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COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.
Don’t Overlook Importance Of Seed House Safety Overhead seed houses are valuable for short-term seed storage, wet seed storage and gins with limited yard space. With recent design improvements, overhead seed houses can also provide a highly efficient method for loading trucks from flat-storage houses. When fully loaded, a double-hopper seed house can weigh 200,000 pounds or more. This load hovers above trucks and personnel, so structural integrity is critical. Volatile weather can put older seed houses at risk, especially those that have not been properly maintained. Through the years, moisture and chemicals from seed along with humidity cause the inevitable – rust and corrosion. Since the damage primarily occurs inside the seed house, it’s out of sight and mind. If a structural failure occurs, personnel are put at risk of injury. All cotton gins should review their overhead seed house safety and maintenance procedures prior to commencement of the 2015 cotton ginning season. Safety Tips • No one should ever go beneath a seed hopper when it contains seed. • Do not enter the seed trailer or climb on the side walls of the trailer. • Be sure all ladders and catwalks are properly guarded. • Post decals “DANGER – DO NOT ENTER AREA BELOW HOPPER DOORS WHEN SEED IS IN STORAGE HOUSE.â€? Available free from your local ginning association. • Contact your ginning association or loss control representative to get a copy of the COTTONSEED SYSTEM SAFETY POLICY for employees, visitors and outside contractors such as seed haulers. • Use all other commonly known safety practices every day.
Stover Module Retriever Bed
Stover Gin Mover
* Rubber Tracks * RMS Chain on entire bed * Specially designed hydraulic tracks * Stover sliding tracks * Splitter valve * Automatic rear bumper * Optional camera and monitor
* Easy to operate on gin yard *Driver can easily determine correct spacing of modules *Can be used for narrow module *Can be used on traveling head module feeders
800-689-7740 361-884-8961 www.stoverequipment.com
Maintenance • All proper safety precautions should be taken by all personnel who perform maintenance and repairs. • Clean out all seed. • Clean hopper panels to remove seed oil. Steam cleaning is reported to work consistently well. • Make the inside surfaces of the hopper panels smooth again! Sanding and steel brushing reportedly work well. • Try to examine for stress fractures and any loose hardware. COTTON FARMING JULY 2015
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