Grain truck floor coating

[Fordfarmer]

Maybe kind of off topic, but I figure you guys are the most apt to have grain trucks.
I've always run gravity boxes. About a year ago, I mentioned to a friend in Nebraska that I was thinking of replacing two of my wagons with one bigger one (300 - 400 bushels), or maybe a truck. He found a rust-free, 28,000 mile F600 for me, for about what a good used 350 bushel gravity box sells for around here.
I've only hauled one load so far, taking oats to the mill. Worked well, except the augers hopper wouldn't let me lift the box to the full height. Had to do a fair amount of work the get the oats unloaded. I know corn will unload easier, and hope to be combining corn next week.
So... I always used Slip-Coat (graphite paint) in my gravity boxes. Do any of you use it on your grain truck floors? Is there any reason not to use it there?


 

[casecollectorsc]

If it has a steel floor, slip plate will work just fine.
 

[Fordfarmer]

I forgot to mention that it's a wood floor. Would it soak in too much to be effective?
 

[cleddy]

I have heard old engine oil on wood bed on a regular basis helps preserve the wood and makes it slicker. We treated our old truck with a new wood box with hot linseed oil several times. It did not have a hoist so a lot of work to unload that?? Back in the day sometimes the corn had so much moisture it would hang up some in the gravity boxes. That cost of drying by running air and heat for days killed the farm storage idea and now they just get haul it in right away???Cleddy
 

[paul]

Actually cheaper to build a grain setup out on the farm and dry your own corn. The coop or end user has charts to adjust the price of corn and charge for drying. Those charts will favor the buyer of wet grain.

The trouble is it costs a lot to put up a big grain handling system, and probably takes an extra person to babysit it in season. Then there is repairs. And you end up handling the grain twice.

It still pays off better to have your own grain setup; but it takes a decade or more to start seeing a return on the investment, and you get into the economy of scale and want more acres to help pay it off.

There are cheaper, smaller, used, options too. A simple bin, stirator, and heater. Depends how many acres you want to try to run through it and how long a fall you hop get to wait on a small setup.

Paul
 

[IAfarmguy]

That is a nice looking older truck. The box appears to be about two feet too long for the length of the frame so the rear of the box gets too low before the hoist is extended. Used oil may help make the floor more slick. The best thing is several loads of dry grain and storing the truck indoors. Good luck.
 

[the tractor vet]

If ya had the time and weather run a sander over the floor to smooth it out then put around three to five coats of oil based urethane allowing a day for drying between each coat , ya want slippery you would have it and it should hold up well , look how long floors last with it on there .
 

[cleddy]

Back a few years, about 30 some years ago my Dad thought that too and put up a nice bin on my 100 acre farm that would hold the whole crop with dryer and stir-ator. I am not sure if it paid off as the present operator does not use it. I guess it to much work to move equipment around to fill and unload plus hard to get the Semi in the yard. It was free to use so not any more money in my pocket but they chose to haul the grain away for what ever they can get at the moment. I don't understand all the finances but my nice bin is just another place to store junk??? Cleddy
 

[caterpillar guy]

Not necessary to coat a truck bed. Just keep the truck inside during the off season. We had one truck dad built the bed for it. Was 10 foot on a 1 ton dodge. The sides are still here for it long after the truck has been gone. The bed was just planks with a shiplap cut to keep them from leaking bolted to the main timbers.Truck bed was good when it left and that was 5 or 8 years ago and the bed was built in the late 60's. Sides were basswood with the edges cut at an angle so they didn't leak. We never coated it other than Grandpa painted it once with some paint probably an enamel. That wore off many years later.
 

[anderson farms]

Good looking old Ford. My son wants one to haul square bales on. We will be keeping an eye out this auction season to see what we can find
 

[olgentdc]

I think we are in the same region? we have a F -600 looking for a home ,391 4 barrel with 2 and 4 , strong runner. very good life history..