92 
CONCRETE SILOS 
Commercial Silo Systems 
Monolithic Systems 
Several very ingenious systems of silo forms have been devised and 
put mto use in various parts of the country by silo contractors and con- 
struction companies. These are of a more substantial type than the home 
made forms and in most cases the same form may be used to build a great 
number of silos. Manufacturers of these forms generally contract to build 
silos by their systems, but often sell the forms and territory rights or rent 
them to prospective builders for the job. A number of the best systems 
in use m this country are briefly described in the following paragraphs. 
The Conklin Construction Co. of Hartford, Michigan, is manufactur- 
ing silo forms which make a poured concrete monolithic silo from footing to 
Conklin including a chute. This company claims that four men 
Construction P^'^ ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ day and that its machine carries 
Co. its own scaffolding and is automatically lifted; also not over 200 
feet of lumber is required for its operation. In addition to 
its use in building silos, the manufacturers claim that this machine is 
adapted to any circular construction such as grain bins, water tanks, 
etc., and that any thickness of walls may be made. 
The Conklin machine is equipped with a four-inch center mast carry- 
ing adjustable arms for various diameters between 10 and 20 feet. The 
standard equipment shows 60 feet of center mast but additional sections 
can be obtained so that the silo can be built to any height desired. This 
company also claims that water tanks can easily be built on top of concrete 
silos erected with their equipment, the water tanks, of course, affording 
water under pressure which is not only convenient but gives good fire pro- 
tection. 
