grain aeration

[Dan-IA]

Well I got up in the bin and threw out all the rotten ones on top that I could. Filled a 5 gallon bucket about 6 times. Ran a sample to the elevator for a moisture test, they said 14.0 so I need to dry it in a non-drying bin.

Fella suggested a "corkscrew fan". google and ebay turn up nothing. And the local hardware stores don't seem to have anything.

Any recommendations? Way the prices are going up I'd hate to haul it in just yet!

 

[IaGary]

Load them up and haul them to the local elevator and pay them storage for a while if you want to hang on to them awhile yet.

Where are you at? I think theisens and TSC carry those screw in airators.

Gary

 

[smash]

What grain are you dealing with? What size bin?

The "cork screw fans" don't do much. Check with you local Farm Store. Like Big R, Farm & Fleet, TSC. They should have some. If you have a seed plant close by they might also.

If you don't know what one is. It is a white pipe about 5 feet long, that you screw into the center of the grain. Then there is a Red fan that sits on top of the pipe. and you need to plug it into 110.

I have not used one for about 20 years. I would recomend you have some help with you when you screw it in, as I remember it is tireing.

 

[CumminsMan]

I'd just take them to town @ 14%, the dock won't be near enough to pay for the cost and headache of trying to dry them. Then maybe for next year put a drying floor in that bin if the bin is worth it.

 

[Steve in MN]

I agree with Gary. Haul em in and either pay a little storage or pick a price spike and sell em. At 14 percent the dockage won't be much. Haven't seen those screw in aerators around much lately. They're slow and don't do a very uniform job but they do help. Good luck, Steve

 

[Anonymous-0]

Dan, I am using only the fan portion of a cork screw aerator in a 12 foot hopper tank, the beans are nearly full, and that's going to be more screwing than this old man can handle,a pipe handle normally slides into holes on the air tube, then after the tube is down into the grain , you remove the pipe handle and throw it down to the ground trying not to injure your helper... it will not be reasonable to put this thing in that deep especially in the top hatch as close clearances while working there up on top of the bin roof and I don't want the fan assembly to stick outside in the weather or interfere with the hatch lid .... so I am just interested in the top portion, a small crust has formed as these bins have no eve vents or otherwise, I guess after the weather changed, some moisture collected in the top and could'nt escape,I did as you and ejected several buckets worth as best I could, yes a few "blue" beans still in there, some are a little "rubbery" , and some air up there will help, I don't think 14 percent moisture is bad, 15 would be ok, maybe but anything over.....no.
The other guys said on this topic that these screw in aerators don't help much, they are right, but perfect for this situation, just don't try to think a guy can dry an entire bin using one of these things, maybe tractor supply has one, or check with an old farmer, I took one fan motor apart and oiled it last week, as it was sluggish when first plugged in.

 

[fixerupper]

I got a cork screw fan at a local farm store this fall. The check was for $189.99. After harvest I ran it for two weeks in a GVT bin that had some beans with questionable moisture and the beans are fine so far. The bin beside it did not get the fan and it has a thin moldy crust. Both bins were filled the same day.Jim