Going vertical !!

We started working on getting the grain bins up over the weekend. The first one is now up and we are waiting on parts for the second. We hope to get the second one up this weekend.(Fingers crossed!) When we took them down we number each piece, so it went together like a big puzzle. The best thing we bought for the grain bins....grain bin jacks! When it was taken down Chris had made his own version of bin jacks but we were able to find some at an auction earlier this year. They cost $250 for 4 of them BUT we should be able to sell them for the same cost when we are done with them.

First you have to put one ring together and then assemble the roof. This is by far the most time consuming,frustrating part of the assembly. Chris thought that by putting up two rings instead of one it would make it easier...it did not. So, we learned what not to do with #2.

Two rings put you six feet in the air for the side walls and the center is 72 inches higher than that. The ladder climbing was horrible. I am thankful to my brother-in-law Cory for coming to help most of the weekend....I didn't have to climb as much, which is good because I hate heights! 

This is what the jack looks like. There are also two on the other side.

Close-up of the jacks. They are really simple but made the whole process easier! On a side note....there are approximately 300 bolts per level of the grain bin...and at least that many in the roof too.

To add a new ring you have to lift the whole bin. There were a total of 7 rings that went around it. 6 of them were 32 inches and one was 24 inches. Each level of the bin is a heavier gauge metal. the heaviest at the bottom.

One up!!! The second one started. I took the picture from farther away to show you just how big the bins are. To me a 24 foot circle on the ground seemed small but with the bin up it seems HUGE!