If you have ever had to move grain from one location to another you know how much work it can be. Filling bags with scoop shovels and then moving the bags from place to place can make for a long day. And that was the way it was moved until Peter Pakosh of the Versatile Tractor invented the grain auger in 1945. His cork screw shaped devise housed in a metal tube became the pioneer for all grain augers in use today. These devices can be found on small and large farms alike and are in great demand for either new, used, or second hand reconditioned models.
A grain auger is designed to be portable piece of farm equipment. It comes mounted on wheels so that it can be easily transported from site to site where it is needed. Even the largest augers which are up to 60 feet long can be dropped to the lowest position and towed behind a truck or tractor easily. When in place and ready to use they can be started and the grain in a truck can be rapidly moved from truck to hopper for storage or loading into other trucks or trains for further transportation.
The grain auger, over the years, has been manufactured by nearly all farm implement manufacturers including such well known names as Allis Chalmers, Caterpillar, John Deere, Mahindra, McCormick, and YanMar. Many are available as used farm equipment and can be picked up at a major savings with careful shopping. The recent introduction of the hydraulic grain augers has made many highly rated augers available on the resale market. Obviously, the auger is not used twelve months out of the year and only sees duty around harvest time when the grains are being harvested and moved to market. If you can time your purchase to the off season better prices may be found.
Before buying your grain auger insure that it has been properly maintained during its lifetime. Inspect your future purchase to insure that all safety items are installed and will operate as required. Check the maintenance logs to be sure that it was lubricated as directed by the manufacturer. Always test start and operate it to insure that the auger turns freely and has not been bent or damaged during operations.
