General Mills Bucket Elevator Installation

The platform at the top of the elevator, used to access the elevator drive, was assembled on-site by the Yale Mechanical Millwright team.

Yale technicians used a 220-ton crane to lift the platform to the top of the bucket elevator.

The bucket elevator transports grain from ground level up 170 feet to its destination in silos and other areas of the facility.

General Mills’ oat mill in Fridley produces oat flour for Cheerios, Lucky Charms and other cereals. It’s also the company’s first biomass-powered plant, burning oat hulls to produce 90 percent of the steam needed to heat the plant.

Using a 220-ton crane, Yale Mechanical millwright technicians installed a support structure, platform and additional conveyor equipment for the grain-handling apparatus. At 170 feet, the installation required careful and accurate field assembly, and work was conducted during both operating hours and plant shutdown as available.