Preston's Farm Electric · Since 1881 Call or text (607) 354-1012

Silo & Motor Controls

When chores won't start, I fix the controls.

I repair, check and build motor controls and drives for silo unloaders, conveyors, barn cleaners, manure pumps, vacuum and well pumps, grain legs and any other farm equipment that runs on a motor.

RepairStarters, overloads, timers and switches that quit or keep tripping.A total price before I start
CheckEvery stop and safety switch tested, everything labeled. Best before silo filling or winter.Ask for a price
New control panelsBuilt ahead of time, swapped in on your schedule. Down for hours, not days.Free estimate
Drives & automationVariable-speed drives that cut power bills, soft starters, chores that run on their own.Rebates can help pay

What I work on

  • Silo unloaders and the silo conveyor
  • Feed conveyors, bunk feeders and feed augers
  • Barn cleaners, gutter cleaners and alley scrapers
  • Manure pumps and agitators
  • Grain legs and augers, vacuum pumps, well pumps
  • Anything else on the farm with a starter, a timer or a float switch

Signs it's time

  • It trips out, or someone has to hold the button in
  • The starter buzzes, chatters or smells hot
  • The unloader can run when the conveyor is off, and silage piles up
  • Parts held on with tape or zip ties, rusted boxes, no labels
  • Only one person knows which switch does what

What's in a new control panel

  • One box built for barns: sealed, and it won't rust out from manure gas
  • Starters and overloads sized to each motor, so a jam trips it before the motor burns up
  • Things start in the right order: the conveyor runs before the unloader, the barn cleaner's elevator before the gutter chain
  • Stop buttons where you need them, plus a light that shows what's running
  • Every switch labeled, and a wiring drawing left inside the door
  • If you want: timers to run chores automatically, a soft starter for a hard-starting motor, or a hookup to a barn alarm that texts you when something trips

Most of the work happens before I get to your farm, so your equipment is only down for a few hours. You can do chores the same day.

Drives & automation

  • Variable-speed drives on vacuum pumps, milk pumps, well pumps and fans. The motor runs only as fast as the job needs, which can cut its power use a lot.
  • Soft starters for big motors that dim the lights, stall or fight the phase converter when they start
  • Drives that fault out or were never set up right: found and fixed
  • Chores that run on their own, on timers, floats and sensors, with a simple controller when the job needs one
  • A text when something trips, through a barn alarm

Utility rebates and grants can help pay for drives on vacuum pumps and fans. See what's open →

  • I never bypass a safety switch to get something running. If one is jumpered out, I'll tell you and give you a price to fix it.

★ Why me

I've built and wired motor control panels for years: 15 years as an industrial foreman on conveyor systems, paper mills and chemical plants, and on farms, silo conveyor panels and other silo controls. My story →

On a service plan? Your plan's repair discount covers control panel work too. A controls check can be added to any plan visit. See plans →

Tell me what's acting up

Call or text Eric Riggs

(607) 354-1012

Your first visit is free. Send a photo of the panel if you can. Where I work →

Call or text (607) 354-1012