I like how you keep your farm so clean. It really does make a difference in the health of the cows 🐄 🐮🐄🐮. I’ve seen other farmers with flies all over the cows and they look like they have worms 🪱 and they are treating them for scours and pinkeye and they look sickly.
Crazy idea, if you take the wagon box off and turn it around on the running gear then when you back it in the discharge will be on the side towards the mixing room. Would simplify the conveyor system some.
I love my square nose shovel, have worn it down by about 40% but it fits an old man like me better now!! Own lots of round nose shovels but use them only as last resort. My #2 square nose has a very limber ash handle and is easy on your back. We have moved many a truck and trailer of materials from road base to fill dirt by hand, tractors are nice but a good shovel and a real wheel barrow never fail to start or run (I use solid tires). Bob in Nevada
I’m looking forward to watching your silos being built . That’s going to be very cool to see . I enjoy watching your videos and my very favorite part of them is watching you and your dad working side by side, and that warms my heart . I know you do but, cherish every single moment and I personally wish you and your family, all the best . Thank you for sharing your life with all of us.
@@Gwaycee my sarcasm doesn't come across the computer screen as easily as I'd like it to. I was joking that the father, in his old school ways is just going about business, while the younger generation is gloved up. I'm not good at interneting to be honest.
@Gwaycee it's not about the danger is about getting Cow shit all over you, shit is still shit regardless. Have you been on or near a cow farm they are known to smell really bad.
Ive been watching for a long time. I love the time you take to explain things. People have a channel but know nothing about there equipment. some don't explain anything. You take us along and give great detail. Thank you. The solar additions, the robots, now robot feeders. just amazed. your channel is very hands on. Just know you take us into a world most have no clue about. The care you take for the cows they are cleaner than other channels I've watched. Once again thank you for all you share.
And, if I may add, he sticks to the topic. It is strictly agricultural, we know, that this family is very religious, but they keep that and everything else privat.
Instead of cutting down the sides of the forage box, do you have some area you can make a ramp / platform to raise your skid steer up to the proper level? Or dig a trench down to lower the box. Again, to the desired height. Love your videos! Keep up the good work.
Instead of cutting the top of the wagon down more so the Skid-steer can fit, you could dig down a bit and have the wagon sit in a lower part of the floor. That way it retains every bit of its capacity.
Looking forward to all the silo videos. There are a lot of good ideas in the comments on improvements. Turning silage bunkers into a shop/ storage shed. Making a ramp for the skid steer or a high unloading bucket. Turning the box around on the forage wagon.
Erik, could you use the chain drive flore and augers and drop the trailer axles, make trailer larger and inclosed and have some kind of pipe, where straw choper can blow directly into it, it just needs to be the size of your current storage, then you wouldt need to fill the trailer every 2 weeks
Exciting times for your Dairy Farm. Looking forward in seeing the progress. Wishing you the best. Your videography is excellent Eric. Thanks for sharing.
the silos will have bottom unloaders or surface unloaders (changing doors)? Will take a lot of horse to get the material up 132'? In loading your new chopper box ( on a running gear ) think of a 4 in 1/ high lift /split bucket for your skidsteer. Another option is create a loading dock with the box on ground level and skidsteer on a 2' higher loading slab next to the commodity shed. Will be able to load more and will last longer.
A Father and Son working side by side. The true American dream. I'm really excited about the changes you got coming. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Two thoughts. Get a high dump bucket for the skid loader so you don't have to cut down the side. Rotate the forage box on the gear, so you can back it in the shed and the unload conveyor would be in the opposite corner it currently is at, and would line up to the conveyor.
Great job at the auction. Glad you were able to score two great pieces of equipment.Thanks for explaining about the rebar in the footing. Loved the video and looking forward to seeing ow they build the silo. Thanks till next time.
Interesting, sounds like a good plan going forward. I'm looking forward to seeing the progression of the silo and conveyor system. Good luck with everything, have a great weekend!
Eric, congrats on the new wagon. Can you just fabricate a small portable ramp system to place beside the silage wagon to drive up on and raise the bucket higher so that the volume of the wagon can remain as high as possible?
A nice mini project would be to weld a hitch (or coupler) to the upper top front portion of your skid loader feed bucket. Under the step lip. A farmer I worked for had sent that to very experienced welder who added that to the bucket... if i recall it was a 1.5" thick piece of flat steel bored with a hole and trussed underneath. Will save you a great amount of time and to use on that hay feed wagon as opposed to switching to the forks every time. What is nice is that it is front and center and in the skid loader i operated you could see it so easily. If you real good you could use the front edge of your bucket, angle it, to lift up the trailer tongue and then change the angle to drop it down into alignment for the pin. Saves you from having to go far to drop the pin.
We use our old tmr mixer with an electric motor to store hay or straw in. Works great because you control the amount with the door. Computer turns on conveyer then mixer. Neighbor uses a old forage wagon and works fine as long as hay is chopped fine.
Poor Gracie she wasn’t brave enough to jump. Daddy had to help get in the truck. Glad to she’s still supervising you guys. Give her a couple extra pats on the head for us. 🐶
After watching the whole video after making my comments just wanted to say more. I'm excited as you are about the build. I thought this was a great video. One of the better ones put together I thought. Good job!! Seems to me from the other Lely Vector videos I've seen that an independent Lely kitchen building would facilitate more room for said kitchen and allow you to keep the shop where it is. ^ A new shop will HAVE to either be built or taken from some other space. You NEED a shop also. Just an old man's thoughts. :: edit:v: Especially before you get to far in construction of the silo:: One more thing. You "may" need a larger telehandler in the future and then could use your new wagon the way it is hauling more hay. New(used) telehandler for more reach.
It's good you keep on top of things. You are probably the best and cleanest run barn I've seen in all the videos I watch. Your animals are so healthy because of your hard work. Congratulations on your new purchase. Can't wait to see how everything looks when you're done. Question, who is that cute little side kick that hopped a ride in the truck with you and your father? What's his name? Maybe you could give him a little intro some day, like name and his position on the farm? Thanks for your videos they are great.
Why not complete the concrete floor, thru the center? Seems you may be developing an area that will create a mess with feed on the dirt.Not a criticism, just curious.
The silo unloader can’t unload silage below the top of the footer. Once the silo is filled the first time, the hole will be filled with silage that will stay there for the life of the silo.
How about looking into building a ramp out of 2x2x6 concrete retaining blocks for the wagon so you can achieve max capacity on loading might save you a round of loading plus easier on your equipment plus the visibility you would gain and will be a cheap fix use it for unloading doc as well plus blocks lock together
I would find a spot to make a ramp/ loading dock to load silage box with skid steer rather than cutting the side shorter… just my 2 cents. I’m sure whatever you come up with will work
Could you take part of the back corner sidewall out making a door ( maybe adding a sliding door ) so you could just back the wagon straight in putting the feed ramp to dump on a conveyor along the wall and could you cut strips out of a old heavy duty conveyor belt to use on you manure scraper to keep it from folding over
Dad mashing that rebar down manually, and I’m thinking, “Why not use the skid loader to do the mashing?” 😂😂 The vision that you have for your farm operation is amazing! To run a business you have to have goals - long-term and the short-term goals as steps toward your long-term. I believe you’re on the right path!
From experience it’s probably going to take 3 to 6 months to get the automated system to be KINDA be consistent and repeatable to deliver the formula you require … seriously … in your contract stipulate a minimum testing sequence of 3 consecutive batches that meet your required feeding parameters before you make the final payment … make your contractor validate that the system meets your requirements … or it’s going to be your $$$ and time wasted over the next few years trying to dial the system in to be reliably consistent and repeatable … and don’t forget to do extensive monitoring initially of your system !!! You’re adding multiple variables and failure points to your feeding process so monitor your feed daily initially then regularly for a few years to assure consistency throughout all the seasons of the year …This is big AG stuff your doing so my recommendation is to NOT move quickly and monitor and monitor and monitor until you can statistically assure the WHOLE SYSTEM is consistent repeatable and reliable !!! THIS IS AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE MORE DIFFICULT THAN YOUR SCRUBBERS …
might suggest you put variable frequency drive on the wagon. Might even be able to get an adjustable signal from robot's scale's fill rate to help adjust wagon unload speed to not over feed conveyor and speed up when wagon is getting near empty.
Love this channel thanks for making these videos . I would love to turn one of those silos in in a home they look so cool as house hope u and ur family have a great week
I don’t know Eric, a table and chairs, cot, some curtains and a portable potty. You got yourself a pretty nice red neck toy hauler! On a more serious side I am really looking forward to the silo build. Never seen one up close much less one being built.
Always a lot of work getting the robots working right, but I’m sure you’ve seen a great reduction in manure carried up in the beds. As much trouble as you had when you first got them, I didn’t think they would work out.
Part of these robot feeders will be a new shop. That itself is a big project, making a shop for a dairy/crop farm. You should end up with a shop just the way you need it.
@@Richard-zz7gmyeah you are probably right. After looking at a drone view of the farm there is a distance and uphill as well. Hopefully they have done their homework on how many loads each day and the time for transport between locations. The fact that they has grown out of the workshop might have made a to big impact on the choice of location
Eric with the proximity to your commodity bay, would it be more practical to remove the chassis, leave the wagon sit on blocks and use the sawdust bucket to load the rear of the wagon as the feed advanced to the front rather than pulling it out so frequently. You would cut the rear and probably still remove the roof.
A suggestion on cutting the side down on your new dry hay box…how about a slight ramp for your skid steer rather than cutting the side down, that way you lift the skid steer higher and can get more in the box that way.
Eric, you are forever an optimist. You see the manure pit as half full. Bravo!
Sadly the dog did not share his optimism
There sure is never a shortage of feces.
Some farms will convert their old bunker silos into shops or cold storage. Add short wall for height and trusses. Boom you’ve a nice barn.
I was going to mention the same thing. Put some roofs over the bunker silos and enclose one for a shop.
Amazing watching your operation transform over the years! Exciting! Best to you all!
We ran those wagons for years. I unloaded 1000’s of loads from them. Trouble free. Meyer.
I like how you keep your farm so clean. It really does make a difference in the health of the cows 🐄 🐮🐄🐮.
I’ve seen other farmers with flies all over the cows and they look like they have worms 🪱 and they are treating them for scours and pinkeye and they look sickly.
Love your channel. Great seeing your dad and you working together here. Blessings
Crazy idea, if you take the wagon box off and turn it around on the running gear then when you back it in the discharge will be on the side towards the mixing room. Would simplify the conveyor system some.
I had the same thought this morning.
I love my square nose shovel, have worn it down by about 40% but it fits an old man like me better now!! Own lots of round nose shovels but use them only as last resort. My #2 square nose has a very limber ash handle and is easy on your back. We have moved many a truck and trailer of materials from road base to fill dirt by hand, tractors are nice but a good shovel and a real wheel barrow never fail to start or run (I use solid tires). Bob in Nevada
I’m looking forward to watching your silos being built . That’s going to be very cool to see .
I enjoy watching your videos and my very favorite part of them is watching you and your dad working side by side, and that warms my heart . I know you do but, cherish every single moment and I personally wish you and your family, all the best .
Thank you for sharing your life with all of us.
Pops just raw-dogging that scraper with no gloves, haha.
I'm sure it's nothing to someone that's been doing it that long, but I'd be in a hazmat suit. lol
Cows only feed on herbs, so their poop is not as toxic as human poop.
@@Gwaycee my sarcasm doesn't come across the computer screen as easily as I'd like it to. I was joking that the father, in his old school ways is just going about business, while the younger generation is gloved up. I'm not good at interneting to be honest.
@@misawajason You are right though,
Pops has seen it all, not much grosses him out at this point.
@Gwaycee it's not about the danger is about getting Cow shit all over you, shit is still shit regardless. Have you been on or near a cow farm they are known to smell really bad.
I love the maintenance videos. So good to see you and dad working together. Good times.
Ive been watching for a long time. I love the time you take to explain things. People have a channel but know nothing about there equipment. some don't explain anything. You take us along and give great detail. Thank you. The solar additions, the robots, now robot feeders. just amazed. your channel is very hands on. Just know you take us into a world most have no clue about. The care you take for the cows they are cleaner than other channels I've watched. Once again thank you for all you share.
And, if I may add, he sticks to the topic. It is strictly agricultural, we know, that this family is very religious, but they keep that and everything else privat.
Instead of cutting down the sides of the forage box, do you have some area you can make a ramp / platform to raise your skid steer up to the proper level? Or dig a trench down to lower the box. Again, to the desired height. Love your videos! Keep up the good work.
I had that in mind as well, taking off the roof and parts of the sidewall may destabilize that cart.
Always nice to have a higher cart, don't have to fill it as much.
Why not make a ramp to drive the skid up on to reach to dump feed in wagon.
Love seeing you two work together. I promise it will be your fondest memories one day.
Realy looking forward to see the build of the new feed system !
Instead of cutting the top of the wagon down more so the Skid-steer can fit, you could dig down a bit and have the wagon sit in a lower part of the floor. That way it retains every bit of its capacity.
Must be a new shop and machine shed coming next.
Looking forward to all the silo videos. There are a lot of good ideas in the comments on improvements. Turning silage bunkers into a shop/ storage shed. Making a ramp for the skid steer or a high unloading bucket. Turning the box around on the forage wagon.
Great video! I look forward to the silo going up, the modifications to the purchased cart, and the other modifications. Warmer weather is on the way!
Maybe just use a couple of those large concrete blocks to create a small loading dock for loading hay into the forage box
Cows looked soo cute. They were like. “ what you guys doin” ❤😊
A Timelapse of the silo build would be awesome!
Erik, could you use the chain drive flore and augers and drop the trailer axles, make trailer larger and inclosed and have some kind of pipe, where straw choper can blow directly into it, it just needs to be the size of your current storage, then you wouldt need to fill the trailer every 2 weeks
You are definitely, smart farmers:)
Exciting times for your Dairy Farm. Looking forward in seeing the progress. Wishing you the best. Your videography is excellent Eric. Thanks for sharing.
Cows just watching you guys fixing scraper...they watch everything
the silos will have bottom unloaders or surface unloaders (changing doors)? Will take a lot of horse to get the material up 132'? In loading your new chopper box ( on a running gear ) think of a 4 in 1/ high lift /split bucket for your skidsteer. Another option is create a loading dock with the box on ground level and skidsteer on a 2' higher loading slab next to the commodity shed. Will be able to load more and will last longer.
A Father and Son working side by side. The true American dream. I'm really excited about the changes you got coming. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
Eric sending best wishes on the upcoming project, America needs dairy farms hopefully the automation for your feeding operation works out as intended.
It is so nice to watch you and your dad work as a team. Great lesson for the younger generation to follow!
Two thoughts.
Get a high dump bucket for the skid loader so you don't have to cut down the side.
Rotate the forage box on the gear, so you can back it in the shed and the unload conveyor would be in the opposite corner it currently is at, and would line up to the conveyor.
i believe your high dump bucket is called a "clam shell grapple" it would be excellent for dry silage. it can grab 2x what an open bucket can haul.
I saw on Sollenberger's FB page that they started building silo #1. Congratulations!
Great job at the auction. Glad you were able to score two great pieces of equipment.Thanks for explaining about the rebar in the footing. Loved the video and looking forward to seeing ow they build the silo. Thanks till next time.
Interesting, sounds like a good plan going forward. I'm looking forward to seeing the progression of the silo and conveyor system. Good luck with everything, have a great weekend!
Eric, congrats on the new wagon. Can you just fabricate a small portable ramp system to place beside the silage wagon to drive up on and raise the bucket higher so that the volume of the wagon can remain as high as possible?
Looking forward to seeing all the improvements you and your dad will be making with the automatic feeding system. Stay safe.
A nice mini project would be to weld a hitch (or coupler) to the upper top front portion of your skid loader feed bucket. Under the step lip. A farmer I worked for had sent that to very experienced welder who added that to the bucket... if i recall it was a 1.5" thick piece of flat steel bored with a hole and trussed underneath. Will save you a great amount of time and to use on that hay feed wagon as opposed to switching to the forks every time. What is nice is that it is front and center and in the skid loader i operated you could see it so easily. If you real good you could use the front edge of your bucket, angle it, to lift up the trailer tongue and then change the angle to drop it down into alignment for the pin. Saves you from having to go far to drop the pin.
Eric is not busy enough. He definitely need some side projects
It would be cool to see you use 2 of the silage bunks, one for equipment storage and the other for a large shop.
We use our old tmr mixer with an electric motor to store hay or straw in. Works great because you control the amount with the door. Computer turns on conveyer then mixer. Neighbor uses a old forage wagon and works fine as long as hay is chopped fine.
Poor Gracie she wasn’t brave enough to jump. Daddy had to help get in the truck. Glad to she’s still supervising you guys. Give her a couple extra pats on the head for us. 🐶
Mixing snow with your manure makes great fertilizer.
Another great video! Super excited to see the new feeding system come to life!
I can’t wait to see the whole thing come together bud
After watching the whole video after making my comments just wanted to say more. I'm excited as you are about the build. I thought this was a great video. One of the better ones put together I thought. Good job!! Seems to me from the other Lely Vector videos I've seen that an independent Lely kitchen building would facilitate more room for said kitchen and allow you to keep the shop where it is. ^ A new shop will HAVE to either be built or taken from some other space. You NEED a shop also. Just an old man's thoughts. :: edit:v: Especially before you get to far in construction of the silo:: One more thing. You "may" need a larger telehandler in the future and then could use your new wagon the way it is hauling more hay. New(used) telehandler for more reach.
Excited to see new feeding progress. ❤❤❤❤
Exciting to watch your project!
The new silos going up are.awesome.
Great video! Super excited for you guys can’t wait to see the process of building a silo! Should be really interesting viewing ahead!
I hope the bew robot feeders work out great for you all. Congrats on all the success
Awesome and amazing video Eric. So excited..Good luck to the guys putting up the silo.. Be safe
Great video brother from the imperial county California 👍👍🇺🇲
Looking forward to watching your new project and seeing the silos being built.
Congratulations on the purchase I can't wait to see this whole system come together. Would you guys be selling any of the bunker walls😊
what a busy day,,great job guys,,you truely work together as God would want..Lord bless you and the wonderful farm of milkers.😂❤❤
a belated Happy Valentine's Day to you and your sweet wife.❤❤
It's good you keep on top of things. You are probably the best and cleanest run barn I've seen in all the videos I watch. Your animals are so healthy because of your hard work. Congratulations on your new purchase. Can't wait to see how everything looks when you're done. Question, who is that cute little side kick that hopped a ride in the truck with you and your father? What's his name? Maybe you could give him a little intro some day, like name and his position on the farm? Thanks for your videos they are great.
In Ohio, everything changed. We got 2" of snow. Projects were all put on hold.
We all thought we were not going to get any winter this year.
2"of snow stopped your project!?
Im sorry about Jordan but Im from Kitchener Ontario Canada. Thank you for your services
Northern nydraulics used to make bolt on wings ... many for your scrape bucket.
Lely makes an upgraded floor scraper frame. The frame on youre scraper is bent thats why the end start wearing first
Well done on your purchase and I'm looking forward to seeing the silo take shape
Why not complete the concrete floor, thru the center? Seems you may be developing an area that will create a mess with feed on the dirt.Not a criticism, just curious.
The silo unloader can’t unload silage below the top of the footer. Once the silo is filled the first time, the hole will be filled with silage that will stay there for the life of the silo.
Have 2 of those wagons, very reliable
I would hope you cover bunks and use as machinery storage and convert existing storage into full shop
How about looking into building a ramp out of 2x2x6 concrete retaining blocks for the wagon so you can achieve max capacity on loading might save you a round of loading plus easier on your equipment plus the visibility you would gain and will be a cheap fix use it for unloading doc as well plus blocks lock together
I would find a spot to make a ramp/ loading dock to load silage box with skid steer rather than cutting the side shorter… just my 2 cents. I’m sure whatever you come up with will work
Excellent video
No clickbate. No chasing views. Just informative content. Love this channel. I can't wait to see this robot feeder come together.
Thank you
Could you take part of the back corner sidewall out making a door ( maybe adding a sliding door ) so you could just back the wagon straight in putting the feed ramp to dump on a conveyor along the wall and could you cut strips out of a old heavy duty conveyor belt to use on you manure scraper to keep it from folding over
Dad mashing that rebar down manually, and I’m thinking, “Why not use the skid loader to do the mashing?” 😂😂
The vision that you have for your farm operation is amazing! To run a business you have to have goals - long-term and the short-term goals as steps toward your long-term. I believe you’re on the right path!
Dad requires less fuel
Im loving your videos. I can't wait to see how the robot feeding will work
Very interesting. Keep the videos coming. Thank you
Mud and big trucks don't mix well.
From experience it’s probably going to take 3 to 6 months to get the automated system to be KINDA be consistent and repeatable to deliver the formula you require … seriously … in your contract stipulate a minimum testing sequence of 3 consecutive batches that meet your required feeding parameters before you make the final payment … make your contractor validate that the system meets your requirements … or it’s going to be your $$$ and time wasted over the next few years trying to dial the system in to be reliably consistent and repeatable … and don’t forget to do extensive monitoring initially of your system !!! You’re adding multiple variables and failure points to your feeding process so monitor your feed daily initially then regularly for a few years to assure consistency throughout all the seasons of the year …This is big AG stuff your doing so my recommendation is to NOT move quickly and monitor and monitor and monitor until you can statistically assure the WHOLE SYSTEM is consistent repeatable and reliable !!!
THIS IS AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE MORE DIFFICULT THAN YOUR SCRUBBERS …
Looking 👀 forward to your next ongoing project.
Good luck 🤞🇦🇺
So much exciting work being done. Will there be some sheeting to cover the center of the donut hole dirt?
I think those robots besides maintenance. ARe the way to go . Good job !
I would suggest planning to have 2 or 3 more com boxes for any future ingredients or if you had to put some silage in the pit for some reason.
might suggest you put variable frequency drive on the wagon. Might even be able to get an adjustable signal from robot's scale's fill rate to help adjust wagon unload speed to not over feed conveyor and speed up when wagon is getting near empty.
Great awesome video Eric. Lots of work happening, 😊
Nice purchase!
yeah the "cole the cornstar" thought that too i would think lol
Maybe but this is a different situation
Love this channel thanks for making these videos . I would love to turn one of those silos in in a home they look so cool as house hope u and ur family have a great week
Enjoy all your videos!
I've never seen one built - looking forward.
Sounds like a great plan Eric.
I don’t know Eric, a table and chairs, cot, some curtains and a portable potty. You got yourself a pretty nice red neck toy hauler! On a more serious side I am really looking forward to the silo build. Never seen one up close much less one being built.
We have corn star jitters😢😢
A small telehandler would reach over the wagons side. If ya could find a good used one.
Always a lot of work getting the robots working right, but I’m sure you’ve seen a great reduction in manure carried up in the beds. As much trouble as you had when you first got them, I didn’t think they would work out.
Part of these robot feeders will be a new shop.
That itself is a big project, making a shop for a dairy/crop farm.
You should end up with a shop just the way you need it.
@@Richard-zz7gmThe location is the best between barns. Current workshop has too narrow door as an example.
@@Richard-zz7gmyeah you are probably right. After looking at a drone view of the farm there is a distance and uphill as well. Hopefully they have done their homework on how many loads each day and the time for transport between locations. The fact that they has grown out of the workshop might have made a to big impact on the choice of location
Hoop roof on 1 of the bunker silos would make a nice new work shop. You should get lely to add 4 milking robots with the vector
Are you going to roof over the bunk ? For a new shop and dry storage? Good watching the progress!!
Keep doing what you're doing bro.
The cows always come first
Eric with the proximity to your commodity bay, would it be more practical to remove the chassis, leave the wagon sit on blocks and use the sawdust bucket to load the rear of the wagon as the feed advanced to the front rather than pulling it out so frequently. You would cut the rear and probably still remove the roof.
Wonder if you could load the hay from the front? Use a conveyor in to it. It would keep the hay dry with the roof still on the wagon.
4:04 Hi Eric if your skid loader is on a small ramp to get over the top
It's just my opinion that I would make a ramp to load the wagon. I think it'd be better than cutting the wagon down. Just my thoughts.
A suggestion on cutting the side down on your new dry hay box…how about a slight ramp for your skid steer rather than cutting the side down, that way you lift the skid steer higher and can get more in the box that way.
Make small steel wheels to lower wagon to dump into and save box if box doesn’t work like you want can sell just a thought good luck with projects
Rather than cut the side down off the cart, how about a ramp on one end of the comm. barn for the skidsteer? Might have several other uses as well.