Steel corrosion, commonly referred to as rust, is an oxidization process occurring when iron in steel is exposed to oxygen and water. Rust causes steel to thin over time, reducing its strength and causing product failure.
Any coating, which provides a barrier to moisture and oxygen, protects steel from corrosion. A painted surface provides an effective barrier until it is broken allowing moisture and oxygen to come in contact with the steel beneath. Rust develops at the breakage point and can even extend under the protective paint barrier.
Similar to paint, a galvanized coating forms a protective barrier to protect steel from moisture and oxygen. Galvanized coatings also provide a second method of protecting steel by electrochemically “sacrificing” the zinc in the present of corrosive elements. In other words, the zinc corrodes, until it is depleted, instead of the metal underneath. Because it is physically bonded to the metal, galvanized coating does not allow rust to extend beneath its surface.
Galvanized coatings are expressed in ounces per square ft with conventional coatings designated as G30, G40, G60, and G90. These refer to thickness of .30, .40, .60 and 90 oz./ft2, respectively. Corrosion resistance is directly proportionate to the amount of zinc coating on the steel. Therefore we would expect the service life of G90 steel to be roughly three times that of G30 in the same environment. Likewise, increasing the galvanized coating on a feed bin from G90 to G100 increases the bin’s service life by 10%.
Galvanized steel is an excellent choice for use in feed bin fabrication, as it does not degrade when exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays like painted coatings or poly bins.
In addition to heavier galvanized coatings, Hog Slat bins are manufactured from stronger Grade 55 steel, come with an improved ladder design and water deflecting Weather Edge™. Every bin is backed by an extended 5-year warranty. To see more go to Bulk Feed Bins.
Not every labor saving idea for swine confinement lasted much past the initial development phase. From the 1960 Yearbook of Agriculture, we present the HOG-O-MATIC!
This automatic hog finishing facility – dubbed “Hog-O-Matic” – is equipped to feed the pigs and clean the floor under fully automatic control. Cleaning is done (below) with two jets of water under 70 pounds of pressure. The revolving boom circles the 21.5- foot exercise area every 2.5 minutes. A 4-inch center drain carries the wastes away.
A good idea in theory for the time, but it is likely this system would not work well with sub-zero temperatures during a typical Midwestern winter. Here’s a more typical finishing floor from the early confinement years.
Hogs are housed in clean, airy, efficient buildings. The picture above shows one of the many new types of confinement housing during this time period. Raising hogs in confined quarters is a growing practice. The farmer designed this pen arrangement (below) with the plan of finishing two-thousand hogs per year.
From these early designs, the industry continued to develop into the improved feeding and ventilation systems we have today. GrowerSELECT feed systems and AirStorm ventilation fans offer today’s producers great equipment backed by the best warranty in the business. To learn more call us at 800-949-4674 or go online at www.hogslat.com.
One of the products Hog Slat introduced at the 2016 World Pork Expo is designed to give pork producers an improved method for controlling feed line motors.
The GrowerSELECT Proximity Drop Tube Control features a flat proxy sensor that can detect feed levels through the plastic housing. The flat proxy mounts to the side of the feed tube and doesn’t require drilling a hole for installation. The compact design takes up less room on the control compared to rod type proxy sensors.
Like it happens with many advancements in electronics this improved sensor costs less than existing technology. A quick online search shows replacement rod type proxy switches costing between $117 and $150. The complete HS752 unit costs $125 and can replace the feed level control on any existing feed system.
Click here for manual illustrating wiring schemes for installing the HS752 on the most common feed systems.
How can we make the claim of selling the strongest, heaviest feed bins on the market at the best possible price to swine and poultry growers?
Simple. Our direct distribution system eliminates the additional markup that dealers have to add to the bin’s price. Instead, that money goes back into building a stronger bin manufactured from heavier steel. These longer lasting bins are built with 5-10% more steel, by weight, than competitive brands.
Compare the features.
Most manufacturers only use 50,000 psi structural steel for the bin sheets and legs to reduce costs. Hog Slat bins are constructed entirely of GRADE 55 structural steel. The bin sheets, legs, roof sheets, bottom cone sheets…the entire bin.
The bottom cone sheets of a bin are subjected to extra abuse from hammers and mallets used to dislodge bridging feed. That’s why we used thicker steel to resist dings and dents.
We build the bin collar out of heavier 10 gauge steel to eliminate having to add additional reinforcing collars. The collar is stamped to reduce variations in dimensions compared to rolled or spun collars.
Every Hog Slat / Georgia Poultry bin is manufactured in-house for complete control of raw material purchasing and manufacturing operations. Our facility includes state-of-art rolling, stamping and finishing machinery to ensure precise fit and finish.
Here’s another selection from the 1960 edition of The Yearbook of Agriculture on the latest trends in farrowing.
Caption in yearbook:
In this minimum-stress pen, the shape of the guardrail encourages the sow to lie with the teats toward the pigs. The pigs stay where it’s warm – under the heat lamp and behind the guard.
How about this for Ad Lib feeding? An overhead auger delivers feed to the farrowing pens. No carts or scoops are needed.
And finally, double-decker farrowing crates! I saw one of these set up in Red Oak, Iowa years ago.
From the yearbook:
Hogs in double-deck, all steel, cage-type farrowing stalls. The pigs are transferred after weaning. Manure is removed by mechanical drags.
Hog Slat manufactures a complete line of farrowing equipment for new construction or remodeling an existing facility. Our SowMAX ad lib dispenser feeds lactating sows 24/7 while reducing farm labor. See more at www.hogslat.com or call 800-949-4647.