Mobile dryer at centre of grain handling systems

• Move away from standalone solutions

• Automated systems require less labour

• Efficiency and cost-effectiveness key

Demand is growing among farmers for mobile grain dryers to be at the centre of new automated drying systems.

“There is a move away from farmers using Mecmar dryers as a stand-alone solution,” says John McArthur, managing director at grain drying and storage experts McArthur BDC.

“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.”

Another attraction is the strong resale value of mobile dryers due to low depreciation. “Should farming business plans change, capital invested may be more easily recovered, which is essential in these uncertain times,” says Mr McArthur.

Three farmers recently approached McArthur BDC to upgrade their grain drying facilities. “Each of these customers posed a simple question, how do I dry and store my grain as quickly and safely as possible.”

Thoresby Farming

Farm manager Will Baker chose an automatic Mecmar S43T batch dryer when he needed to replace a drying facility for harvest 2024 at Thoresby Farming, part of the 3,400ha Thoresby Estate in Nottinghamshire.

“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,” says Mr Baker.

“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 S43T batch drier.”

Mr Baker says the Mecmar was his dryer of choice. “We knew that its build quality and reliability were key reasons why it has a proven track record – and it delivers the automation we were looking for.”

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

Balmanno Farm

John Bruce, of Balmanno Farm near Perth, adopted a similar approach. He needed to increase his storage capacity and replace his existing aging dryer in readiness for harvest 2024.

“My old system was complex and behind the times,” he explains.

“Once our previous dryer had dried the grain, it was put into storage bins and cooled, put back through an old handling system, loaded into trailers and taken to the grain store.”

This was labour intensive, requiring someone to be on site at all times to monitor what was happening and empty the bins into the trailers. The new 2,000t capacity storage shed is much more efficient.

The system is based on an automatic Mecmar D24T which features touchscreen controls and an aspirator cleaner. This is filled by the indoor trench Skandia conveyor in 17 minutes.

“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.”

Learning curve

“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 before events reaching trigger points.”

Balnamoon Farms

Angus-based farmer Jack Carnegy, of Balnamoon Farms had been using a Mecmar D24T batch drier for three years as a standalone machine. He also wanted to upgrade his grain drying and storage capability to make it more efficient.

“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, Carnegy took the decision to build a new store with a 3,500t capacity and install Skandia grain handling equipment.”

Trench intake

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.

“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,” says Mr Carnegy.

McArthur BDC is exhibiting on stand 8.410 at LAMMA 2025