Yorkshire-based manufacturer of mixed flow crop dryers, Kentra, has introduced two new moisture measurement and recording systems for growers, and an automated moisture monitoring system ideal for use at the grain intake.
Kentra says the new grain moisture management systems will help growers manage crop drying operations. The high-accuracy products come from Canadian manufacturer Dryer Master, whose long-established DM510 control system fully automates the grain drying process with minimal manual intervention.
The new DM100 is a lower cost, less sophisticated version that still provides an element of control to relieve the workload of whoever is managing the dryer. Grain moisture is measured at the discharge point and adjustments to the discharge rate are made automatically when operator-set high, low and target moisture levels for each of three discharge speeds are hit.
Unlike the fully automatic DM510, the DM100 requires the speed set points and moisture targets to be adjusted periodically to maintain optimum performance.
The new Moisture Monitor Pro records grain moisture and temperature at the discharge – with the option to add an intake sensor as well – to help operators achieve consistent results from fully manual control. As with the DM510 fully-automatic and DM100 semi- automatic systems, values are shown on a colour display, are accessible remotely using a mobile phone and can be downloaded to farm computer records.
These features are also common to Load Monitor, a system that records the average moisture of entire lorry or trailer loads of grain at the intake. The sensor is fitted in the grain flow line – for example in a duct where grain passes from the intake pit to an elevator – and Load Monitor automatically starts logging as soon as the sensor detects grain flowing across it.
The finished record includes a consignment identifier and time stamp, and compared with sampling, using Load Monitor means there is no delay to tipping incoming consignments and the moisture reading will be fully representative of the bulk.
Kentra Grain Systems was formed in 1989 to design and manufacture grain dryers that meet the challenging requirements of British farmers. Today, the range of mixed flow dryers produced from heavy-duty galvanised steel features a unique column design for effective drying of all free-flowing combinable crops and control systems, axial flow fans are designed, developed and manufactured in-house. The modular construction of the dryer allows for maximum flexibility in model selection.
So, if you need a throughput of 10t, or in excess of 100t/hour, Kentra says its range of dryers and user- friendly management software gives you complete, real time control over your harvest.