Ag industry understands importance of grain bin safety

<p>MULTIPLE SUMPS: GSI offers installations that feature more than one unloading grain sump where grain can flow through to the unloading auger. Besides increasing efficiency, multiple sumps reduce the chance both might plug. However, GSI spokespeople insist the best away to avoid grain bin issues is to make sure grain goes into the bin in proper condition, and then monitor it carefully.</p>

<p>HEED LABELS: Grain bin manufacturers today provide warning labels on doors and walls that describe the dangers of entering a bin. Sukup Manufacturing recently introduced a grain bin door safety latch, which prevents closing the outer door unless the inner load-bearing door is properly closed first. The goal is preventing someone who opens the outer door from being buried in grain if that door is holding back grain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>SPELL OUT DANGERS: This poster on display inside a Sukup bin illustrates the dangers of entrapment if you enter a bin with grain storage issues. It illustrates both possible entrapment if a crusted layer collapses and how quickly someone can become entrapped in flowing grain.</p>

<p>BREAK CLOGS FROM OUTSIDE: Notice the cable in the man’s hand. In Sukup bins, this is a feature on unloading equipment. If there is a clog preventing grain from entering the sump, you can rotate the cable manually from outside the bin. The rotating action often breaks up clogs and allows grain to flow again.</p>

<p>SAFE CLIMBING: Data collected over time by Purdue’s Bill Field indicates that falls from bins, as well as other falls around the farm, are often fatal. This attachment on a ladder that attaches to the outside of a Sukup bin fastens a harness so a person can remain secure while climbing the ladder.</p>

<p>REDUCE ODDS OF PLUGGING: The new Paddle Sweepway auger from Sukup features an open head section. The skeleton-like design allows grain to pass through the head, increasing unloading speed while reducing likelihood of the center sump plugging at the same time.</p>

<p>2 SUMPS: The new U-Trough Extended Center Sump from Sukup features sumps on both sides of the gearbox. These sumps collect grain faster compared to traditional bins with one sump. If one plugs, the other might stay open, allowing grain to continue unloading from the bin.</p>

<p>CLOSE-UP VIEW: Here’s a closer look at the auger positioned above one of the two sumps on Sukup’s U-Trough Extended Center Sump. There is a second sump on the other side of the gearbox.</p>

<p>CHEW UP CLUMPS: Superior introduces a feature available on new installations — the Block Buster Auger. If the center sump plugs, you can reverse a section of the auger underneath the sump. It’s designed to clear the plug.</p>

<p>HEART OF THE FEATURE: Here is a section of Superior’s Block Buster Auger. Because it requires a reversible gearbox, the feature is available on new installations but can’t be retrofitted to existing bin augers.</p>

<p>NEW MONITORING TOOL: The GrainViz tool wasn’t pictured at GSI’s NFMS booth because it’s a high-tech system that produces an image of grain condition inside a bin. GSI spokespeople at the show reported that GrainViz should be available on a limited basis for installation later this year. It could be a valuable tool for spotting potential problems before they turn into spoilage and bin-plugging issues.</p>