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Optimizing Your Grain Harvesting System

This guide provides essential insights on optimizing grain harvesting systems. It covers critical components such as harvesting rates, grain tank capacities, and unloading rates for combines and hauling vehicles. Practical advice on on-farm handling equipment, dryer types, and the sizing of wet holding and surge bins is included. Emphasis is placed on system performance evaluation using computer programs and planning for future expansions. Ensure your harvesting process is efficient, reliable, and designed for optimal output throughout the season.

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Optimizing Your Grain Harvesting System

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  1. Optimizing Your Grain Harvesting System Sam G. McNeill Extension Agricultural Engineer UKREC Princeton, KY 270-365-7541 x 213 smcneill@ca.uky.edu Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

  2. Information for Combine(s) • Harvesting rate (bu/h) • Capacity of grain tank (bu) • Unloading rate (bu/min) • Stationary/mobile unloading? • Up to 10 combines

  3. Data for Hauling Vehicle(s) • Type of vehicle • Cart, wagon, truck, trailer • Hauling capacity (bu) • Unloading rate (bu/min) • Travel time from field to bins • Up to 20 trucks

  4. End of Day Operation

  5. Elevator Delivery Option

  6. On-Farm Handling Equipment • Receiving pit/hopper (bu) • Wet grain auger/leg (bu/h) • Wet holding bin (bu) • Dry grain conveyor/leg (bu/h) • Surge bin (between dryer and leg/conveyor) (bu)

  7. Dryer Types • Storage only (no drying) • Bin Dryers (bu/d) • Layer • Batch/continuous -in-bin • High speed dryers (bu/h) • Automatic Batch • Continuous Flow

  8. Layer & Batch/Bin Dryers • Drying capacity (bu/day) • Size of bin/fan • Depth of grain • Drying air temp. / r.h. • Initial/final corn moisture • Unloading rate (b/h)

  9. Automatic Batch Dryers • Drying capacity (bu/h) • Drying air temp. / r.h. • Amount of air (cfm/bu) • Initial/final corn moisture • Holding capacity (bu) • Load/unload time (min)

  10. Continuous Flow Dryers • Drying capacity (bu/h) • Drying air temp. / r.h. • Amount of air (cfm/bu) • Initial/final corn moisture • Holding capacity (bu)

  11. Sizing Dryers • operate 20 hours/day for your harvest moisture • (20%+) allows for wet seasons /harvest pressure • Expl: for a harvest rate of 12,000 bu/day, select a 600 b/h dryer at 7-10 points of moisture removal

  12. Sizing Wet Holding Bins • Wet tanks should be large enough to hold ~ 1.5 x EOD capacity, for example… • Combine cap. = 12,000 bu/day • Dryer capacity = 8,000 bu in 20 h • Difference is 4000 bu/day • Wet tank should be 5000 bu

  13. Sizing Surge Bins • Base size on time to collect amount of dry grain x 1.2 • Expl: for a 300 b/h dryer that will be serviced by a 1500 b/h leg used to unload a 600 bu truck…the leg will need 24 min. to unload the truck • Surge bin should be 145 bu(0.4 h * 300 b/h * 1.2)

  14. Effect of component size on combine efficiency

  15. Conclusion • Use available computer programs to evaluate system performance • Good system design will be limited by the combine • Plan for future expansion so that equipment replacement / upgrades are cost effective

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