A shed which can allow a lorry to tip in it is a rare commodity. Some older round roof Dutch barns will allow grain trailers to tip their load, but for the majority of farmers buying straights that are coming in on lorries, it’s a matter of tipping the load outside and pushing or scooping the delivered meal inside.
A man who believes he has a solution to this is James Cranston, a Monaghan based builder who is relaunching sliding roof meal stores with his company Agri OpenRoof Systems.
While the original design isn’t James’, he has recently purchased the design drawings, with the idea to begin supplying and erecting the stores coming from his friend Albert Hunter, who erected similar sheds before retiring.
With no other builder supplying similar in Ireland or the UK, James is now offering a nationwide service to supply and erect such. James is already a well-established agri-builder, specialising in all agricultural concrete and erection works.
A demonstration bay has been set up in Walls’ yard, Dundalk with James highlighting “from talking to Walls, it’s a major problem their delivery drivers are facing in delivering larger loads or straights to farms whereby they have to complete it on a dry day as feed is tipped outside the shed door, with lorries unable to tip inside them”.
Other times they are waiting on the farmer to come back to the yard to push in the feed, and even when they do the grain is still being driven over by a telehandler which is far from ideal for feeding.’’
The design itself is surprisingly simple. Bays measure 14ft (4.26m) in width and can be manufactured to 30ft (9.14) up to 35ft (10.66m) in length. A standard 30ft long bay has sufficient capacity to hold 40t of feed, stated James.
Two hinged doors open at the front, though a roller door that also folds back with the roof can be included if desired.
A manual pulley system located inside the door is then operated, with the front half of the roof supported by wheels sitting on the inner web of the rafter. The upright stanchion running half way along the wall has been cut back to allow the roof section to move unobstructed until it sits neatly under the section of roof sitting at the back.
From here, the driver simply reverses in to the shed and tips their load.
With the front section of roof out of the way, the driver is able to reverse and tip their load more than halfway in to the store. Walls were kind enough to demonstrate on the day that the Irish Farmers Journal visited, and James’ words were borne out by the demo.
Once tipped, the front roof section is then secured back in to place by the pulley. The roof is fully bird-proof owing to the fact the front section sits lower than the rear, with the cladding of the front section just touching the top timber purlin at the front of the rear section to seal the shed. 0.55mm cladding is used throughout, with 150mm x 75mm timber purlins used on the sides and rear section, while box steel is used to create the movable front section of the roof.
The demonstration unit has been set up with precast concrete panels, but shuttered mass concrete walls will be included in the prices quoted to farmers. As mentioned, roller doors can be included at an additional cost, while heavier duty cladding is also an option.
Farmers can also choose to have singular/multiple bays of the folding roof and additional bays of a standard roof if they so choose.
Prices will start from €37,500 + VAT for a three-bay unit, with this capable of holding over 100 tonnes of feed with ease. Smaller units will have an increased cost per bay, while additional specification (as mentioned above) will also cause a price difference to the above. All works will be completed, including all erection and concrete works, at this price.
While the shed obviously benefits from the roof being able to tilt back, the low size of the shed also allows it to be eligible for planning exemptions which have seen the gross areas increase in recent months.
While it may not suit every yard, at around 78m² for a two-bay store, there will be some yards that will be able to avail of this exemption.
As can be seen, the back wheels of the lorry are past the halfway point of the store, allowing it to be easily filled.
Albert X and James Cranston. Albert had previously erected similar stores, before his retirement, with James now offering the nationwide service.
The unit is fully bird and vermin proof once doors are closed and the roof closed over. Shuttered walls are included in the price, which will stop water ingress.
The front roof section sits snugly underneath the rear section to give unobstructed access for lorries to deliver feed.
The standard bay size of 14ft wide and 30ft long is capable of holding 40 tonnes of feed.
The roof sits on wheels located in the web of the roof rafter. The stanchion in the centre of the shed has been sliced back to allow the roof section to move unimpeded.
A shed which can allow a lorry to tip in it is a rare commodity. Some older round roof Dutch barns will allow grain trailers to tip their load, but for the majority of farmers buying straights that are coming in on lorries, it’s a matter of tipping the load outside and pushing or scooping the delivered meal inside.
A man who believes he has a solution to this is James Cranston, a Monaghan based builder who is relaunching sliding roof meal stores with his company Agri OpenRoof Systems.
While the original design isn’t James’, he has recently purchased the design drawings, with the idea to begin supplying and erecting the stores coming from his friend Albert Hunter, who erected similar sheds before retiring.
With no other builder supplying similar in Ireland or the UK, James is now offering a nationwide service to supply and erect such. James is already a well-established agri-builder, specialising in all agricultural concrete and erection works.
A demonstration bay has been set up in Walls’ yard, Dundalk with James highlighting “from talking to Walls, it’s a major problem their delivery drivers are facing in delivering larger loads or straights to farms whereby they have to complete it on a dry day as feed is tipped outside the shed door, with lorries unable to tip inside them”.
Other times they are waiting on the farmer to come back to the yard to push in the feed, and even when they do the grain is still being driven over by a telehandler which is far from ideal for feeding.’’
The design itself is surprisingly simple. Bays measure 14ft (4.26m) in width and can be manufactured to 30ft (9.14) up to 35ft (10.66m) in length. A standard 30ft long bay has sufficient capacity to hold 40t of feed, stated James.
Two hinged doors open at the front, though a roller door that also folds back with the roof can be included if desired.
A manual pulley system located inside the door is then operated, with the front half of the roof supported by wheels sitting on the inner web of the rafter. The upright stanchion running half way along the wall has been cut back to allow the roof section to move unobstructed until it sits neatly under the section of roof sitting at the back.
From here, the driver simply reverses in to the shed and tips their load.
With the front section of roof out of the way, the driver is able to reverse and tip their load more than halfway in to the store. Walls were kind enough to demonstrate on the day that the Irish Farmers Journal visited, and James’ words were borne out by the demo.
Once tipped, the front roof section is then secured back in to place by the pulley. The roof is fully bird-proof owing to the fact the front section sits lower than the rear, with the cladding of the front section just touching the top timber purlin at the front of the rear section to seal the shed. 0.55mm cladding is used throughout, with 150mm x 75mm timber purlins used on the sides and rear section, while box steel is used to create the movable front section of the roof.
The demonstration unit has been set up with precast concrete panels, but shuttered mass concrete walls will be included in the prices quoted to farmers. As mentioned, roller doors can be included at an additional cost, while heavier duty cladding is also an option.
Farmers can also choose to have singular/multiple bays of the folding roof and additional bays of a standard roof if they so choose.
Prices will start from €37,500 + VAT for a three-bay unit, with this capable of holding over 100 tonnes of feed with ease. Smaller units will have an increased cost per bay, while additional specification (as mentioned above) will also cause a price difference to the above. All works will be completed, including all erection and concrete works, at this price.
While the shed obviously benefits from the roof being able to tilt back, the low size of the shed also allows it to be eligible for planning exemptions which have seen the gross areas increase in recent months.
While it may not suit every yard, at around 78m² for a two-bay store, there will be some yards that will be able to avail of this exemption.
As can be seen, the back wheels of the lorry are past the halfway point of the store, allowing it to be easily filled.
Albert X and James Cranston. Albert had previously erected similar stores, before his retirement, with James now offering the nationwide service.
The unit is fully bird and vermin proof once doors are closed and the roof closed over. Shuttered walls are included in the price, which will stop water ingress.
The front roof section sits snugly underneath the rear section to give unobstructed access for lorries to deliver feed.
The standard bay size of 14ft wide and 30ft long is capable of holding 40 tonnes of feed.
The roof sits on wheels located in the web of the roof rafter. The stanchion in the centre of the shed has been sliced back to allow the roof section to move unimpeded.
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