Elmer’s business development manager Kelly Goossen, Waringa Distribution general manager Sam Abbott, Tammin grower Brad Jones, and Elmer’s sales manager Ben Johnson with the 225t HIVE Motherbin during harvest at the Jones
family’s property. Photo: Waringa Distribution

IT’S aptly called the HIVE, with grain harvest chaser bin drivers feeding into it and trucking operators feeding out of it.

For Western Australian grower Brad Jones, it has removed all bottlenecks and made harvesting, storage and transporting of grain to end-users so much more efficient, fast and accurate.

“This harvest, we have one truck servicing our on-farm silos and two trucks servicing markets in Perth twice a day,” Mr Jones, who farms with wife Kate and their family at Tammin as Bungulla Farming, said.

“Last year the trucks were doing one trip a day to Perth and we were mucking around with bulkheads and chucking grain on the ground and tarping it, which is a big job.

“If we had three trucks going into CBH, we would probably be held up.”

The portable Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin is available in a 225-tonne and 150t capacity, and the 225t model has more than doubled the Jones’ in-field grain storage to in excess of 300t.

“It is much quicker and easier because there are no bottlenecks anywhere in the chain.

“With a bin of this size, 50t only looks like a drop in the bottom of it too.

“Recently we loaded two road trains with 136t and it took 15 minutes from the truck tarps coming off, going back on, and then getting out the gate.

“We also had a storm recently and the trucks were not back from Perth and there were fires on a neighbour’s place, but we had the capacity during the day to push for an extra 20 minutes so the trucks could come in and then load and go.”

Together with national equipment distributor, Waringa Distribution, the Jones’ assisted the development of the Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin, which has been introduced into Australia for this harvest.

The family’s 225t bin features two tank compartments; easy-to-access clean-out gates at the end of each tank; weigh scales; Elmer’s HM Connect and Pro data management system for tracking weights and loads; electronic tarps; and 55cm discharge augers with semi-automated fold and movement controls, as well as four-way spout control.

“At the click of a button, the spout can move laterally and vertically, so you can tilt it to fill trucks exactly where you want it to go, then a double click puts it back into fold configuration.

“The beauty with the HIVE is we recently had a fair wedge of barley to come off and we were switching to wheat, but we were able to work into the evening and fill a load to go to Perth, with everything weighed and measured, and then it was cleaned and ready to go on to the wheat.

“Previously, we would have just been guessing.”

The 225t Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin has more than doubled the Jones family’s in-field grain storage at Tammin in WA, allowing multiple loading and out-loading and removing all bottlenecks in the harvest, storage and transporting process. Photo: Waringa Distribution

Mr Jones said the Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin allowed significantly more control of grain logistics, with the
ability to use the in-field storage and have less concerns over on-farm storage.

“From the headers to the chaser bins, to the HIVE with the HM Connect and Pro, and into the trucks that also have scales, everything is measured and cross-checked quickly and easily.

“Communication with the truck drivers is also easy because we know what’s in the motherbin.

“We know what and where everything is, including what has been taken from the motherbin into on-farm storage.

“We recently finished loading into a silo and the operator was able to quickly say there was 1350t in the on-farm silo.

“We also recently changed paddocks and a truck driver was wanting another 16t and we were able to arrange it quickly.”

Brad said side and end windows on the Elmer’s HIVE motherbin also were a handy feature, providing another good reference of the grain levels “as you drive past”.

Bungulla Farming grows wheat, barley, canola and lupins for domestic and export container markets, while significant grain also is marketed from their 10,000t on-farm storage holding.

Crops are harvested with three John Deere headers, and, in addition to the HIVE Motherbin, they also use one 36t and one 41t Elmer’s Haulmaster chaser bins, as well as an Agri-Spread spreader sourced from the Waringa Distribution product line-up.

Brad said the ongoing support and backup for their equipment fleet from the Waringa Distribution team had been exceptional.

Source: Waringa Distribution