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Sukup notes super dryer… at IPFS

Display highlighted company’s IPFS exhibit

-Messenger photo by Kriss Nelson Kerry Hartwig, grain dryer sales director for Sukup Manufacturing, based in Sheffield, speaks Tuesday with Roger Traetow, of Waverly, about the company’s new Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer on display at the Iowa Farm and Power Show in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — Sukup Manufacturing, of Sheffield, showcased its newest products at the Iowa Farm and Power Show this week.

Held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, the Iowa Farm and Power Show is rated as the third largest indoor farm show with an average attendance of 18,000 to 23,500.

Sukup set up its display on the lower level of Hy-Vee Hall with equipment represented by product managers and Sukup dealers.

The company’s new Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer was on display featuring Sukup’s exclusive Vacuum-Cooling function.

Kerry Hartwig, Sukup’s grain dryer sales director said the new Vacuum-Cooling feature is a fuel-efficient way to dry grain requiring less fuel to heat the air.

Drying occurs in the top tiers of the dryers. Vacuum-Cooling is accomplished in the bottom screened sections. This process recovers heat during the cooling process in turn using less fuel than traditional pressure cool dryers.

And that’s not all.

“Most dryers use a perforated screen. We use a combination of screens and ducts,” Hartwig said. “The ducts don’t plug up which reduces the amount of time typically spent cleaning which will mean a lot in the fall.”

The ducts are shaped as large triangles along the sides of the dryer. Saturated air flows through those and in addition to not plugging up with fines and bee wings, it eliminates any losses in capacity or efficiency due to debris build up that can happen with conventional screen dryers.

“The Vacuum-Cooling with heat recovery and the thick air flow concept requiring no cleaning of the dryer are both concepts that have been used for decades and have finally been combined,” said Hartwig.

This concept is also easier on the grain and, Hartwig said.

“The Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer can take in twice as much in grain and use half as much air flow per bushel allowing for better grain quality because there is no shock of heat going to the grain,” he said.

In addition, the dryer features the company’s QuadraTouch Pro control system, designed to be easy to use while eliminating around-the-clock monitoring.

The system is built to withstand harsh environments and apps are available for iPhone or Android, Hartwig said, allowing the user to monitor and control the dryer from a phone, tablet or PC.

“There is a big selling point to the peace of mind to be able to check up on your dryer at any time,” said Hartwig.

The Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer, Hartwig said, is unique in that it features a single-conveyer unloading system — which is another Sukup exclusive.

The design, which is patent pending, allows for a single unloading system whereas competitors’ units require two or even three conveyors, said Hartwig.

This design, he added, is much simpler with fewer moving parts.

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