Maintain your dryer for a more efficient harvest

Harvest can present many challenges for farmers including start-up issues with your grain drying equipment. Many of these frustrations can be avoided by adopting a good maintenance program performed before harvest. Always review the maintenance information in your operator’s manual and follow these tips to assist you in preparing your grain drying equipment. Many of these suggestions can be performed by the dryer owner/operator with some steps best performed by a qualified service technician. Ask if your servicing dealer offers a pre-season inspection program or contact a qualified servicing company in your area.

• Safety first: Ensure the power is turned off to the equipment and the flow of gas has been removed. Use proper PPE (personal protective equipment) like safety glasses, work boots and gloves when working with grain drying equipment.

• Cleaning: Make sure the interior of the dryer is clean inside the plenum and the grain columns. Material left in the dryer can heat up and be a potential fire hazard. Debris in the grain columns can prevent even flow of material in the dryer leading to additional problems and reducing the efficiency of the drying process. Open both the cleanout doors on an auger unloading system and the pans on a chain conveyor unloading system. Clean the inside of control boxes and the area around the dryer to remove hazards.

• Mechanical: Inspect the condition of belts, chains, augers, chain conveyors and sprockets. Tighten or replace as necessary. Worn components can lead to failure of the unloading system during harvest. Inspect the blowers for proper alignment (side to side as well as centered in the inlet cone). Check the gearbox oil level. Make sure shafts are not broken and bearings move freely. Lubricate chains, sprockets and bearings on the blowers.

• Electrical: Inspect all sensor cables for cuts, fraying and weathering. Make sure connections to the main panel, burner boxes and sensors are tight (hand tighten only as overtightening may damage the wires in the cable). Restore power and make sure the sensors are working, and all switches and lights are functioning on a switch panel dryer. Make sure you can log into the COMMANDER program and the program functions properly on PLC (programmable logic controller) systems. The battery in the PLC may need to be replaced every two to three years. If your moisture sensors are installed, make sure they are reading correctly.

• Fuel train/burner: Inspect the fuel train for potential leaks and check the vaporizer coil (LP – liquid propane systems) and clean the coils if needed. Clean burner ports per the instructions in the operator’s manual. Clean the air switch tube of any water or debris (do not use compressed air into the air switch as this will damage the switch). Inspect the spark plugs and wires.

• Operational: Verify the loading and unloading systems as well as the equipment used to fill the dryer and take material away from the dryer are working properly. This equipment may have its own set of maintenance instructions. Recheck the unloading equipment on the dryer. Belts or chains that skip, jerk or make strange noises should be tightened or replaced.

• Test fire: Restore the supply of fuel and test fire the burners. Adjust the operational temperatures and make sure the temperature controllers and modulating motors are working properly. With the burners running, check again for leaks using soap and water. Inspect the pressure gauges to make sure they are working. Using the inspection windows, verify the flames are mostly blue with occasional orange tips.

• Record keeping: Always refer to your operator’s manual for maintenance checklists, recommended lubrication products and intervals as well as other pertinent information. Record the results of your inspection and ask for a copy of the inspection if performed by your dealer.

If you have any questions, please contact your local AGI dealer. If you do not have a dealer, please contact AGI-Omaha at csr.storageomahasales@aggrowth.com or call 402-453-6912 and ask for Sales or Service.

Watch this video to learn more about the AGI mixed flow dryer and pre-cleaner.