3 advices to choose the best grain dryer for your farm

Drying is a millenary technique that has always represented a competitive advantage of great value within farms. Today on the market there are different models, but what are the criteria to take into consideration to choose the type of dryer that is best for you?

Every agricultural business, whether small or large, can enjoy an enormous benefit from the use of a drying system: increasing productivity by spending the minimum.

In this article, Mecmar wants to suggest the three most useful tips to guide you in choosing the best grain dryer for your business.

# 1. Evaluate your company’s drying needs

To choose the most suitable type of dryers, it is essential to understand what kind of functionality your company needs: what type of cereal do you need to dry and how much for each season? How will the product be treated after drying (human, animal, seed …)?

Each dryer has different drying capacities, which mainly depend on the size of the dryer. To always be able to obtain the best results, you need to have the most valid devices, which thanks to their capabilities will allow you to achieve the best results.

In general, the rule that applies is the following: the greater the size of the dryer, the higher the level of hourly productivity obtained by the dryer will be. Generally, for low hourly productions a mobile dryer is better, while for important productions it is better to consider a continuous cycle dryer.

To obtain a truly effective drying, it is necessary to define the correct drying temperature, which varies according to the type of cereal, bearing in mind that each cereal can withstand a maximum level of heat above which there is a risk of spoiling the nutritional principles of the harvested cereal.

#2. Choose the type of drive

Grain dryers can be operated electrically or by tractor. This affects purchase costs and consumption costs. A tractor dryer can be moved and used anywhere, while an electrically operated dryer requires a constant and stable supply of electricity, suitable to support the dryer loads. An electric drive allows to include automation and independent management of the drying process.

There are also dual drive dryers that, depending on the needs, can be operated by electricity or by tractor.

#3. Consider several forms of warming

According to the needs, there are two main and different forms of heating: indirect or direct. In the case of direct heating, the combustion products are mixed with high volumes of clean air before coming into contact with the cereal to be dried. In the case of indirect heating, however, the products of combustion are physically detached from the products of combustion. Also in this case, the system and consumption costs are different.

Below is an example table:

These costs have to be compared with the purchase costs of the various heating systems: for example, diesel, which seems the least convenient system from a consumption point of view, may be the heating system that costs less as well as the easiest to manage in logistical terms.

Do you need more information about grain dryers? Take a look at this articles:

• How does a grain dryer work? Discover all you need to know
• Industrial grain dryer: 3 benefits that you should know
• Best grain dryer for small farm? Here how to choose it

In conclusion

Each agricultural company can optimize the drying process by choosing the system that best suits its needs. To make this happen, it is always useful to examine the size of the drying plant and its production capacity, bearing in mind that each type of cereal requires different drying times, methods and temperatures.

The competence of Mecmar, deriving from a long experience in the design of both tower and mobile dryers, allows us to offer each agricultural reality the best grain dryer, among a vast assortment, which is best suited to specific production and drying needs.

Mecmar offers a wide range of mobile grain dryers: each model is characterized by different sizes and capacities, in order to adapt to different needs. The NANO and CPT series are capable of reaching up to 13m3 of capacity, the STR, FSN and D series up to 33m3, and finally the SSI, S and F series, up to 97m3.

The series of tower dryers, on the other hand, divided into RT, RM and RG, are the machines able to guarantee the best daily production performance, as they are able to dry large quantities of grain in a very short time, reaching 1440 tons of dried corn in just one day. This obviously represents a guarantee for the farmer, as production costs are reduced, as a consequence of the reduction in processing times.

If you want to know in detail how to choose the best grain dryer for your company, do not hesitate to contact us: the Mecmar team will be happy to answer any of your doubts or questions.