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A grain hopper trailer is a trailer pulled by a
semi tractor
A tractor unit (also known as a truck unit, power unit, prime mover, ten-wheeler, semi-tractor, tractor truck, semi-truck, tractor cab, truck cab, tractor rig, truck rig or big rig or simply a tractor, truck, semi or rig) is a characteristical ...
and used to haul bulk commodity products, such as grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
. These trailers are used extensively throughout the United States to transport agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
products as well as any other commodity that can be hauled in bulk and loaded and unloaded through the trailer.
Design
Grain hopper or hopper-bottom trailers typically feature a rolling tarp on the top of the trailer, to enable easy loading of the product to be transported, and also offer protection during transport. They utilize two hoppers on the base of the trailer to unload to product, one servicing the rear half of the trailer, the other the front half. The output of these hoppers is usually controlled by a sliding plate on the base of the hopper, controlled by a user-operated crank handle.
Usage
A grain hopper trailer is used in conjunction with various other pieces of agricultural machinery to complete theharvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
of a field. Combine harvester
The modern combine harvester, or simply combine, is a versatile machine designed to efficiently harvest a variety of grain crops. The name derives from its combining four separate harvesting operations—reaping, threshing, gathering, and winnow ...
s or similar unload the harvest into grain carts, which in turn unload ''their'' load into a grain hopper trailer, for long distance transportation. The trailers are then unloaded into low-profile grain augers for transportation to, and long-term storage in, grain bins, also known as silos.
References