Old Friend, New Face - Case Study
I n July, 2012, Door County Cooperative, Sturgeon Bay, WI, needed to replace the 3,000 bph grain dryer at its Shirley Feed Mill at De Pere, WI. Dairy customers needed feed, and an above average corn harvest was ready to be harvested in September.
FAMILIARITY WAS WELCOME, BUT INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE EXCELLED
Coop President Trent Allen (920-743-6555) knew just who to call to take care of its drying needs – Delux Mfg. Co.,
Kearney, NE (800-658-3240).
The cooperative had used a 3,000 bph Delux dryer for over 20 years at De Pere, so they ordered a Delux DPX16gt328-200 tower dry- er. According to Allen, the new dryer was an updated version of the unit that needed replacement and handles 3,280 bph at five points of moisture removal.
The feed mill grinds about 2,500 tons of feed monthly, for both bulk delivery to dairy farms around Green Bay, WI and bagged feed for customers on lifestyle farms in Door County.
Installation Process
The dryer project began in the third week of August, and Allen said installation by Marquette Systems, Byron, MN (507-775-6234) was "seamless." "We were going to be challenged in getting the project completed in time, because the accelerated growing season would cause corn to be delivered about a month earlier than normal," said Allen.
Installation, including electrical work and gas piping, was finished in five weeks, by the end of September. Allen said.
The 2012 harvest was unusual. "Normally, this is a corn-deficit area, and we have to bring corn in to grind feed for the high number of dairy farms," said Allen. However, northeastern Wisconsin was one of those regions with good moisture and high yields, and Allen said 390,000 bushels moved through the new Delux dryer last fall.
Selection Rationale
According to Allen, "The new unit needed to fit the same footprint (40 feet long), which was important for our existing facility, where bins do not have to be moved." He added that foundation construction cost control was important. ``The Delux unit made the most sense to stick with, in terms of efficiency and the size we had to work with in that location."
To feed the new dryer, Allen said the coop installed a new 55-foot tall wet leg rated at 3,500 bph. The leg pulls grain from two new wet hopper bins.
Performance Pleaser
"Going through the harvest season, we were extremely pleased with the performance of the dryer in terms of moisture being removed," he explained. "Regarding efficiency, we only had to use one wet bin because we were able to dry the corn as fast as it was coming into the coop during a normal working day."
Cleanliness was also a plus for Allen who said the new unit emits far less fines than the old unit. “Our Operation Manager, Dennis Kaster, was extremely pleased with the minimal amount of cleanup required in terms of the fines that were generated during the course of the dryer season,” he said.
The coop president also said his staff was pleasantly surprised by not having to work out bugs, as there are with newly-installed
dryers. He attributed that to familiarity with the operation of the prior unit, as well as with upgrades in the new unit.
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