Lifts in farming: silos, grain elevators and livestock buildings

In farming and agri-food processing, the lift is chosen to suit the building: for tall silos and grain elevators, a rough terrain articulating or telescopic boom lift 4×4 (in our fleet articulating up to 43 m and telescopic up to 57 m working height); for livestock buildings, produce stores and storage houses, a scissor lift (electric on a level floor, diesel rough terrain on a yard); and for moving bales, pallets and materials, a telehandler. People are lifted to height with a mobile elevating work platform (a cherry picker or aerial work platform), not with forks or a bucket, and the operator needs UDT licences.

What farm jobs is a lift used for?

• inspections, cleaning, painting and repairs of silos, grain elevators and grain dryers, replacing sensors, lighting and conveyor parts,
• installing and servicing fans, lighting, curtains and installations in cowsheds, pig houses, poultry houses and warehouse halls,
• repairs to the roofs, gutters and rooflights of farm buildings and installing solar panels on the roofs of barns and halls,
• building and extending agricultural halls: structure, sandwich panels, flashings (see a lift for building a hall: step by step),
• pruning and felling tall trees beside buildings and access roads (see lift for tree felling).

Which lift for a silo and grain elevator?

Silos and elevators are the tallest structures in the countryside, often several dozen metres high, with conveyors, pipes and buildings at the base. The work is done with a rough terrain articulating boom lift or a 4×4 telescopic boom lift. An articulating boom lift “looks” over the obstacle and reaches the upper edges, walkways and installations; a telescopic one gives a long reach along the shell of the tank. One of the tallest machines in our fleet, the Genie Z-135/70 articulating boom lift, has a working height of 43 m and a horizontal outreach of over 21 m; it has worked on grain silos and elevators in Inowrocław, Kruszwica and Włocławek (photographs in our projects). The height and outreach needed are read from the reach chart of the machine, counting from the place where the lift will actually stand.

Which lift for a livestock building and produce store?

Under the roof of a cowshed, pig house, poultry house or store, a scissor lift is usually enough: the large platform holds two people with materials, and the machine drives straight up to the place of work. In our fleet the electric scissor lifts work up to about 14 m, and the diesel rough terrain ones up to 18 m; the latter are chosen when the floor is uneven or dirty or the work extends onto the yard. When there are pens, troughs, feed lines or racking between the machine and the place of work, an articulating boom lift that reaches over the obstacle is better. With animals in the building, quiet and the absence of exhaust fumes matter, and here electric drive has the advantage.

A telehandler or a cherry picker?

A telehandler is a machine for loads: it lifts bales, pallets, big bags and building materials up and forward; in our fleet up to 17.5 m and a capacity of 4,000 kg. It is not for lifting people: lifting people on forks, in a bucket or on a pallet is not permitted in normal work. For a person working at height a mobile elevating work platform is used, and its operator must hold a UDT qualification certificate. More in the article telehandler: what it is for and how to choose one.

What should you watch for: ground, tanks and power lines?

• Ground bearing capacity — 4×4 rough terrain machines cope on a yard and a farmyard surface, but the ground must carry the load of the wheels or outriggers. You do not stand above a septic tank, a slurry tank, a duct or fresh fill; on sodden soil, plates or mats are laid down. We describe machine weights in the article how much does a lift weigh.
• Power lines — in rural buildings, overhead lines run low over the farmyard and the access road. Before the boom is extended, the route of the platform must be checked and a safe distance from the conductors kept.
• Wind at height — at silos the wind is stronger than at ground level, so the wind speed is assessed at working height and the limit from the machine manual is observed.
• Grain dust and biosecurity — in the elevator zone the plant’s explosion protection rules apply, and at livestock farms the machine’s entry is agreed with the farm’s biosecurity rules.

Who may operate a lift on a farm?

The operator of a mobile elevating work platform must hold a UDT qualification certificate, and in the platform of an articulating boom lift a harness with a lanyard is mandatory. Farms and plants without a trained employee rent the machine with an operator. We arrange delivery of the equipment from our base in Brzoza near Bydgoszcz; it is enough to describe the building, the height and the access, and we will choose the machine.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use for a silo or grain elevator?

For tall silos and grain elevators a rough terrain articulating or telescopic boom lift with 4×4 drive is used. An articulating boom lift reaches over conveyors, pipework and the structures at the base of the tank, and a telescopic one gives a long reach along the shell. Among the tallest in our fleet is the Genie Z-135/70 articulating boom lift, with a working height of 43 m and a horizontal outreach of over 21 m, and the telescopic boom lifts reach up to 57 m (Genie SX-180). The Z-135/70 has worked, among other places, on silos and grain elevators in Inowrocław, Kruszwica and Włocławek.

Which lift should I use for a livestock building, cowshed or pig house?

Inside a livestock building, produce store or storage house, a scissor lift is usually enough, for installing lighting, fans, curtains and installations under the roof. When the floor is uneven or dirty, or you have to go out onto a hard-surfaced yard, a 4×4 rough terrain scissor lift is chosen. When there are pens, troughs or feed lines between the machine and the place of work, an articulating boom lift, which reaches over the obstacle, is better.

Can people be lifted with a telehandler on a farm?

A telehandler is for lifting loads (bales, pallets, sacks and building materials), not people. Lifting people on forks, in a bucket or on a pallet is not permitted in normal work. For people working at height a mobile elevating work platform (a cherry picker or scissor lift) is used, and its operator must hold a UDT qualification certificate (UDT is the Polish Office of Technical Inspection).

Will a lift cope with soil and grass on a farm?

Diesel 4×4 machines with rough terrain tyres work on a yard, a farmyard surface and hard-surfaced ground. The ground must, however, carry the load of the wheels or outriggers: on sodden soil, above a septic tank, a slurry tank or fresh fill, plates or mats are used and the set-up position is planned. A lift should not work on a boggy field or a waterlogged meadow.

How much does it cost to rent a lift for work on a farm?

Lift rental costs from PLN 80 + VAT per day: scissor lifts from PLN 80, articulating boom lifts from PLN 160, telescopic boom lifts from PLN 180 (rates for rentals of more than 14 days; shorter rentals have a higher daily rate). Smaller scissor lifts are the cheapest, tall rough terrain articulating boom lifts the most expensive; the full rates by working height are in the rental price list. For seasonal silo inspections and longer building upgrades, rent for a week or a month pays off. We will prepare an exact quote including transport once you give the height, the place and the date of the work.