Trick Question??

[Fred]

The elevator will check the test weight of the grain which shows the actual weight per bushel of the load.The test weight can be higher or lower than 34 pounds for oats or 60 pounds for wheat.

 

[john250]

Get a semi. Y'all can do this all again for a hopper bottom (irregular shapes). :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

What about the PLS factor? Is there a higher pencentage of live seed in wheat than there is in oats or vice versa. Turner Seeds sells a bushel PLS which means you get a full bushel of live seed. It is always a bit more than a bushel. So if there is more live seed in wheat than there is in oats, it makes a volume delta.

 

[Alice]

What about the PLS factor? Is there a higher pencentage of live seed in wheat than there is in oats or vice versa. Turner Seeds sells a bushel PLS which means you get a full bushel of live seed. It is always a bit more than a bushel. So if there is more live seed in wheat than there is in oats, it makes a volume delta.

Ah, Jeez! PLS factor...what the heck is that...for that matter, what's a dang volume delta? Then again, nevermind...my feeble little tiny no math brain can't handle this stuff. Forget I said anything...and so will I.

Alice

 

[backhoeboogie]

Ah, Jeez! PLS factor...what the heck is that...for that matter, what's a dang volume delta? Then again, nevermind...my feeble little tiny no math brain can't handle this stuff. Forget I said anything...and so will I.

Alice

Sorry Alice. Seed is tested for germination. If 9 out of 10 are good, seed places give you 11 seed when you buy 10. That way you are reasonably assured you get 10 live ones when you buy 10. They call it "PLS" and I think it is an acronym for "percent live seed" but I truly dunno. But if their seed is tested at 95% good, you get an extra 5% above what you bought. So if you buy a bushel of wheat, you actually get a bit more. Wheat and oats differ in fertility. It would make a difference if you were to run up the road to Breckenridge and buy seed from Turner Seed Company.

Delta is just another way most engineering geeks say differential. There is even a symbol for it in calculations, a little triangle. I will try to remember and not use that term again. I truly apologize for that.

 

[Fred]

The US Standards for grain state that heavy oats have a test weight of 38-40 lbs/bushel. Extra heavy oats have a test weight over 40 lbs/bushel. If you had some 40 lb/bushel oats and figured your bushels at 34 lb/ bushel you would end up with more bushels on the truck. http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/reference ... %20oats%22

 

[novaman]

I think I am going to have to disagree on the bushels being equal. Anyone that hauled both wheat and oats knows that you can haul far more bushels of oats then one can wheat. Most of you are arguing that a bushel is a measure of volume but that certainly isn't how the elevators see it. Bushels are calculated according to weight these days.

That may be true (at the elevator), but regardless of weight, Oats weighs 34 lbs and wheat 60 lbs. You can only fit 300 bushels of oats on that same truck. Regardless of the weight difference you can only fit 300 bu on that truck.

Think of it this way, 1.25 cubic = 1 bu. So if you take a box that is 1.25 cubic feet you can only fit 1 bu in it, no matter the weight the volume is the same. Whether you fill it with feathers or lead, it would still only hold 1 bushel. The weight would be different, but the volume is still the same. And a bushel is a volume measure.

So even though the truck would hold less weight when loaded with oats, it wouldn't hold more bushels.

I'm not arguing that that is how one would think it should be. However I have hauled 450 bushels of oats to town in the same truck that I have never hauled more then 320 bushels of wheat. Not everyone considers bushels in terms of volume.