Are you really able to fill nearly 100% of a 40ft container with wheat? Don't you have lorry axle load concerns when transporting the container?

Are you using liners inside the container?

If not, safety would be a serious concern if you try opening the container doors.

I think you should have discharge hatch(s) in the main doors. ■

Originally Posted by grainboy

Any good suggestions how to load and un-load grain?

We can tip or tilt the container when loading grain (wheat) into it. This allow us to fill it almost 100%.

The problem is how to open it?

Reaching the client it must be unloaden in horizontal position (maybe tilt a bit to completely unload. However, the main challenge is to open a container completely filled with grain and the inside pressure is big.

Any suggestions welcome, thanks

You will have to tilt more than a bit to empty a 40 footer. It is no different to emptying a 13.5m tipper body, much harder in fact, and they lift to 70degrees. The last one I drove tipped to 72 degrees. Opening the doors is not the problem. When filling you lodge dunnage across the container side ribs and fill over that. As Designer suggests, you cannot legally or realistically fill a 12m ISO freight container unless it is the rare ould 'half height'. Only toilet rolls and the like will fill a big box. So your dunnage height is about 1m /SG. For safe working the operator should have a platform at container floor level. The ovespill will fall away and the dunnage can then be broken out, the platform retracted and the container tipped. Expecting to empty a container unaided on the flat is somewhat fantasy and defies the principles of bulk material handling.

The inside pressure is big??? Why? ■

Hi Louis, I think he meant the pressure of the weight of the grain against the doors is too big.

Standard containers have a couple more wrinkles (at least all the std 20 and 40 footers I have dealt with) . For one they have pretty good size vents at the corners that may be shielded but still have sizable holes for insects to enter and for grain to escape. Since there are subject to the elements they are also make the grain subject to moisture ingress and spoilage. Another issue could be the floor. To me the wood sometimes looks treated. I am not sure I would trust it with grain unless the mfg could ease my mind.

The loading capacity is surely limited by the weight and not so much how high you could fill it. Containers are customized all the time. I would not understand why you could not install smaller sliding gates (like on grain truck tailgates) on the bottom part of the std doors for unloading and something similar on the top for filling. When the container is empty enough you could open the std doors for removing the rest of the grain. ■

ISO containers are intentionally sealed for Customs purposes. Ventilation is non existent (illegal immigrants are often found suffocated inside). There would have to be 2 sets of seals if inset doors were provided. Two sets of seals would not be acceptable to Customs since there is only one field on the waybill form.

Containers are customised all the time but then they demand special handling and paperwork procedures which compromise their effectiveness. In Europe a container could not be economically considered for grain transport. There is a loss of payload and, as the thread starter already appreciates, a complex loading scenario. Tipper manufacturers sleep very easily. ■

Originally Posted by grainboy

Any good suggestions how to load and un-load grain?

We can tip or tilt the container when loading grain (wheat) into it. This allow us to fill it almost 100%.

The problem is how to open it?

Reaching the client it must be unloaden in horizontal position (maybe tilt a bit to completely unload. However, the main challenge is to open a container completely filled with grain and the inside pressure is big.

Any suggestions welcome, thanks

"Grain boy", we have high performing bulk packaging solutions that provide controlled discharges for containers loaded with bulk. Please contact us at www.bulk-flow.com and we will discuss them in detail with you.

Pablo Llopez ■

Grain Boy,

What's the specific bulk grain commodity and what is the origin and destination?

1st thing to consider is if it's loading in the Midwest and being railed to the USWC for Asian markets, you'll be facing the BNSF's requirements of max 10 year old or less container. All of the containerized ocean carriers have letters of indemnity signed and on file with the BNSF on this matter.

In regards to weights, you'll weigh out before you cube out on the size of the box. General max cargo weight accepted will be about 56,000 lbs for a 40's and 50-5200 for a 20' and this only if moving via rail to a greenbelt or on-doc port facility. Much less if it has to move over the road. Make sure you use propper bulkheading inside the box (container) doors with KLB and respective wood or metal bracing based on the destination country's customs requirement.

Just curious, are you a farmer trying to load your 1st box of grain or, an individual or company considering entering the bulk grain container transload business?

All the best,

The Grain Man ■

Grain Man

We appreciate your input into the forum but it might be wise for you to check the thread date. This thread is almost 6 years old. And that was grain boy's last post on this site.

Enjoy.

Gary Blenkhorn

moderator ■