Paul Corzine greatly improved his grain drying system by adding an electrically controlled slide gate under his wet holding bin.
"With this system in place, we no longer have to baby-sit the Top Dry dryer," says Corzine, of Assumption, IL.
Previously, Corzine had to manually control the slide gate. This gate, on the underside of the wet-holding bin, had a rack-and-pinion gear for hand operation.
He adapted a Grainger 3-N169 forward and reverse gear and motor to automatically open and close the slide gate. When the dryer calls for grain, a rotary switch activates the slide gate and the grain auger. The 8 inch-diameter, 72 foot-long auger then delivers wet grain to the top of the Top Dry bin.
When the dryer is full, the slide gate closes and the auger runs another 25 seconds to empty itself.
The Grainger gear and motor is powerful and turns slowly - as slow as 16 rpm.
Toggle switches were installed on the slide gate to stop the gear when the gate is open and when it's closed. Finally, a switch shuts off the motor when drying is finished for the day.
When corn goes into the dryer at 22-24% moisture, Corzine can dry 2,000 bu/hour.
Grain Systems International (GSI), Assumption, helped Corzine set up the system. More information is available from Jeff Decker at GSI. Phone: 217-226-4421.
