Adding opening to grain silo?

[jblnut]

Not sure if there is a fab shop nearby but you could have them take a chunk of square tubing and run it through a tubing bender/roller to get the curve you need. Most any door rollers would work if you matched the dimensions up to the tubing.

That curved door stuff is neat and an idea I haven’t thought of for a grain bin ……

I helped a neighbor bore a hole into a 24’ bin a few years back and put a 9x9 overhead door into it. We first cut an opening large enough we could walk through and built a square tubing frame inside with angle iron around the tubing to be able to bolt the bin steel to it a little easier. Once it was ready to have the overhead door installed we cut the rest of the steel out to make the opening larger. The overhead door is on a vertical track and we homebrewed a cable/weight system that offsets its weight instead of using springs.

My only real caution would be to put the door away from where the wind usually blows. If it’s open and you get a big gust it may not be a good thing as others have mentioned they’re strong like a popcan but aren’t all that strong when there is a big hole in them with wind rushing in.

They all have top holes so open them and the side door for a while to air out and you’ll be fine as far as anything inside. Grain bins are for storing dry grain so unless they’re filled with grain and have been leaking the worst that may be in there will be a little musty air.

Post pictures as you do this !!

 

[gungatim]

I wouldn't waste time trying to make something flat fit something round. I would cut your hole, and frame it out square, then add your door. Maybe even add a larger bump out.

Sliding door track is just basic stuff you can get at Menards, the track, the rollers, etc. in the pole barn section.

 

[Fav Onefour]

The curved sliding door is interesting. I'm surprised I haven't seen one. We have about a million empty grain bins around here.
I have seen quite a few variations of door systems installed. Smaller flat door assemblies are pretty basic installations. Cut the hole. Install the door. We used to use cutting torches and now we do a lot of straight lines with high end steel sawzall blades.
With a larger door assembly, you need to add framing to stabilize the bin. I have seen quite a few variations. The general concept is to contour the wall at top of opening with a brace assembly. Think of it like a header, but more to keep sidewall from flexing.

The round design is fantastic at standing when bin is full. They are less stable when bins are empty. The sides usually cave in first with strong winds and then the bin folds up and tears away from the pad.
@kbeefy , I have a little test for you to try. Have a buddy come over and whack the side with a ten pound hammer while you stand inside the bin. The noise inside will be incredible but listen for walls resonating. Weaker construction will resonate outward from hammer impact spot. You would be able to see the walls vibrate. There were quite a few variations on wall thickness and stability over the years. If that hammer whack reverberates up the wall, it definitely needs more framing with a big hole.
Your goal with framing around the opening would be to keep the side stable enough to prevent caving.

We use wind rings on new bins to stabilize the walls. I'm not sure if they are even available for the bin size in this post? Wind rings can help. They are not a guarantee.
This bin was hit by a lifted tree and even bent the ring.

The neighboring bin survived without tree impact.
We lost five of the eight bins in that same storm.
Three without rings looked like this.

The end one that is partially standing was half full of grain. It did not have extra wind rings, but the grain helped stabilize the walls.

 

[kbeefy]

The curved sliding door is interesting. I'm surprised I haven't seen one. We have about a million empty grain bins around here.
I have seen quite a few variations of door systems installed. Smaller flat door assemblies are pretty basic installations. Cut the hole. Install the door. We used to use cutting torches and now we do a lot of straight lines with high end steel sawzall blades.
With a larger door assembly, you need to add framing to stabilize the bin. I have seen quite a few variations. The general concept is to contour the wall at top of opening with a brace assembly. Think of it like a header, but more to keep sidewall from flexing.

I stumbled upon the curved door idea on accident. I initially dismissed it, but after thinking about it it seems like it would be alot less work.

I figured I'd start by cutting in a man door, then framing out the larger door from the inside before cutting it out.
I was thinking about a metal cutting blade on a circle saw, but a sawzall might be a better choice.

These old bins seem very sturdy, though I haven't cut into one yet.
They are 'Stor-mor' bins from the 50's, 60's and 70's. I've verified the 3 larger ones are 36' diameter, the 5 middle sized ones are 24'.

 

[mike93lx]

I've decided to try rolling curved doors ala Grain Bin Inspirations







I reached out to them, they said their 10x10 DIY door is $5k + shipping ($1000 to me) but they are not accepting any new orders for 3 months.

So, this is intriguing to me, I'm thinking a DIY build. Unfortunately, I know nothing about sliding doors.
Or breaking into the side of a grain bin....
I do have a nice set of tools....

Can door(ky) people please chime in?
I've not looked into sliding doors at all yet.
Can I use garage door track?
If no, is there a trac I can use?

For the people in the know for hanging systems, They mention nylon bearings. Is that the bearings inside the rollers, or the entire rollers? I'm sorry, I'm a bit inept regarding these things.

Educate me!

That's pretty neat

 

[Fav Onefour]

Those are pretty good sized bins. We have some of that size still in use around here. I have to admit that it's rare to see them without an air floor. The floor, fan, and vents, can always be added if a local farmer is interested. I wouldn't count on finding one though. The layout is tight and would be slow compared to new.
Is the concrete actually flat? I see at least one sump in a pad, but it looks like there are other tube openings.

I wish I could tell you more about Stormor from that era. Some of their early stuff is still around without resurfacing. I see that your set has been done. Is there a lot of rust on inside walls? Has the inside also been resurfaced?

You do have a lot of concrete with bins that large. It would be nice to use them like you are hoping.

Might also have options with the smaller bins. I've seen quite a few get moved. It's not too hard if you have access roads. Narrow bridges and tons of power lines are issues.
We also saw a lot of them get crushed and sold for scrap when prices were high. It was fast and easy. Two guys could cut and flatten quite a few in a day. Prices are down now, but if you want them gone? . . .

 

[kbeefy]

Those are pretty good sized bins. We have some of that size still in use around here. I have to admit that it's rare to see them without an air floor. The floor, fan, and vents, can always be added if a local farmer is interested. I wouldn't count on finding one though. The layout is tight and would be slow compared to new.
Is the concrete actually flat? I see at least one sump in a pad, but it looks like there are other tube openings.

I wish I could tell you more about Stormor from that era. Some of their early stuff is still around without resurfacing. I see that your set has been done. Is there a lot of rust on inside walls? Has the inside also been resurfaced?

To be honest, I've been here three years now and have never been inside one. I've looked in thru the hatch with a flashlight.

You do have a lot of concrete with bins that large. It would be nice to use them like you are hoping.

Might also have options with the smaller bins. I've seen quite a few get moved. It's not too hard if you have access roads. Narrow bridges and tons of power lines are issues.
We also saw a lot of them get crushed and sold for scrap when prices were high. It was fast and easy. Two guys could cut and flatten quite a few in a day. Prices are down now, but if you want them gone? . . .

I don't want them gone, I think they add a bit of character to the property. I have a picture from the early sixties with the 3 big ones already erected.

 

[jives]

If I could get one out my way (CNY) I would put it to use as a tractor shed, storage shed, or even build a tiny house. Problem is, constructing or transplanting one is a specialized skill that really requires knowledge that I don't have.

 

[mreisner]

I think you will find as far as aeration goes that there will be a trough in the floor with a small perforated metal section for aeration. A lot of those bands of that era only had trough aeration. Problem was when the seal between the cements floor and the wall broke which it usually did they would get moisture in there and you'd have rod and Grain on the cement. That's when the suspended or actually supported full air floors came in. While I understand your desire to keep all of them you might want to see what they are doing to your taxes, you may have a fair amount of savings if they were gone. I have bought several of those over the years, move them and rearacted them. If you could get a thousand bucks out of them you would probably be lucky.

 

[Beerhippie]

I think they were a big deal around here in the day. Their name is on more than one large plaques and a road or two.

I'm about half the length of the state south of you in Enterprise, OR. I've never been through that part of the state--I've been as far east in WA as the Grande Coulee and the lakes, but no further. Sounds like a nice place for a road trip this summer!

And, coincidentally, my first name is Timm!

 

[4xdog]

East of Tulsa about a year ago.

 

[kbeefy]

If I could get one out my way (CNY) I would put it to use as a tractor shed, storage shed, or even build a tiny house. Problem is, constructing or transplanting one is a specialized skill that really requires knowledge that I don't have.

Tractor and implement storage is my primary goal, If successful I'll do a second one for vehicle and outdoor power equipment storage etc.

I think you will find as far as aeration goes that there will be a trough in the floor with a small perforated metal section for aeration. A lot of those bands of that era only had trough aeration. Problem was when the seal between the cements floor and the wall broke which it usually did they would get moisture in there and you'd have rod and Grain on the cement. That's when the suspended or actually supported full air floors came in. While I understand your desire to keep all of them you might want to see what they are doing to your taxes, you may have a fair amount of savings if they were gone. I have bought several of those over the years, move them and rearacted them. If you could get a thousand bucks out of them you would probably be lucky.

I went and looked in the 24' ones, it looks like there might be a slight crown to the floor but no trough. I didn't look in the 36' because the access hatch is 10' up and I didn't have a ladder with.

 

[4xdog]

There's always the inspiration of Quaker Square in Akron. Now a residence hall for the University of Akron, I believe. I had a chance to stay there when the converted grain elevator was a hotel in the 1980s. Frankly, the rooms felt like being inside a grain elevator...

 

[Fav Onefour]

Wow!
That's a great floor. There is only one sump opening. I can't imagine that there would be much crown if any.

The walls look clean too. They definitely didn't have to cool down grain in that bin.
I'm glad you looked inside. Your bins are better than I would have imagined. It makes the option of using them more viable.

With a little german ingenuity you could do anything.
Years ago some friends said we should see this big gas tank thing.

My german is terrible, but that was the meaning I understood.
Anyhow, it was big and it was a tank. It was pretty dang cool.
It was also put to use in it's current form.

Gasometer Oberhausen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You certainly won't do a museum with your bins, but you have a lot of options given the shape they are in.

 

[kbeefy]

Wow!
That's a great floor. There is only one sump opening. I can't imagine that there would be much crown if any.

The walls look clean too. They definitely didn't have to cool down grain in that bin.
I'm glad you looked inside. Your bins are better than I would have imagined. It makes the option of using them more viable.

I specifically looked for corrosion, I only saw some on the retaining ring along the bottom, not on the walls.
(we are very dry around here, it's all wheat fields but the climate is identical to the high mountain desert of Central Oregon I lived in previously)

These do have 2 identical floor openings, the additional one is out of the picture directly below the hatch where I was standing.
I wish my driveway and patio concrete was in as good of condition as the ones I checked.

 

[no704]

If you are going to demo one perhaps you could save parts of it to make your roller doors out of!

 

[Beerhippie]

If you are going to demo one perhaps you could save parts of it to make your roller doors out of!

At first glance, this seemed to me to be a pretty dumb idea--how would it work in a roll-up overhead door? Then it occurred to me that these bins have enough overhead room to just have a vertical-lift door, so that would actually be pretty easy--and look good, too!

Brilliant!

 

[no704]

Or to the side rolling.

 

[granturismo850]

I grew up in this area of eastern Washington. It's a really dry climate, so no worries about corrosion. In the late sixties my Dad bought 2 Stor Mor grain bins for our farm, and my 2 older brothers and I bolted those things together. The were only 12 feet in diameter but about 16 ft tall. We used a 110 volt electric impact and bolted together 1 ring at a time, it was a real ***** until we got a system down using GM body bolts with pointy ends to line up the bolt holes, then we put in the bolts and washers and nuts and it was my job to run the impact on the nuts on the inside -- it was kind of noisy and no hearing protection was present. The roof was a mess to put together. I still cringe and think of the ringing in my ears when I see a Stor Mor Bin.
Years ago a friend of mine repurposed 3 Bins like these, one he cut doors and windows in and built a second story inside. He at first thought of turning it into a living space but it was really noisy inside, especially in a hailstorm. For door openings he bolted on a steel frame and then cut the hole with an angle grinder and a bunch of cut off wheels. It was just used for storage. The other 2 he completely took them apart and then built a Quanset Hut type building on 4 foot high concrete walls. They were 30 ft diameter and the building was about 60 feet long.
It's kind of amusing to hear the talk of drying floors and corrosion, all from people who have never been to Harrington. This area does not produce very much wheat anymore, most of the farmland has been left idle. I remember being about 12 years old, driving the tractor across the field plowing in the fall, go a 1/4 mile at 2.5 MPH and turn around and go back, all day long. That's when I started counting the time until I could get the hell out of there. I'm sure if you went to get a building permit for a farm building in Harrington they would politely tell you no such thing was needed. A quick google search tells me the population is about 450, with a median household income of $34,000. It's a great place to live !

 

[The Cobbler]

with some imagination, a few cool AirBnB's could be built.