Lvlon makes feed storage silos in Henan, China. The galvanized hopper-bottom silo range ships to poultry and swine operations across Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East. In-house steel fabrication, hot-dip galvanizing and system integration. Factory-direct pricing. Full OEM on capacity, discharge configuration and feeding line layout.
The Economics of a Tin Can That Replaces a Warehouse
A 15-tonne silo replaces roughly 600 feed bags. Those 600 bags occupy about 20 square meters of warehouse floor. They arrive on a truck that takes two to three workers half an hour to unload by hand. Rats chew through the woven polypropylene and eat the feed-a 20% bag perforation rate in a poorly sealed storage room is common. Each hole leaks grain. Each leaking bag attracts more rats.
A sealed galvanized silo eliminates all of it. The bulk truck parks beside the silo, connects an air hose to the top fill port, and blows 10 tonnes of feed into the tank in five to ten minutes. One driver. No warehouse labor. No bags to buy, fill, stack, tear open or dispose of. The feed inside stays dry-the zinc coating on both inner and outer walls prevents condensation rust, and the sealed top keeps rain out. Rodents bite galvanized steel once, learn nothing happens, and move on.
The cost savings add up from three directions. Bag cost: roughly 20–30 bags per tonne of feed, plus the labor to fill and handle them. Spillage: the industry average feed loss between bagging, transport, storage and feeding is 1–3%. A 500-tonne-per-year operation losing 2% is throwing away 10 tonnes of paid-for feed annually-roughly the price of a mid-size silo. Labor: the worker who used to shovel bags now presses a button.
How the Cone Bottom Feeds Itself
The silo floor is an inverted cone-angle 45 to 60 degrees. Dry feed pellets and meal have an angle of repose around 30–40 degrees. On a flat-bottom bin, feed in the center flows out first and feed against the walls stays put, forming a stagnant ring that eventually molds. On a 45-degree cone, every kilogram of feed inside the bin sits on a slope steeper than its natural slide angle. Gravity pulls all of it toward the center discharge port at the cone tip.
An auger or chain-disc conveyor connects to the port. When the feeding system starts, the auger pulls feed from the cone tip into a sealed steel transport pipe. The pipe runs from the silo to the poultry house or pig barn. Inside the barn, a chain-disc feeding line distributes feed evenly along the troughs. The operator starts the system. The silo empties itself one meal at a time.
No vibrator needed. No hammering on the cone wall to dislodge bridged feed. The slope is the mechanism.
Galvanized Steel: The 20–25 Year Tank
A feed silo lives outdoors. Daytime sun heats the steel shell. Night cooling forms condensation on the inner wall. If the inner wall rusts, rust flakes fall into the feed. Livestock consume iron oxide particles mixed into their ration-low-level chronic toxicity with no immediate symptoms but measurable over years in reduced feed conversion and organ health.
Hot-dip galvanizing coats both sides of every steel panel-inner and outer walls, the cone, the roof, the access ladder. The zinc-iron alloy layers that form during the 450°C immersion process are metallurgically bonded to the steel, not painted on. The coating resists rain on the outside and condensation on the inside with equal effectiveness. Design life in agricultural environments: 20–25 years.
The cone tip takes the most abuse-constant feed abrasion as material slides toward the discharge port. The zinc layer at the cone tip will thin faster than on the vertical walls. This is visible in annual inspections. A silo that reaches year 18 with the cone tip zinc layer beginning to show thinning can be spot-repaired with zinc-rich paint. The silo itself remains structurally sound well past the rated lifespan.
Specifications
| Parameter | Spec |
|---|---|
| Type | Hot-dip galvanized hopper-bottom feed silo |
| Capacities | 2.8 / 4 / 5.7 / 7.8 / 8 / 11.3 / 14.8 / 18 / 21.9 / 28 / 35 tonnes |
| Material | Hot-dip galvanized steel panels and frame |
| Unit weight | ~1,000 kg (varies by capacity) |
| System integration | Auger feed line + chain-disc feeding system (optional) |
| Packaging | Palletized, modular |
| Design life | 20–25 years |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Customization | OEM/ODM (capacity, discharge config, color, branding) |
| MOQ | 5–10 units |
Sizing a Silo
The sizing formula: silo capacity = daily feed consumption × maximum delivery interval + 1–2 days buffer.
A 10,000-bird layer house eats roughly 1–1.2 tonnes per day. Bulk truck comes every three days → 3.6 tonnes minimum, order a 4 or 5.7-tonne silo. Truck comes weekly → 8 tonnes minimum. Delivery every two weeks → 15 tonnes or larger.
A 1,000-head finishing pig unit eats roughly 2.5–3 tonnes per day. Weekly delivery → 21 tonnes. A 28-tonne silo gives a comfortable buffer.
Undersizing the silo means the bulk truck comes more often, each delivery costs a fixed transport charge, and the per-tonne delivered cost rises. Oversizing means feed sits in the silo longer than necessary-for operations in hot, humid climates, feed stored beyond four to six weeks in an unventilated silo can develop condensation-related mold at the top layer. Size to match the delivery schedule, not just the volume.
FAQ
Q: Can I buy the silo and feeding line as a complete system from one supplier?
Yes. Lvlon integrates the silo, auger transport line, chain-disc feeding circuit and in-barn troughs into a single delivery based on your barn floor plan. One supplier. One set of installation drawings. One spare parts catalog. No matching flange sizes and auger pitches between different manufacturers.
Q: How do I choose the right silo capacity?
Daily feed consumption times maximum days between bulk deliveries, plus one to two days buffer. Send us your daily feed consumption per barn and your bulk truck delivery schedule. We recommend the capacity.
Q: Will condensation inside the silo make the feed mold?
Condensation forms on the inner wall from day-night temperature swings. The water droplets slide down the galvanized wall surface to the cone bottom and drain out through small weep holes at the base-they do not drip into the feed mass. In desert climates with extreme day-night temperature swings (40°C to 10°C), adding roof insulation or reflective paint reduces the thermal cycling that drives condensation.
Q: What is the OEM minimum and customization scope?
Five to ten units minimum. Silo capacity, discharge configuration (auger or chain-disc), transport line length and layout, color and body branding. Standard models ship in 15–25 working days. OEM orders add 15–20 working days.
Contact Lvlon for factory wholesale price, silo sizing recommendation and container quotation.
