AgTalk Home
AgTalk Home
Search Forums | Classifieds (66) | Skins | Language
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Cal-U-dri floor augers
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Forums List -> Machinery TalkMessage format
 
Illinois John
Posted 10/22/2006 14:28 (#54194 - in reply to #54135)
Subject: RE: Cal-U-dri floor augers


Crawford County, Robinson, Illinois

I had two Shivvers units with Calc-U-Dry computer controllers, assume that is what you are asking about?

If the floor augers are sharp, you have already wasted a lot of energy in the form of gas and/or electricity to run an inefficient unit.  That's OK, it took me a long time to figure that out, most of us farmers are used to using something until it is completely worn out, and then trying to re-build or repair.  In the case of the Shivvers or Neco systems, if the upright or floor augers are worn too much, they do not transfer grain efficiently, which means it is often overdried or interferes with the drying of other corn in the bin. 

I finally learned that when the unit was somewhere about half worn, I could take it to a local blacksmith the would run a bead of hard surface around the edge of the flighting.  this is a tapered screw, and you can determine the wear by noticing if the corn builds up near the center.  When augers are operating efficiently, the layers of dry grain is taken out in even layers, when they are worn, a mound of grain usually builds up in the center indicating the upright is not removing that layer well, or higher-moisture corn is left near the wall of the bin, indicating the tapered screw is not removing an even layer of corn from the bottom.

I felt it was a good economy to replace these screws a year after hard surfacing a worn one we ran about 600 or so acres of corn a year, seldom dried beans.  If you dry beans, which we did in some years, the wear on the augers is increased a great deal, as they seem to be more abrasive than corn.

I always believed hard surfaced augers paid, but cost basis shifts quickly in these days of higher priced labor and shipping costs, so learn the costs and make your own determination.  I haven't compared pricing on those items for ten years, as we have been letting corn dry in the field and have not used our driers for many years, just waiting until it is about 17% and using air to dry.  Gas prices coming down might just change that if the prices hold lower, but many new hybrids do dry down much faster, and being able to plant early has a big advantage to using gas to dry corn in the fall.  Just your selection of hybrids may well affect how long your drying parts last, that and gas prices should be considered when pricing and selecting seed corn varieties for next year.

Top of the page Bottom of the page


Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete cookies)