Renting a Hopper-Bottom Grain Trailer for Harvest

A hopper-bottom rental can add hauling capacity for harvest, cover a trailer repair or provide a way to try a different trailer before buying. We recommend choosing it around the truck and the unloading site first.

Keast Enterprises offers monthly grain-trailer rentals, with 24- and 40-foot Demco steel hopper bottoms and 38.5- and 40-foot Neville aluminum hopper bottoms.

Will another trailer keep harvest moving?

A rental can put a seasonal truck into the harvest rotation or provide a spare trailer for a loaded-for-empty exchange at the field. For trailer exchanges, allow for uncoupling, reconnecting and positioning when comparing the loading time saved. The arrangement needs to work with the grain cart's unloading schedule as well as the road haul.

Start by timing the whole hauling trip. Include loading, tarping, travel, the scale and unloading line, discharge, and the return to the field. The busiest afternoon at the elevator will often give a different answer from an early-morning run to the farm bins.

Suppose a truck and trailer can legally carry 900 bushels of the crop being hauled. If the complete trip takes 90 minutes, that combination averages 600 bushels per hour. Two units on the same schedule could move 1,200 bushels per hour. If the combine is also harvesting 1,200 bushels per hour, those two trucks have little room for a longer line or a delayed unload.

The figures are a planning example. Use actual loads and trip times to decide whether another trailer would solve the delay. When trucks spend most of their time waiting to unload, a larger body may do less for harvest than an additional hauling unit or a receiving arrangement that gets trucks back sooner.

Also consider the grain cart's role. The cart needs enough room to keep the combine moving while a truck is away. Extra trailer volume at the edge of the field is useful only if the cart can reach it and unload when needed.

Comparing Demco and Neville rental trailers

Demco 24-foot steel hopper bottom

The 24-foot Demco has one hopper, a roll tarp and approximately 695 bushels of level capacity or 740 bushels heaped. Its shorter body makes it worth considering for farms with limited room at entrances or around the bins.

A single hopper also provides one discharge position to line up with a pit or receiving auger. That can simplify unloading at a site where repositioning the truck or moving the auger is awkward. The truck's wheelbase, trailer axle position and approach still need to fit the entrance; trailer length by itself won't settle the turning question.

Demco 40-foot steel hopper bottom

The 40-foot Demco has two hoppers and a roll tarp. Demco rates it at approximately 1,035 bushels level and 1,120 bushels heaped.

The larger body provides more grain volume, which is useful when the truck and route allow the added load. At a single unloading point, plan how the two hoppers will be positioned over the intake. The truck may need to pull ahead, or the receiving auger may need to move between hoppers. Demco's steel-trailer specifications show the level and heaped capacities separately.

Neville aluminum hopper bottoms

Our 38.5-foot Neville and 40-foot Neville rental configurations have aluminum bodies, tandem spring-ride axles, electric roll tarps and two-speed hopper gear openers.

Both Neville lengths are 102 inches wide, with dual hoppers, hopper sight windows and front and rear catwalks and ladders. We can confirm the assigned trailer's tarp connection and hopper clearance against your truck and unloading equipment before pickup.

For the payload comparison, use the actual empty weight of the assigned trailer. Body material alone doesn't establish how much grain the combination can haul. Axles, suspension, tarp and other equipment contribute to empty weight too.

Bushel capacity is different from legal payload

A trailer's bushel rating describes available volume. The weight of the grain it can legally carry depends on the complete truck and trailer, its equipment ratings, axle weights, axle spacing and route.

The truck and trailer also use part of the allowable weight before any grain is loaded. Begin with the combination's ready-to-work empty weight, then determine the permitted grain load for that equipment and route. Total weight and individual axle weights both matter.

This is why a 1,120-bushel heaped capacity does not establish a legal 1,120-bushel road load. Depending on grain weight and the truck-trailer combination, the legal load may occupy less than the available space. A larger trailer can provide useful volume without every bushel of that volume being usable on every trip.

Iowa's motor-carrier resources provide access to current weight, permit and route information. Work from a verified load for the truck, trailer and crop, then confirm that the trailer has the volume to carry it.

Check the field approach and bin site

Walk through the route the truck will use, from the road entrance to the loading point and on to the unloading site. The tightest regular turn is more useful to the rental decision than the widest entrance on the farm.

Check:

• The turn off the road, ditch edges and clearance for the trailer axles.
• Space for the truck to straighten out at the grain cart, pit or receiving auger.
• Clearance above the trailer sides for the combine or grain-cart unloading auger.
• Room beneath each hopper for the receiving equipment and its controls.
• Space to reposition the truck or auger between hoppers.

At the bins, measure the receiving auger's height and width. Ground clearance needs to be checked on the assigned trailer, allowing for the loaded suspension and uneven ground. A hopper that clears an intake on a level yard may be difficult to position when the approach slopes or the truck sits in a rut.

The receiving equipment's capacity affects unloading time as well. Hopper controls let the operator regulate grain flow to the auger or pit. If that equipment is already running at its useful capacity, a larger trailer adds grain to the unload but doesn't make the receiving equipment move it faster.

Photos of the entrance and unloading area are often helpful. Include enough of the surrounding yard to show where the truck and trailer will sit, along with measurements of the receiving auger. Close-up photos of the hopper alone won't show the turning room or approach.

Arrange the rental before the trailer is needed

Our grain-trailer rentals are offered by the month and may be new or late-model used equipment. A security deposit, proof of insurance and a credit check are required. We confirm the assigned trailer and rental dates as part of the arrangements.

Allow time for pickup or a delivery arrangement, connection to the truck and a review of the tarp and hopper controls before the first busy harvest day. It is easier to identify an access or unloading problem during that preparation than with a loaded trailer and a combine waiting in the field.

Discuss the expected return date and the possibility of a weather delay. Any extension depends on availability and the applicable charges, so have those terms included in the rental discussion. If the trailer may become a purchase, ask whether rental payments can apply toward eligible equipment and have the specific terms included in the quote.

For a trailer used during a short seasonal peak, renting can provide the needed equipment without making an immediate ownership decision. If the same hauling work continues through much of the year, compare the rental with purchasing a grain trailer. The useful comparison includes expected months of use and the complete trailer required for the job.

Call 712-566-1033 or email sales@keastenterprises.com with your rental dates, truck and axle configuration, crop, normal load and unloading arrangement. With those details, we can compare the Demco and Neville options and recommend a trailer that fits the hauling work.