# Loading bag salt ideas



## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

Hi guys I've been reading up on some ideas but haven't quiet found one that will be suitable for my application, here is my setup.










It's a Bobcat HS-8 and loading is a pain. I'm at a commercial account (a supermarket) who supplies their own salt due to the concrete deck of the parking garage and large concrete loading pad out back for deliveries.

They have storage containers that store the salt with 55 50lb bags per pallet and I use 1.5-2 pallets per application, I do 2 applications at most.
The hopper holds 10-12 bags and I currently load by lifting 5 bags up on the hopper at a time slicing and dumping... 100+ bags later I'm tired.

Does anyone have any creative ideas to load the hopper? After the remaining dozen or so pallets are gone they have 2,000lb sacks that I will need to load. Really hoping someone can help with a innovative idea to make this easier on myself. Thanks in advance your thoughts are appreciated.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

You ever heard of a Seed Tender I seen guys use Salt in them to load there hoppers 
Pre load the tender and then drive up to it Auger salt in your hopper


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

Maybe string a wire across so you can throw bags in they'll slice open.


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## Ukisuperstar (Dec 12, 2009)

Why not dump all the salt in the container, stack it up with your bucket and scoop it with the salter when ready to use. That salter is self-loading.


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## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

Good looking machine and self-loading salter . Maybe hang some rubber on it to help eliminate salt spray back . Superstars idea seems good. Thumbs Up


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## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

Thank you for all replies guys I hope everyone had a good holiday. I hope to find a solution for this soon.



Antlerart06;1908558 said:


> You ever heard of a Seed Tender I seen guys use Salt in them to load there hoppers
> Pre load the tender and then drive up to it Auger salt in your hopper


I have not heard of one those but it gave me another idea I mentioned to the foreman. Using a concrete hopper or a old paving dump body on stands at a angle just drive up and dump in. Hopefully he makes this idea happen



Ukisuperstar;1908693 said:


> Why not dump all the salt in the container, stack it up with your bucket and scoop it with the salter when ready to use. That salter is self-loading.


We thought about this but the problem is all the water and crap that will get tracked into the container. We have a container full of sand we do this with down the street for the office parks area and that container gets nasty



SHAWZER;1908952 said:


> Good looking machine and self-loading salter . Maybe hang some rubber on it to help eliminate salt spray back . Superstars idea seems good. Thumbs Up


 Thanks  this one is seasonal rental haha I like that idea though got salt on my Carhartt overall and wasn't happy


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## framer1901 (Dec 18, 2005)

3-4000# of salt thru that little spreader every night? I hope you are getting pad well.

I'd most certainly be using that self loading feature, who cares if it gets nasty, better than picking up a hundred bags.....


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## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

framer1901;1911976 said:


> 3-4000# of salt thru that little spreader every night? I hope you are getting pad well.
> 
> I'd most certainly be using that self loading feature, who cares if it gets nasty, better than picking up a hundred bags.....


They pay me alright but not good enough to lug all those bags all night..... They know it too which is why they said come up with a solution and they'll do the best to get it done. Granted it gets easier everytime I do it but thats not the way I want to get my exercise wesport lol

The problem with the container getting nasty is that once water/sleet/snow/moisture gets tracked in the container the salt will start to harden and clog the spreader. I've already run into problems with small clumps from the 50lb bag salt don't know if the 2,000lb sack will be better or worse. I've been tossing them out as I load by hand.
If you notice in the picture there is 1 of 3 "trap" doors that control salt flow. It doesn't take much to clog those, a few small clumps of harden salt will greatly reduce if not stop flow.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

dealer374;1911943 said:


> Thank you for all replies guys I hope everyone had a good holiday. I hope to find a solution for this soon.
> 
> I have not heard of one those but it gave me another idea I mentioned to the foreman. Using a concrete hopper or a old paving dump body on stands at a angle just drive up and dump in. Hopefully he makes this idea happen


You must be a city guy then

Here a pic of what they look like Make them from steel to poly

If I had to load that much from bags I would set up a Salt Tender


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## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

framer1901;1911976 said:


> 3-4000# of salt thru that little spreader every night? I hope you are getting pad well.
> 
> I'd most certainly be using that self loading feature, who cares if it gets nasty, better than picking up a hundred bags.....





Antlerart06;1912002 said:


> You must be a city guy then
> 
> Here a pic of what they look like Make them from steel to poly
> 
> If I had to load that much from bags I would set up a Salt Tender


Yeah I am a total city guy  I have never seen one of those but they look like an awesome idea, thanks for the pic. I am going to get on the foreman about that next time I see him.

I like that setup, I would still have to handle and slice open what is left of 50 pounder's until I get to the 1 ton sack but all I would have to do is drive the skid up to the pallet slice and dump right in the bucket to preload that tender...No actual lifting!

I appreciate the help fellas don't know if they'll implement this particular idea but i'm going to push for it so please keep the idea's coming if you have any!!! Thanks again guys


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

dealer374;1912011 said:


> Yeah I am a total city guy  I have never seen one of those but they look like an awesome idea, thanks for the pic. I am going to get on the foreman about that next time I see him.
> 
> I like that setup, I would still have to handle and slice open what is left of 50 pounder's until I get to the 1 ton sack but all I would have to do is drive the skid up to the pallet slice and dump right in the bucket to preload that tender...No actual lifting!
> 
> I appreciate the help fellas don't know if they'll implement this particular idea but i'm going to push for it so please keep the idea's coming if you have any!!! Thanks again guys


Some of them fabric Totes has a opening on the bottom Raise it up and mount to a stand like A frame Then you pull under it let flow into your hopper That depends if your totes are the reusable ones

Good luck


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## STARSHIP (Dec 18, 2000)

Working off of your concrete hopper idea, you could look for a new or used collapsible bulk container with a hopper bottom. http://www.bulkcontainerexpress.com/p/DGB574565-HB.html They hold over a ton, so you could empty an entire bulk bag in it, and then elevate it in order to get your salt spreader under it to load it.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

STARSHIP;1912302 said:


> Working off of your concrete hopper idea, you could look for a new or used collapsible bulk container with a hopper bottom. http://www.bulkcontainerexpress.com/p/DGB574565-HB.html They hold over a ton, so you could empty an entire bulk bag in it, and then elevate it in order to get your salt spreader under it to load it.


You can use them on a Tender to


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

The best thing to do is buy a new self loading spreader that will handle bulk salt and small wet clumps and forget about the bags.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

Such as this






Hla scattershot


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## Derek'sDumpstersInc (Jul 13, 2014)

dealer374;1908547 said:


> Hi guys I've been reading up on some ideas but haven't quiet found one that will be suitable for my application, here is my setup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Not to COMPLETELY highjack your thread and go off topic, but how do you like the tires you have on your skid steer? They look like the Solideal Lifemasters that I was thinking about putting on mine. 95% of my machine use is snow related, so that is my main objective is good traction on snow/ice covered pavement. As most have commented on other threads pertaining to this subject, the factory Beefy Babies that come on it are useless. Please let me know your opinion on the tires you have and if they are indeed Lifemasters. Thanks.


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

Triple L;1912576 said:


> Such as this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That thing looks awesome. But...it doesn't solve the loading 100 bags by hand dilemma or loading from the sacks of bulk.

OP, you were crazy to take on the "use our salt" deal. Really you need to be spreading bulk from a truck mounted spreader.


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## Comet (May 23, 2001)

Sure looks like a a tireing situation, why not just obtain an utilize a truck with a hopper spreader with bulk material


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## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

derekslawncare;1912677 said:


> Not to COMPLETELY highjack your thread and go off topic, but how do you like the tires you have on your skid steer? They look like the Solideal Lifemasters that I was thinking about putting on mine. 95% of my machine use is snow related, so that is my main objective is good traction on snow/ice covered pavement. As most have commented on other threads pertaining to this subject, the factory Beefy Babies that come on it are useless. Please let me know your opinion on the tires you have and if they are indeed Lifemasters. Thanks.


 I'm not exactly sure but I will check next time I'm at the machine. Whatever they are they're nice. I was moving big piles almost the entire width of the 10' box I was using and had no problem. The machine was working OT but she clawed in.



Comet;1912684 said:


> Sure looks like a a tireing situation, why not just obtain an utilize a truck with a hopper spreader with bulk material





WIPensFan;1912680 said:


> That thing looks awesome. But...it doesn't solve the loading 100 bags by hand dilemma or loading from the sacks of bulk.
> 
> OP, you were crazy to take on the "use our salt" deal. Really you need to be spreading bulk from a truck mounted spreader.


I had nothing to do with the negotiations of the deal I just work the company that did. To my understanding the reason we don't use a truck is there a weight limit on the parking deck. I believe its 8,000 or maybe 10,000lbs.

I really like STARSHIP's idea of the collapsable bulk container because we can lock it up in the container and move it around easily with the forks. While I'll still have to handle every bag until we get to the sacks I won't have to lift the bags as much


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## Derek'sDumpstersInc (Jul 13, 2014)

dealer374;1914363 said:


> I'm not exactly sure but I will check next time I'm at the machine. Whatever they are they're nice. I was moving big piles almost the entire width of the 10' box I was using and had no problem. The machine was working OT but she clawed in.
> 
> I had nothing to do with the negotiations of the deal I just work the company that did. To my understanding the reason we don't use a truck is there a weight limit on the parking deck. I believe its 8,000 or maybe 10,000lbs.
> 
> I really like STARSHIP's idea of the collapsable bulk container because we can lock it up in the container and move it around easily with the forks. While I'll still have to handle every bag until we get to the sacks I won't have to lift the bags as much


Ok, thank you very much.


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## dealer374 (Jan 7, 2010)

derekslawncare;1914370 said:


> Ok, thank you very much.


They are indeed Lifemaster tires. The CAT went down this last storm so they put me in a Bob S750 that had the same tires and they clawed in too. I don't have much experience with various tires but Id say they are good tires to buy


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## Derek'sDumpstersInc (Jul 13, 2014)

dealer374;1918189 said:


> They are indeed Lifemaster tires. The CAT went down this last storm so they put me in a Bob S750 that had the same tires and they clawed in too. I don't have much experience with various tires but Id say they are good tires to buy


Ok, thank you very much for looking and getting back to me.


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