July Equipment Highlight

Thursday July  7, 2011 and The AGTV Network continues to look at grain handling / storage systems. Today we look at augers and conveyors. Augers and conveyors allow grain to overcome gravity they do this in 3 ways. They lift grain, move it horizontally and they stir grain.

There is equipment that do these jobs in combination. Westfield Industries is one company who makes a version of such equipment.



This is the MK Flex series from Westfield Industries. It allow for easier unloading by dumping the grain into a small movable hopper that raises the grain in two stages.

NEW MK Flex

Save time when it matters most!

Westfield Industries pioneered the swing away auger in North America, and they have done it again with the new MK Flex series of portable augers.

The MK Flex is designed to address the harvest needs of today’s largest farms. With a hopper that can cover up to 287% more surface area than a conventional swing away and a patented double-joint design to reach and retract further, you’re able to unload double hopper bottom trailers without moving the truck.

A built in hydraulic hopper mover and swing cylinder takes all the work out of positioning the intake and offers maximum flexibility.

Best of all, the MK Flex has all the capacity, quality and safety features you’ve come to expect from a Westfield auger.

The MK Flex: Faster, more efficient and easy to use. It's the auger with all the right moves!

Contact your authorized Westfield dealer today for more information.

The NEW MK Flex Features:

• Available in 13" tube diameter
• Available lengths are 71', 81', 91' and 111'
• Patented double-joint design to reach and retract further

If you are looking for a more traditional auger to move lift your grain than Mayrath may be an option. 

TD Painted Finish TD-Plus Galvanized Finish Available in Painted or Galvanized Finish. The Mayrath TD & TD-PLUS deliver the most impressive collection of operating and construction features available on any portable grain auger today. The TD & TD-Plus Mayrath auger lines offer a wide range of model lengths in painted or galvanized finishes. In addition, the TD-PLUS galvanized line is loaded with optional choices. TD-PLUS- OPTIONS Internal bearings on 6", 8" and 10" models. (Standard on 12") Heavy gauge flight on 6", 8", 10" and 12" models. Corn screens available on 8" and 10" models. Sealed Oil Bath Drive The sealed oil bath drive adds years of life to the drive chain and sprocket as a result of constant self-lubrication. All drivelines are solid steel and supported by low maintenance sealed bearings. Not available on 12”. High Capacity Discharge The optional spout offers additional auger protection. Heavy duty bearings and components throughout will result in years of trouble free service. Tough Galvanized FinishThe main tube of the TD-PLUS is a durable galvanized finish. Heavy-duty aircraft cable with trussing aid in supporting the main auger. Maximum Capacity Intake The open design of the auger intake provides maximum capacity while insuring the safest operation. Heavy duty flighting maximizes screw life. Manual or Powered Lift System A manual winch is standard equipment with labor saving hydraulic or electric winch options available. Hydraulic winch standard on 12” x 71’ & 81’ models. Wide-Based Undercarriage Design Mayrath's wide wheel base design and scissor type undercarriage constructed of high strength round tubing means greater stability during operation or while being lowered. The tapered roller bearing hubs permit increased towing capability. Elevates and Lowers Smoothly The undercarriage slides on four nylon rollers for smoother operation and reduced winch strain. The dual angle iron track is welded to the tube for additional strength on the 6", 8" and 10" models. A box channel is used on the 12” model. Choice of Drives Your choice of PTO or Electric Drive (Electric not shown). The PTO drive can be driven from either side of the auger. A shear mechanism is incorporated in the PTO driveline for component protection. A band-on support provides a convenient method to carry the driveline during transport.  Is space an issue and yet you still need to lift the grain, then a bucket system maybe what you need. This is an option from Sudenga Industries Inc.

Head Explosion vent standard Crowned drum style pulleys with SCOF vulcanized lagging or removeable slide lagging Heavy Duty double tapered pillow block bearings on turned, ground and polished shaft. Dust seals and bearing supports are included. Shaft mount torque arm speed reducers with taper lock bushings are standard. Ladder & Cage Standard galvanized ladder & safety cages available in 4' or 8' lengths Available with OSHA rest platforms Trunking Heavy Duty jig/robot continuous seam welded trunking 2', 4', 6', 8', lengths available Angle iron tie braces at 8' intervals Reinforced inspection sections with removable covers provide convenient inspection & service of belts/cups Boot Heavy duty upside/downside hoppers with dual cleanout slides Self cleaning wing style boot pulleys ride on heavy duty shafts with heavy duty pillow block bearings
					Last Update :22 August, 2007

Bucket elevators are available with heights of up to 210' with standard capacities of up to 20,000 BPH. Capacities higher than 20,000 BPH are quoted to specs. A variety of accessories are available along with support towers, catwalk, trussing kits, spouting and distributors.

Perhaps lifting grain is not your goal but moving air flow through the grain or transport horizontally.  Using an auger without the tube in a vertical fashion stirs the grain to help dry down moisture. Here is an example from Red Giant The Stir-Ator turns any drying bin into a self-contained drying and storage system. With a Stir-Ator in your bin, you have wet holding, drying and storage all in the same unit. A Stir-Ator decreases static pressure by fluffing or loosening grain to allow maximum air flow. Grain is mixed so it dries faster, thus avoiding the problem of overdrying bottom layers of grain while the top layers are still wet. When all the grain is dry, a Design III Stir-Ator equipped bin can be used for storage. Periodic running of a Stir-Ator (with or without aeration) helps prevent grain spoilage and damage when storing over a long period of time. Higher equipment cost and constant monitoring required by other drying methods are eliminated with a Design III Stir-Ator. Stir-Ator’s rugged, yet simple, maintenance-free design ensures long trouble-free operation under the most demanding conditions. Engineered to require a minimum amount of maintenance, the Design Ill Stir-Ator has been the most popular selling stirring machine ever built. Features that make it so popular include the following:- 1. Unique, patented, spiral stirring pattern allows all grain to be stirred equally. (Patent #3,251,582) 2.  Larger permanently sealed auger bearings and minimal adjustments result in low maintenance and trouble-free operation. 3. “Quick clamp” auger shaft connectors and extra heavy duty stub shafts allow for easy installation and truer running augers. 4. Exclusive DMC graduated pitch augers start easier, require less power, allow optimum air flow, and efficiently blend and stir all the grain so the moisture is consistent from top to bottom. 5. Low profile design allows more grain storage in the bin. Lower Investment :- Drying grain in-bin allows for a relatively low investment as compared to out-of-bin grain drying systems. Low investment because you can use one bin for wet holding and drying at the same time. After harvest is over, this same bin can also be used for storage. One piece of equipment—your drying bin—can perform three functions instead of just one. With out-of-bin dryers you have to have a wet holding bin in addition to the dryer. After harvest is over, the dryer sits unused for the remainder of the year. That one piece of equipment— the dryer—remains unused for 85% to 90% of the year, the  DMC Stir-Ator can be used all 12 months. In today's agricultural environment where each pound must be stretched to the limit, in-bin grain drying beats the alternatives, especially for seed, when comparing initial cost, drying cost per ton of grain and grain quality. Increases the flexibility of any drying system:- The Design HI Stir-Ator increases the flexibility and efficiency of any in-bin drying system. When using conventional fan &  heater drying, you can fill the bin without worry of static pressure build­up or over-dried bottom layers. Fight rising fuel costs by using a Stir-Ator with your natural air drying system. It will require more time than using heat, but it can save money on fuel. A Stir-Ator will cut drying time 50% in low temperatures or solar drying bins. This is accomplished by eliminating hot spots and maximizing air flow. The Design III Stir-Ator can also increase capacity of in-bin continuous flow systems. By cutting the Stir-Ator augers off 30 inches (76 cm) above the drying floor, the drying zone is then not affected. The grain above this zone (grain depths of up to 16 feet or 4.9 meters) is constantly being stirred, allowing the excess heat to move upward through the wet grain providing greater drying capacity and maximum efficiency. The Optional Stir-Guard protects your grain:- The Stir-Guard option protects your grain from over-stirring. If for any reason the Stir-Ator does not move forward within 45 minutes, Stir-Guard automatically shuts the Stir-Ator down. Stirring all grain equally is important:- Your main concern in selecting a stirring machine is how well it stirs the grain. The stirring pattern of the DMC Stir-Ator is the most thorough of any stirring machine available. Any machine that only comes “close” to the bin wall or “close” to the center is not stirring all of the grain. Only the DMC Stir-Ator stirs to the bin wall and to the center of the bin. Stir-Ator’s advanced design moves the outside auger closer to the bin wall than competitors’ machines. The Stir-Ator provides a spiral stirring pattern that completely and evenly stirs the entire bin every stirring cycle. Competitive machines with stationary augers that stir in concentric circles greatly over-stir the center area of the bin while under-stirring the outer third of the bin where over half of the grain is stored. A rugged cable drive mechanism provides the in-out auger movement that covers the whole bin evenly without unstirred gaps. The Stir-Ator cable drive system has proven to be the most reliable ever manufactured. Offset auger stirs against wall:- DMC’s optional offset allows stirring right up against the bin wall. No other stirring machine has this option. How important are stirring augers? Many people think stirring augers are all the same. But no matter how good the Stir-Ator is, stirring performance will suffer if the stirring auger is not of good qua1ity. How do you tell if an auger is good? DMC builds all these performance features into their hard surfaced augers.    1. Square edges on auger fighting provides the most efficient stirring as compared to any other shape. Square edges move more grain to the top, thereby blending grain with all levels of moisture and temperatures. Square edges on augers also help the augers travel through the grain faster than rounded edges, which gives you more complete stirring in a shorter period of time.     2. Auger flighting with smooth surfaces. Rough, uneven welds damage grain, creating fines that can complicate drying and cause storage problems. Rough surfaces also move less grain upward.     3. Hardest flighting possible and consistent wear area. Hardness is directly related to wearability.  The harder the auger, the longer it will last. You will find DMC is the only company with all these features together on one auger.         Red Giant Stir-Ator :-  The “big red machine” for larger drying bins . DMC Red Giant is a different design of Stir-Ator with many of the same features as the Design 111—such as the preferred Stir-Ator pattern. Because there are four to six augers, auger speeds vary to compensate for the area stirred by each auger. This feature allows the Red Giant to evenly stir grain all through the bin and eliminates over-stirring in the center of the bin which could cause grain damage. A choice of four or six augers makes Red Giant the only sensible choice for larger drying bins and high capacity drying. Designed for today’s busy farmer:- If you are like most farmers, you do not have time for unnecessary chores. The Rekord DMC  Stir-Ators are  engineered to require minimal maintenance, allowing you to do more important tasks during harvest time. But what is you need to move horizontally... This is what Shivvers has to offer.  Horizontal Transfer Auger When multiple bins are used in the system, you may need to add additional horizontal transfer augers with drop outlets to fill the various bins. All horizontal transfer augers are automatically controlled by the COMPUDRY™ Command Center. There are several more options, sizes and styles of augers on the market today. Check on Tuesday when The AGTV Network continues to showcase grain handling and storage systems.