Pre-Season Grain Dryer Maintenance

There’s nothing worse than being in the thick of harvest and having a piece of your equipment break down, especially your grain dryer. We want to help you avoid this frustrating occurrence as much as possible with a few tips on performing pre-season grain dryer maintenance this summer, to create in-season success.

Checking your dryer early (and your entire facility for that matter) helps ensure we not only visit your grain site in a timely manner, but can get you any needed parts or repairs, so you are ready to go when combines start rolling.

Before diving into maintenance, consider what safety precautions you need to take. Turn off and disconnect any components of your grain dryer such as mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic elements that could cause harm while inspecting and performing any maintenance. When in doubt, refer to your grain dryer’s user manual for the recommended safety precautions to follow.

Clean the control box, fan and metering rolls

Clean any debris or foreign materials out of the control box and fan using soft brushes, a vacuum, or compressed air. If you have a portable GSI or Sukup dryer, the metering rolls need to be cleaned out, as plugged grain columns can overheat and lead to a fire. Access to the metering rolls can be easily found through the cleanout doors. For sites with a Shivvers dryer, the transfer augers should be cleaned out for optimal performance. Electrical power should be shut off before entering the dryer.

Check the gearbox oil level

Check the oil level in the gearbox and lubricate if needed. Follow your dryer’s maintenance instructions for when the oil should be changed, the type of oil and how much.

Turn on the electrical power supply, control panel and other electronics

Turn on the electrical power supply to the dryer and check that the control panel and any other electronics are operating properly and not overheating. Additionally, check electrical connections to ensure they are tight.

Verify the fan turns on

Make sure the fan turns on and watch for any unusual vibration. If unusual vibration is occurring, this could indicate a cracked or out-of-balance blade.

Note: Only turn a fan on if there is grain in the bin to prevent damaging the floor and supports.

Ensure the heater runs and burns blue

Turn the heater on to see if it runs and is burning blue. If the flame is yellow, the heater is not burning efficiently, which will use more gas and ultimately cost you more money. Try cleaning the burning ring, and if the yellow color remains, the burning ring will need to be replaced.

Check for potential gas leaks

Carefully inspect for any gas leaks. This can be done using soapy water.

Test the conveying equipment

Check that the grain moves in and out of the dryer effectively by testing the conveying equipment. Bearings may also need to be lubricated.

While these steps will give you a good start to performing pre-season grain dryer maintenance, we also encourage you to complete the full checklist in your grain dryer’s user manual for recommendations specific to your dryer. If you have any questions or see areas of concern while going through your pre-season dryer checklist, give us a call. We are happy to come out and take a look.

For the do-it-your-selfers, don’t forget you can also order dryer and bin parts online at your convenience through shopstutsmans.com.