Page 191 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK TWO "BOSTON 1960 TO 1970"

I had invested in a second-hand Volkswagen transporter pick
up that was not in use all day every day.
Our neighbours, John H. Rundle were local agricultural
engineers, well respected in the County and suppliers to
farmers for miles around.

AUGERS
From time to time they used my newly inspired small
transport service to back up their one lorry. On this
memorable occasion I was using faithful old Volkswagen to
transport an auger. For those that may not be aware of the
vagaries of agricultural equipment, an auger is like a huge
archimedian screw in a long tube.
They are used to move grain from one place to another. In
fact if you stick one end into a “grain mountain” on the floor
and place the top end over a lorry body it will fill the lorry in
double quick time with only minimum shovelling necessary to
keep the open end of the auger at the bottom filled with grain.
The screw down the centre is powered by an electric motor
mounted on one end and driving the screw with a belt and
pulleys. The lengths of tube varied enormously; the width too,
come to that!
When they are particularly long they have supporting steel
rods running the length of the outside of the tube. These rods
prevent the tube buckling and bending the auger inside. Once
in position and suitably secured; the internal screw revolves
rapidly and spews grain out at a tremendous speed and
pressure.

This one was long! It had those steel rods, two of them, one
on each side. A very large electric motor was mounted on one
end and I had been engaged to deliver it, as a farmer client had
decided he had nothing to move his corn and vehicles were
due to arrive and collect it later the same day!

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