Salvaged Seed Cart Auger Saves Big Bucks

Salvaged Seed Cart Auger Saves Big Bucks Roger Gutschmidt fixed a neighbor’s smashed-up seed cart feed auger for less than a tenth of the cost of replacing it. The cart hit a washout, breaking the front double-caster wheel axle. At the same time, the fill auger hopper bounced out of its cradle and dropped to the ground. The auger jammed between the cart’s duals. “I had to lift the cart, which was filled with wheat, with a payloader,” recalls Gutschmidt. “We blocked it up, pulled out the axle, and replaced it with a new one.” At the same time, the fill auger was removed. Gutschmidt’s neighbor used the cart all season without it, taking it home for refills. When the neighbor told Gutschmidt he would either buy a new fill auger or trade in the cart, Gutschmidt said he could fix it. “I love a challenge,” he says. While he figured the auger could be repaired, the hopper had to be replaced. Gutschmidt upgraded it with a hinged cage and a magnetic latch, allowing it to be lifted out of the way. Attacking the auger repair required removing and repairing or replacing (as needed) bent and twisted brackets and mounts. A 6-ft. section of the flighting and tube had to be cut off and replaced with parts from local retailers. “Luckily, I had another drill and seed cart in my machine shop with the same fill auger,” says Gutschmidt. “I was able to take measurements from it to use for welding things back in place.” Gutschmidt estimates having to weld nearly a dozen brackets and mounts in just the right places. His accuracy paid off. “A new auger would have cost the owner $10,000 at the time,” says Gutschmidt. “My repairs were less than $1,000, and he’s still using it 10 years later.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Gutschmidt, Gutschmidt Manufacturing, 202 Elm St. E., Box 311, Gackle, N.D. 58442 (ph 701-269-0537).

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