Feels Like Winter...

It might say May on the calendar, but it was feeling closer to March today. It was cold, damp, off and on rain, and windy. At least it wasn't snowing like it was in western Nebraska - or stormy like in other parts of the Midwest.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better. It IS supposed to warm back up this coming week.....

There is still a lot of moisture in the ground from our 3.25" rain we had last week. We also have a lot of water standing in low areas around here. It really has made the grass green up, though. Everything is a nice shiny shade of green!

Yesterday, I decided it was time to empty my barrels of corn into the grain bin I made from an old hog feeder. I wanted to get it done before it rained again and the place was muddy.

Awhile back, I bought a 4" auger at a farm sale for $1. The motor that was on it was dead, so I had to find another one. I came across one that was part of an old saw I had. It is only 1/2 HP, but runs the auger just fine.

I still need to build a "cradle" for the top of the bin, but it worked good for this time. It will also be a lot nicer when I build a permanent "ramp" for the auger box to sit on. The two pallets I used worked just fine, but were a bit unstable. I have a while to get something better built.



It only took about 5 minutes to empty a barrel into the auger box. The auger sent it uphill just as fast as I could feed it. I ended up with about a "coffee can" left in the auger box that didn't go, but I'm just glad it's in the bin now.

Here is a photo of the auger box after I was finished. My neighbor had this box sitting out in his tree line for the past 15-20 years. He patched it up and gave it to me. It really worked well.



The worst part was keeping the "vultures" out of the box while I was feeding it. I had to swat a couple to get them away. It's funny how the sound didn't scare them off.

It might not be pretty, but it sure works! It also sure beats the cost of a new one!
Now I can use the hand auger I built instead of digging in a barrel....