doors around to one side you could put in a radiused stairway to a second floor that could be built in. As mentioned in a prior post, the wall could be studded out and insulated. Spray in insulation would be best, as it would resist condensation on the inside of the wall. Sheet rock can be sprayed with water, on the back, and bent to the radius.
I guess some of these ideas are a mute point if the sides aren't tall enough to accomidate a second floor.


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## dancingbear (Mar 25, 2008)

I'm wondering if there would be some sort of coating one could apply to seal it completely (after cutting a people-sized entrance) so that it wouldn't rust or corrode, or at least not for a very, very, long time, and bury one in the ground for a combo root celler/storm shelter?

Or use as a water storage tank, to catch roof run-off to store for at least ag use, if not house use. Or both, if it can be done safely.

Chicken house? Maybe with a coating on the floor to prevent corrosion from chicken poop?

Work shop? 

I wonder if I can find any of these around here? And what it would cost to have one delivered?


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

1 or 2 rings make a nice pool, laid on its side and joined at the ends a 18 x 18 bin becomes a 18x36 garage 9 feet tall at the ceneter,Actually a 1 car with a TON of work room.
Seperated the rings could be 1 to 6 seperate smaller bins or small animal pens


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Most of them actually bend fairly easily. Ours are 19' wide, 19' tall, supposed to hold 3300 bushels. We had to turn one a few years back to make unloading easier. Undid the lags on the bottom, hooked a bolt head with the bucket on the front end loader, pushed.... got the angle a little bit wrong and caved that side in almost to the centre with hardly any work from the tractor, but it sprang back out without a dent. Changed the angle a bit and finished spinning it about 90 degrees.


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## Scrounger (Jan 6, 2007)

rambler said:


> 'Govt bins' from the 1950s/60s tend to be 18 feet high & 18 feet across. These would hold from 3000-3500 bu depending on a peak on top, drying floor, etc.
> 
> No on the divider, no way no how. You would collapse it, they are designed as tubes & you need to be careful unloading them, bigger bins need to unload from the middle to keep sidewall pressures even.... 18 feet of grain offeres a lot of pressure, do not fool around with this.
> 
> ...


Actually - there are several around here WITH dividers. One man has his goats in half and corn in the other. Been that way for 35 years or so. He used to have his milk cow in there (until he went to goats). An 18', 3000 Bu, is not a very big bin (at least for around here). He fills the corn to about 10' tall.


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## tomjones (Dec 22, 2007)

Going to try and post some photos of my first effort in this concept. Took a 14X18 ft bin apart and moved it home, and spent a couple of days over Xmas break putting it back together. We took every stinking bolt out of the whole thing, roof and all, and moved it home. I would guess it took us about 12 hours worth of kid and adult work to get it apart. Used our cordless dewalt drill and speed wrenches with sockets to remove as fast as possible, but that is a lot of bolts.

Anyway, so the idea I came up to was to try and build an animal shelter by bolting the sheets together and then bending them into a better shape. We started by simply bolting two sheets together and sucking the ends in with a cable winch to see if it would hold. Since there was just one seam in the center we ended up having a fold develop on one side of the seam. So we bent it back out, and with the remainder of the sheets offset the sheets by cutting one in half and staggering the seams.This seemed to give the building much more strength and maintained the arch better. That being said, in the end we got a little bit of "A frame" shape in the building, but I dont think it made a licks bit of difference. I bolted six pairs of sheets together to make an arch 16 feet long. We then took a 16 foot green treated 4x4 and bolted it with lag screws to each side. FInally we took a cable winch on each end and pulled the sides together to a 9'7.5 inch width. I would have liked to have kept it wider, but we built it in the garage and we got it to just barely fit through the garage door in both dimensions. 

There was a lot of pressure there, and we were very careful to stay in safe areas at all times so if the building came free it could not get anybody. Absolutely no one was allowed in the building or on the sides until it was well secured. We put a treated 2x4 across both ends, lag bolted in. There was enough pressure in the center that it would bow the 4x4's out, so for safeties sake and to deal with the bow we put a chain with adjustment in the center drilled through both sides and bolted.I used a chain with a breaking strangth of 1500 pounds. This is a little annoying but seemed like a good saftey backup to me.

Finally we put a full end in one and and a half end in the other using the roof panels. By reversing every other section of the roof and redrilling some holes we could build a square section that we could cut a panelout of with a sawsall. A little driling allowed us to use the original mounting brackets from the roof to secure the end a couple of inches inside the lip of the arch. I used some expansion foam to seal the ends and let that cure. 

So far the sheep love it and it has held several major blizzards at bay very well. Final inside measurements would be about 9X16. I have about 60 bucks in cash supplies and about 20 man hours in it. It seemed a little tippy from side to side without the end panels in, but as soon as you put them in it firmed right up. Next project we think we can use them for is a shelter to put our boat into for storage. We will either mount it on a two foot stub wall or else build it with a width of 2.5 panelsto get a little more height. The smart thing to have done woul dhave been to take a torch and cut the whole thing vertically into thirds. That would have taken about 15 minutes and you would have had three ready made if slightly more difficult to move shelter blanks. So you could make three 9-12 X16 foot buildings from one 18 foot bin. Width depends on how steep you want your walls and overall height. Ideally we would have left it wider and not so tall, but we needed to get it out the garage door.

Any questions just shoot!!!

Tom


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Yep just one question....where do I get some?!


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## ryanthomas (Dec 10, 2009)

That looks great! I love it when someone has an idea and then does it.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I had a small one in the backyard after building my first cabin at my little farm. I took half of the wall apart, left 1 ring at the top, left the roof complete, used 2 6"x6" treated posts to support the open half. It made a nice gazebo that was protected from the wind and rain. I cut a big window into the middle of the remaining section. I would like to find another one to build into a small office/man cave. I really like the look, the strength and the quick and easy way they can be repurposed. A couple of windows and nice door and it is ready. vapor barior, foam insulation and thin panels and it is ready.

I also like the idea of using 2 half sections to make raised beds, using the space in between for growing areas. Could be arranged in a unique pattern as a formal garden. 3' or 4' tall sections would be good for me....James


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

fantasymaker said:


> Yep just one question....where do I get some?!


In Illinois????? Should be about 100 within driving distance, worth $300 or less, you take down. Most are getting folded up & smashed with a backhoe, sold for $20-50 a ton scrap metal. Few rusty panels and too small and in the wrong place these days.....

To dismantal that size, you hook 3 'bin jacks' (triangle supports with a crank cable winch) on them, lift a little, use a electric gun to spin the bolts off, and take the panels off the bottom. Lower it, and repeat. Can rent the bin jacks from grain coops here & there for a few bucks a day.

Nice job on reusing them to Tom, with the peak deal, great pics.

--->Paul


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## tomjones (Dec 22, 2007)

We actually just took it down from the top and dropped the panels. I would not like to do it with any bigger ones, but we only bent a couple of corners that made no difference. For the roof we just disconnected it, hooked a rope on and pjulled it off. Again bent some peices but no major casualties. 

I always try to do everything according to the KISS line of thought.

And anywhere in farm country they are available. The steel for recycling is only worth about 50 bucks, so if you can salvage something and avoid the costs many landowners would let you I think. 

If you are goign to do a project like mine though, seriously just take the roof off and apart and then cut in either half or thirds. You will easily take 80% of the labor out of the project as long as you can figure how to stack and move the pieces. (WIth a flatbed or something it should not be too hard.)


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

I always keep a eye open for used bins,(and better yet cribs) but its really rare to see one around here cheep.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

Gonna use mine for catfish tanks.


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