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2000lb Mini-Bulk Grain Bags


stevenstone

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Does anyone out there have any experience using 2000lb grain bags? If the freight company delivers on a pallet, I want to be able to wheel these around with a pallet jack instead of a forklift.

http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Orderinfo/Mini_Bulk.htm

While I'm at it, someone mentioned to me that a distiller shouldn't necessarily worry about getting his/her grains cleaned. Anyone have any experience with cleaned vs non grains?

Status Update: I have my WA State Craft License now. I just finished my TTB interview last Friday. Hopefully we'll be distilling in another few months.

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Sure, you should be able to wheel them around with a pallet jack. I'm assuming you'll be using an overhead crane/winch to hoist them up for unloading? We use something very similar to these bags, we call them supersacks and ours are filled with calcium carbonate for use in silicones.

I guess my question would be how do you plan on getting them off of the truck?

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I'm still working on the hoist idea. If you untie the bottom for unloading, can you unload half the bag and tie it back up? Or is there no stopping the flow once you let 'er rip.

As for getting the pallets off the truck, I'll have to talk to the courier about that. Ideally, they'll ship on a truck that has lift gate which can lower them to the ground.

Sure, you should be able to wheel them around with a pallet jack. I'm assuming you'll be using an overhead crane/winch to hoist them up for unloading? We use something very similar to these bags, we call them supersacks and ours are filled with calcium carbonate for use in silicones.

I guess my question would be how do you plan on getting them off of the truck?

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Hello Stevenstone.

Our local landscapers love the bags for hauling leaves in the fall.

If manual, 2000 lbs is a load even for a jack rated for 5000. (do not get one for less) Its the pumping and turning the wheels that will trouble you. Hard to believe but not everyone is skilled at working a handjack. Especially if the load is uneven.

Personally, we started with the 50/55 lb bags, gave the one tons a shot (for cost savings) and went back to the smaller bags. It was hard to watch the "weighing out" of the big bags. Our mash vessels are not big enough to handle the nicely measured 2000 lb. I'd rather do the math and make up weight out of just one bag. That may not be your case.

Consider that if you are not purchasing a truckload for direct delivery, these bags may go on and off several plateforms. Likely with power jacks. Each time they are moved, even in cardboard surrounds, they take on a plumper shape. Now instead of 42" pallet wide you have a very plump, over hanging, floor dragging, ready to tear situation that no longer fits into your allotted warehouse space. We were lucky to have a vendor work for us to resolve a bag which was delivered half full and with a lot of duct tape. Each of our four loads had a bag which experienced a tear and had short weight. I have no doubt that they left the grain supplier in good shape. Just a fact of shipping. When we get bigger it will be good to go back to them.

I think the "Cleaned vs non cleaned" is more that a reputable vendor of grains for brewing/distilling does clean during processing. It would be more risk to buy direct from a neighbor grower. I think that unclean anything is going to give you unclean something in the end.

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If you find transport that will offload the supersack pallet, my guess is that you'll pay for it.

Here's how we use our supersacks (for mfg of silicone but method applies here):

On a floor scale sits a "hopper" with a 4-6" auger screw feeder coming up out of the bottom to our reactor vessel. The supersack is strung up on rack above the "hopper". The opening on the bottom of the supersack is actually the first of two "valves". You open it, secure it to the hopper. Then you open a door in the hopper and open the second valve, thereby filling the hopper. As the auger turns, weight is offloaded from the scale so accurate transfers can take place. This might not be applicable for a small startup but there comes a time when I could see it make sense. The scales and equipment aren't all that expensive. Ours looks nothing like this but I hope this helps.

http://www.fedequip.com/Products/MATERIAL_HANDLING/SUPER_SACK_~_BULK_BAG_UNLOADER/Nbe_Super_Sack_Unloader_/27551.aspx?searchredirect=1&status=A

This is the best pic I can find, hope this helps.

post-553-126395536895_thumb.jpg

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If you find transport that will offload the supersack pallet, my guess is that you'll pay for it.

Here's how we use our supersacks (for mfg of silicone but method applies here):

On a floor scale sits a "hopper" with a 4-6" auger screw feeder coming up out of the bottom to our reactor vessel. The supersack is strung up on rack above the "hopper". The opening on the bottom of the supersack is actually the first of two "valves". You open it, secure it to the hopper. Then you open a door in the hopper and open the second valve, thereby filling the hopper. As the auger turns, weight is offloaded from the scale so accurate transfers can take place. This might not be applicable for a small startup but there comes a time when I could see it make sense. The scales and equipment aren't all that expensive. Ours looks nothing like this but I hope this helps.

http://www.fedequip.com/Products/MATERIAL_HANDLING/SUPER_SACK_~_BULK_BAG_UNLOADER/Nbe_Super_Sack_Unloader_/27551.aspx?searchredirect=1&status=A

This is the best pic I can find, hope this helps.

post-553-126395536895_thumb.jpg

We here at Colorado Gold have always used bulk grains with the exception of the malted barley. We use the 2000 lb. totes. If delivered by fright company they need a lift gate to get them to the ground. They should always come on a pallet. Then we use our pallet jack from there on. Easily moved. We just open the top of the totes and use 5 gallon buckets to dump into grinder. Easy to keep track of the pounds of grain you use. We use around 700 to 800 lbs a day doing mash runs. I can grind and make two mash runs in 6 hours with out breaking a sweat. Coop

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