NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota
State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
August 13, 1998
Care with Augers Helps Lift Grain With Safety
The grain auger is one of the top three most hazardous pieces of farm machinery on North Dakota farms, accident statistics indicate.
"The tragedy is that all of the accidents that involve grain augers could have been prevented," notes George Maher, agricultural safety specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
Maher offers tips for staying safe when working with augers:
- Always look up before raising a grain auger into position to avoid contact with electric power lines. It is impossible to accurately estimate the height of a power line when it is viewed against the sky. Raise the auger into position slowly and very carefully when in the presence of overhead power lines. Look up often to check your progress.
- Don't exceed the safety stops provided on all augers to limit how high they can be raised. When an auger is elevated too high it will become top- heavy, pivoting on its wheels. The lower end will lift upward, dangerously involving anything attached to it or in the way.
- Use caution when positioning an auger on hillsides. Block the wheels to keep them from rolling. Elevated augers have a high center of gravity and can become very unstable on slopes. Make sure the auger tube is located between the wheels at all times.
- Transport augers with caution in the lowered position. The lower the grain auger, the more stable it is. The wheels of a towed grain auger will not follow the same track in a turn as the vehicle that pulls it. They will make a smaller curve, so watch them carefully. Plan ahead for safe clearances.
- Avoid transporting a grain auger when visibility is reduced or after dark. An SMV (slow moving vehicle) emblem should always be attached to the grain auger while on the roadway to improve visibility. Because of its narrow profile it is difficult for motorists following a grain auger in transport to judge just how close they are.
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Source: George Maher (701) 231-8288
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629