Enjoy the slide show and story below!
Recently we were able to finally find a company who was willing to come to our very remote area and take this giant down before it fell down on its own. Hats off to Cody and Crew (Mike, Preston, Ryan, and Bear) of Maxim Cranes of Sidney, Montana!
For nearly 50 years, the two blue silos have stood over the Fladager property near Peerless. The smaller of the two, standing at 60 feet, was erected in 1968 when Milton Fladager stuffed it full of silage and fed the cattle in his feedlot. Milton’s sons were excited about the success they had witnessed due to the first silo and urged Milton to build the second silo, which was erected in 1972. In today’s dollars, this taller structure would have cost over $200,000 to install.
Unfortunately, due to global events beyond Milton’s control, including double-digit interest rates and bottom of the barrel calf prices, it was soon evident that he had bitten off more than he could chew. As the 70’s problems turned into the 80’s drought, the silos went from being productive, silage storing towers to landmarks.
When in production, it has been reported that the larger silo could hold 400 tons of haylage or silage compared to the smaller silos 100 tons. These structures are made from steel with baked-on glass to produce an oxygen-limiting environment that was marketed to improve feed production to the extent that it would pay for the silo itself. A simple Google search reveals multiple lawsuits claiming false advertising and Harvestore silos soon came to be known as Broke Farmer Monuments or Blue Tombstones.
Initially the structures were erected with a jack system on the inside of the silo, lifting each ring under the white dome. The higher rings were a lighter steel, measuring approximately 1/4-inch thick. The lower the rings, the thicker the steel, with the bottom rings made of 1/2-inch thick steel. The white dome was a second-generation feature that Harvestore modified into a lighter steel compared to the original heavy steel blue lid on the first models.
The larger of the two silos was damaged a few years prior to 2017, with some theories being that a vacuum was created during a strong wind storm and sucked the side of the structure inwards. However, it may have been as simple as the winds throughout time rattling the bolts loose, creating a weak spot where the structure simply started to fail due to the weight. In the last two years, it has appeared to many that this area was enlarging. As the sections were unbolted or torched free during the removal process, it was interesting to note the same buckling look appeared as the initial damage, which lends credibility to this thought.
When Curtis and Tammi Fladager prepared to move to Peerless in 2017, they started scouring the nation for someone who would take down the damaged Harvestore with concerns that it would come down on its own. Early attempts garnered bids of $12,000 to $24,000 just to start the job. Fortune finally smiled when a crane company came to assist with the Madoc water tower and Cody from NCSG Crane Company in Sidney agreed to look at the project.
After a reschedule in August, the crane and crew arrived on September 11. Plan A involved one crane lifting the top of the silo, while the other crane lifting the bottom to a horizontal position and laying it down. After the crew surveyed the damage of the silo, Plan B became cutting of the top 30 feet of the silo around the damaged area, lifting it off and setting it aside, followed by the concept of Plan A.
However, after the top was successfully lifted off on Saturday, September 12, 2000, and all of the bolts at the bottom layer were removed, the attempt to lift the remaining silo quickly faltered when the shackle broke through the steel, leaving the silo untethered and unable to be lifted. This left the unbolted structure creaking and crackling throughout the night as it settled in on the foundation.
Sunday morning, September 13, the crew returned from Sidney and successfully unbolted a layer 30 feet from the top after securing the section to the second crane. After all bolts were removed, the second crane swung the loosened section to the ground. It was decided at that point to leave the remaining 40 feet of the silo on its foundation until the salvage crew came in a few days. All portions are currently standing on their ends, creating what appears to be four silos where there were once just two.
When asked if he was sad that the silo was going down, Wallace Fladager, who was just 19 when the silo went up, replied, “Nope, not at all. Dad is probably up there doing a jig. That thing cost him a lot of money.” Wallace went on to explain that the silo was probably only used for about four years after it was erected.
Many thanks go out to the crew of Maxim Crane (formerly NCSG Crane Company) out of Sidney. Cody, Mike, Preston, Ryan, and Bear, you all did a wonderful job!
