HIVE removes bottlenecks, boosts harvest efficiency

Kelly Goossen, Elmer’s Business Development Manager, Sam Abbott, Waringa Distribution General Manager, WA grower Brad Jones, Tammin, and Ben Johnson, Elmer’s Sales Manager, with the 225-tonne HIVE Motherbin during harvest at the Jones family’s property.

It's aptly called the HIVE, with grain harvest chaser bin drivers feeding into it and trucking operators feeding out of it, and for Western Australian grower Brad Jones, it has removed all bottlenecks and made harvesting, storage and transporting of grain to end-users so much more efficient, fast and accurate.

“This harvest, we have one truck servicing our on-farm silos and two trucks servicing markets in Perth twice a day. Last year the trucks were doing one trip a day to Perth and we were mucking around with bulkheads and chucking grain on the ground and tarping it, which is a big job,” said Brad, who farms with his wife, Kate, and their family at Tammin.

“If we had three trucks going into CBH we would probably be held up.”

The portable, 225-tonne Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin, which also is available in 150t capacity, has more than doubled the Jones’ in-field grain storage to in excess of 300t.

“It is much quicker and easier because there are no bottlenecks anywhere in the chain. With a bin of this size, 50t only looks like a drop in the bottom of it too,” Brad said.

“Recently we loaded two road trains with 136t and it took 15 minutes from the truck tarps coming off, going back on and then getting out the gate.

“We also had a storm recently and the trucks were not back from Perth and there were fires on a neighbour’s place, but we had the capacity during the day to push for an extra 20 minutes so the trucks could come in and then load and go.”

Together with national equipment distributor, Waringa Distribution, the Jones’ assisted the development of the Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin, which has been introduced into Australia for this harvest.

The family’s 225t bin features two tank compartments; easy-to-access cleanout gates at the end of each tank; weigh scales; Elmer’s HM Connect and Pro data management system for tracking weights and loads; electronic tarps; and 55-centimetre discharge augers with semi-automated fold and movement controls, as well as four-way spout control.

“At the click of a button, the spout can move laterally and vertically, so you can tilt it to fill trucks exactly where you want it to go. Then a double click puts it back into fold configuration,” Brad said.

“The beauty with the HIVE is we recently had a fair wedge of barley to come off and we were switching to wheat, but we were able to work into the evening and fill a load to go to Perth, with everything weighed and measured, and then it was cleaned and ready to go onto the wheat. Previously we would have just been guessing.”

He said the Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin allowed significantly more control of grain logistics, with the ability to use the in-field storage and have less concerns over on-farm storage.

“From the headers to the chaser bins, to the HIVE with the HM Connect and Pro, and into the trucks that also have scales, everything is measured and cross-checked quickly and easily. Communication with the truck drivers is also easy because we know what’s in the Motherbin.”

“We know what and where everything is, including what has been taken from the Motherbin into on-farm storage. We recently finished loading into a silo and the operator was able to quickly say there was 1350t in the on-farm silo.

“We also recently changed paddocks and a truck driver was wanting another 16t and we were able to arrange it quickly.”

Brad said side and end windows on the Elmer’s HIVE Motherbin also were a handy feature, providing another good reference of the grain levels “as you drive passed."

Brad and Kate run the Bungulla Farming enterprise at Tammin. They also have four children, Zoe, Alex, Sam and Nina.

They grow wheat, barley, canola and lupins for domestic and export container markets, while significant grain also is marketed from their 10,000t on-farm storage holding.

In addition to the HIVE Motherbin, the crops were harvested with two (36t and 41t) Elmer’s Haulmaster chaser bins as well as an AgriSpread spreader.

McIntosh & Son remain dedicated to providing exceptional machinery, servicing, parts and support for all your equipment needs. For more information about Elmers HIVE Motherbin, please contact our team here.