Stirator in large bin question

Milk

Member
Hello everyone,
I am going to put up a 42'diameter, 26.5'sidewalls GSI bin this summer and am going to have a DMC, three down auger stirator in the bin, 22' down auger length. The auger will come within two feet of the power sweep unload, so there will be about two feet of corn that will get over dried a bit. The bin will have two 10hp centrifugal fan and high, low burners installed also. Anyone else ever done this before?What are your experiences doing this?Seems to me like an inexpensive way dry corn, less labor involved.
 
I have three stirrers in a 30' bin. I wish I had the fourth, stationary one which hugs the bin wall. I don't use that bin anymore for wet corn so it's not an issue now.

I suppose it depends a lot on how wet your corn is, and your climate. Here in NY everything is apt to be too wet. Will you have air tubes going up the wall?

I dry with a top dry now. I do believe drying in bin is the most economical way to go. But, ideally, the corn will be transferred out, then it will be thoroughly mixed, as there will always be some spots in the bin dryer not dried, or stirred as much as the rest.
 
We are from Minnesota so corn tends to be on wetter side in the fall.I plan to put up another one if this works out fine. We are using other bins with sukup stirator in, they work ok, seems to always shear drive tube bolts but beats having a holding bin and babysitting a standalone dryer.
 
Own a Sukup with stirrator and spreader as well-bin and 50 hp fan are OK but spreader and stirrator are junk-same shear pin problem even in 15% corn.
 
Won't have air tubes. Going with bin liner. Hopefully that is better than air tubes. I just don't think that they do that much good. We have them in two other bins, don't see much difference!
 
We had a 36ft bin set up to dry with years ago and it had 8 augers ridding on a rail track,,we hated it from day one,,fought with it through the horrible 80's,,too poor to make a change,,as soon as corn prices got up we took it out and junked it...that was a happy day...they may be better now,,but I don't want to find out...
 
I used to work with a guy that had a couple bins with stirators. I remember him always complaining about the stirators. Thats all I know about
them.
 
Might be inexpensive and simple way to dry but as
you have already thought out you will end up some
overdried corn. Its just the trade off to a less
complicated system so you will save money and
time on drying but loose money when you take it out
to sell due to overdried corn. I cant think of anyone
in this area that admits to using a stirrirator.

Un related thought, Have you thought about a taller
36 foot bin? I would think it would be cheaper to
build but still have the same capacity.
 
I put up a Souix bin in "76, came with one down auger on a Sukup stirator. Sukup rhymes with that other word! Yes, it could have worked better with multiple down augers, but that wasn"t common then. Once the mercury switch didn"t stop it, and it tried to chew its way thru the bin wall. I switched to a wet bin and Farm Fans automatic dryer in 1988...works very well. Reloads, shuts off when empty. Can dump hot if I want to and use the bin dryer fan to cool.
 
I also have a 30 ft Sukup bin with three stirators and live in MN. This will be my tenth year with it and the only issues I have had is a couple of
belts ran off. One of mine stays alone the wall. Don't put the corn in too wet, I like to see it 21 or under. Once you turn them on, leave them on
until you are done drying. My concern would be if your augers will be too long?
 
Just 2'of over dried corn. I don't think that it will get that over dried because I will be drying low heat,nothing over 140 degrees, probablycloser to 120 degrees. That is how we are drying now. Our corn quality is excellent, test weight average is 58,59,#s.Local elevator says that we have the best quality corn that he's seen!
 
Like I said earlier, I know that I am pushing the limits of the stirator, but they make them that long, so they must work.How long are your auger?
 
All you need is 6 inches clearance over unload sweep per install instructions. That isn't much corn. We have hundreds of these systems out. They all have some issues but over all very small percentage. Just be sure to start it early and don't shut it off too soon.
 
I have 14 DMC stirators. 10 of them are the Red giant models. Much heavier than the regular models. Well worth the extra money to me. I have two bins that use the longest auger they make. They work but make darn sure and do not set the advance motor switch to advance too far. The loner auger needs to advance about 2/3 of what you would do with a shorter auger stirator.

Before I bought a tower dryer in 1996 I dried all my corn in the bin. I did not put corn over 21-22 percent moisture in the bins. Once the bin had 2-3 rings of corn I started the stirators and they never got shut off until the corn was dry and cool. I still run the stirators when filling them with dry mostly cool corn. That way I can stir the corn in later months to help preserve quality.

In bin drying will work but it takes more smarts to make it work without problems. LOL
 
I don't think you want to push Air through, and have longer auger down into a taller bin. Fatter/wider and shorter is how you dry. Tall and skinnier is how you store.

Paul
 
Yes,I know that they work much better in 22percent or less corn. We dry with our other bins that way. Do you have any problems with the red giant?I have done some research on them, but the dealer recommends the regular three down auger stirator.He says that they have several 42'bins out there and they are working great. I like hearing from people who have experienced large bin stirator. Thanks a bunch!!
 
The red giant model is more expensive and I bet your dealer has never installed one. They are more of a commercial unit. I will not install another regular unit. You have more motors and lighter construction on the regular unit. I think that the long augers on the light hanging frame will cause trouble myself.
 
Repeated shear bolt problems are from A) Outer reversing box totally devoid of lubricant and jamming, or B) Shear bolt holes worn and allowed to work on shear bolt, especially if the tube has a bow in it from shipping damage or some other reason. With the bow just starting past the highest point, the downward force of the augers will rotate the tube quickly until the lost motion is taken up against the shear pin. If the holes are bad enough, the bolt can actually be sheared in the same direction the gearmotor rotates. If the holes are sound and the bolt is tight, this cannot happen. Mechanical devices in hostile environments need to be serviced once in a while.
 
You are correct sir. I have noticed that the holes in the connection sleeve ARE worn out of round. They will be replaced before next drying season. Very good point!Thanks
 
I am thinking along those same lines. He
said that he has not sold one red giant
ever. I am going to research this some
more. This might be a better stirator for
something that is that wide and deep a bin.
Thanks for the response!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top