McArthur BDC advises moving away from Mecmar installations as a ‘stand-alone’ grain drying solution  

John McArthur, managing director at McArthur BDC, said that there is a definite move away from farmers using Mecmar driers as a stand-alone solution.  

“Customers are looking for automated systems enabling them to do more work with less labour. Using Skandia Elevator grain handling equipment controlled by a Mecmar delivers cost-effective, automated grain drying systems.  

“An added attraction of a Mecmar mobile grain drier is its low depreciation, due to a strong resale value. Should farming business plans change, capital invested may be more easily recovered, which is essential in these uncertain times,” Mr McArthur continued. 

Another reason driving the choice of a Mecmar, is the drier’s inherent flexibility. There are many ways that a mobile grain drier can be used in conjunction with existing infrastructure or planned into new greenfield sites.  

Team’s grain drying and storage expertise 

Host of Cereals ’23, Thoresby Farming, part of the Thoresby Estate, which covers 3,400ha, had lost a drying facility on one of the estate’s farms and needed to replace it to meet drying requirements for harvest 2024. 

Will Baker, farm manager, had conducted marketplace research around potential solutions and quickly became aware of grain drying and storage projects successfully delivered by McArthur BDC.  

He said: “We worked closely with McArthur BDC on the design of the new plant and took full advantage of its team’s grain drying and storage expertise. 

“We slightly modified an existing general purpose shed and installed Skandia grain handling equipment which included an intake and conveyors to the grain store, centred around an automatic Mecmar S 43 T batch drier.   

“The Mecmar was our drier of choice as we knew that its build quality and reliability were key reasons why it has a proven track record, plus it delivers the automation we were looking for. 

The Mecmar controls the Skandia intake to automate loading, it then dries and cools grain, and an integrated aspirator cleaner removes dust and chaff. Then grain is unloaded onto Skandia conveyors and transported to the grain store, the company explained. 

Monitor drier on your phone

John Bruce of Balmanno Farm Ltd, who farms near Perth, needed to increase his storage capacity and replace existing aging drier in readiness for harvest 2024. 

He said: “My old system was complex and behind the times, with lots of different stages in the process. Once our previous drier had dried the grain, it was put into storage bins and cooled, put back through an old handling system, loaded into trailers, and then taken to the grain store. 

“This was very labour intensive, and we needed someone to be on site at all times to monitor what was happening and empty the bins into the trailers.” 

Mr Bruce took the decision to build a new 2,000t capacity storage shed, and with guidance from McArthur BDC, supported by recommendations from his agronomist and farming friends, chose to install an automatic Mecmar D 24 T which features touchscreen controls and an aspirator cleaner. This is filled by the indoor trench Skandia conveyor in about 17 minutes. 

He continued: “Once dried, the Mecmar automatically unloads the grain onto the newly installed Skandia chain and flight conveyors, which transport the grain directly to the new store.  

“The first crop that the Mecmar had to dry were the winter beans, which wasn’t straight forward and it was a steep learning curve, all were well dried without scorching and stored away for long-term storage. Being able to monitor the drier on my phone was a huge help as it reduced the visits to the site and increased the accuracy of the timing to visit in anticipation of events reaching trigger points.” 

Integrated drying and storage solution  

Angus-based farmer, Jack Carnegy, of Balnamoon Farms had been using a Mecmar D 24 T batch drier for three years as a standalone machine. 

He said: “I wanted to upgrade my grain drying and storage capability as it was too labour intensive. We had been using a telehandler to feed the hopper, which then fed the Mecmar. 

“I wanted a more automated solution, and it was just a case of utilising the full potential of the Mecmar’s capabilities.” 

Following discussions with McArthur BDC around the design of a new system, Mr Carnegy took the decision to build a new store with a 3,500t capacity and install Skandia grain handling equipment.  

An outdoor Skandia trench intake now feeds the Mecmar, and once dried and cooled, grain is automatically unloaded onto an inclined Skandia conveyor that connects to a horizontal conveyor which fills the grain store. 

“My Mecmar, now being used as part of an integrated drying and storage solution, has made harvesting much easier with the additional bonus of needing significantly less labour. There is far less pressure on the telehandler and operator to be dedicated to the drier, enabling both to be used handling grain elsewhere without slowing down the drying process,” Mr Carnegy added. 

Mr McArthur concluded: “Each of these customers posed a simple question, how do I dry and store my grain as quickly and safely as possible. 

“All three farmers had quite different challenges and requirements. Whilst our solutions appear similar each is unique and demonstrates how the McArthur BDC team supports our customers through the all-important project development process.  

“This ensures that their challenges are overcome and their requirements are met and their businesses become more profitable and more resilient.”

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