A flexible portable silo for storing grains and bulk materials, comprising a flexible cylindrical wall and a flexible conical roof made of a flexible, foldable, tension bearing sheet membrane, and a single pressure bearing post, with outriggers installed at the top of the post. The flexible cylindrical wall and conical roof are then draped over the outriggers and post and filled with grain or other bulk material.

A sweep system is presented for a grain bin. The sweep system includes an elongated body extending a length between an inward end and an outward end and having a leading side and a trailing side. The elongated body is connected to a pivot point at the center of the grain bin and is configured to rotate around the pivot point. In one or more embodiments, a tail section of the sweep system is located as the outward end of the elongated body. In one or more arrangements, a track-driven drive system is positioned in the tail section. The track-driven drive system has a continuous track formed by a continuous chain and a plurality of paddles connected thereto. The track-driven drive system is configured to move the outward end of the elongated housing around the grain bin thereby facilitating emptying of grain from the grain bin by the sweep system.

A grain storage bin includes a cylindrical wall formed by a plurality of panels arranged in rows with a bottom edge of a first row bolted to a top edge of a second lower row. At each joint the bottom edge of the first upper row is overlapped with and outside of the outer surface of top edge of the second lower row and the bottom edge is fastened to the top edge by bolts carrying spacers as to define a first channel along the joint for passage of air. A cover strip overlies the channel and extends from an upper edge of the strip at the inner surface of the first panel above the channel to a lower edge of the strip which is fastened to the top edge so as to define a second channel so that air can pass between the interior and the exterior through the first and second channels while the particulate material is prevented from escaping through the first channel by the cover strip.

A granular material storage container and associated method. The storage container includes a foundation, a peripheral wall supported on the foundation, a plurality of vertical stiffeners attached to the peripheral wall, and a horizontal connector connecting the peripheral wall to the foundation. The horizontal connector extends between at least a pair of vertical stiffeners and operates for load transfer from the peripheral wall to the foundation during single pass sweeping.

A system of connecting a stiffener to the sidewall of a grain bin using a stud bolt having a first threaded end, a second threaded end and a feature positioned between the first end and a second end. A sealing member is positioned over the first end of the stud bolt, which in one case is a metallic washer with an affixed compressible sealing member. The first end of the stud bolt is inserted into a hole in the sidewall and an inner nut is placed over the first end inside the sidewall. As the inner nut is tightened, the feature is pulled toward the exterior surface of the grain bin thereby causing the sealing member to form a seal with the exterior surface of the grain bin. The second end of the stud bolt is inserted into a hole in the stiffener which is tightened onto the stud bolt.

Grain bin ducting systems are disclosed that more evenly disperse air through a grain bin while also preventing moisture from building up on the top and sides of a grain bin, which can lead to undesirable moisture levels for parts of the grain bin or even ruin grain. Airflow resistance may be reduced in a grain bin by having the air travel in a horizontal direction through the grain bin instead of a vertical direction. Normally, the radius of the grain bin is substantially less than the height of the grain bin, so the resistance to airflow is substantially lower than in typical grain bin ducting systems.

A sweep system is presented for a grain bin. The sweep system includes an elongated body extending a length between an inward end and an outward end and having a leading side and a trailing side. The elongated body is connected to a pivot point at the center of the grain bin and is configured to rotate around the pivot point. In one or more embodiments, a tail section of the sweep system is located as the outward end of the elongated body. In one or more arrangements, a track-driven drive system is positioned in the tail section. The track-driven drive system has a continuous track formed by a continuous chain and a plurality of paddles connected thereto. The track-driven drive system is configured to move the outward end of the elongated housing around the grain bin thereby facilitating emptying of grain from the grain bin by the sweep system.

A hopper support cone for a grain bin includes a perimeter footing support, upstanding support legs mounted on the footing support, and an inverted cone shaped hopper wall carried by the support legs in a suspended position above a support surface. The hopper support cone features top and bottom junctions respectively located at top and bottom ends of support legs and respectively joining each support leg to each of the hopper wall and the footing support. Each of the top and bottom junctions comprise upper and lower bracing members forming gusset-like structures which provide rigidity for the hopper support cone while leaving a continuous portion of the length of each support leg uninterrupted between the top and bottom junctions and a continuous portion of the hopper wall uninterrupted from the central opening thereof towards the peripheral edge. Thus, access to the continuous portion of the hopper wall is unobstructed.

A motorized lid assembly is provided on the roof opening of a grain bin. The assembly includes a ring attached to an upstanding collar of the roof opening, with a lid pivotally secured to the ring for movement between a closed position over the roof opening and an open position away from the roof opening. A motor is mounted to the ring and connected to the lid to pivot the lid between the open and closed positions. The motor is actuated remotely by a person on the ground. In the open position, the lid allows 360 access to the roof opening for discharging seed or grain into the bin.