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Affordable Grain Bin Monitor
You'll like the price tag on the new "affordable" grain bin monitor produced by Boyd Electric. You can equip six medium size bins, for example, for only $134 per bin, giving you "the lowest cost peace of mind money can buy," says Dave Berckes, distributor. "What's more, you eliminate the cumbersome and dangerous chore of having to periodically climb to the top of bins to check stored grain for signs of spoil-age. Besides savings on spoiled grain, you can save electricity costs by aerating only when necessary."
"Researchers report that most grain spoil-age begins in the top 2 feet, prompting us to design a single temperature-sensing probe to monitor grain temperature," says Berckes.
Individual probes are inserted into the top of the grain after bin is filled. The probes are wired to a central monitor that operates on 110V electricity, which it transforms to 24 volts DC., which may be wired by any-one. Checking grain temperature in up to 11 bins is as simple as flipping the dial and noting actual temperature of stored grain in each bin on the monitor's digital readout.
The weather-proof monitor can be located wherever is handiest ù in the house, garage or shop. Because of the design of the system, the bin temperature reading isn't affected by distance between the bins and the monitor, says Berckes.
Individual probes are 38 in. long and are pre-wired with a weather-proof junction box on the end.
The monitor retails for $295, and the probes for $95 ù $85 if you buy 6 or more.
The cost for do-it-yourself installation, not counting wire between bin and monitor, pencils out to $390 for installing the Grain Watcher system in one bin, $134 per bin for up to 6 bins, and $112 per bin for up to 11 bins. An optional monitor will handle up to 33 probes.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Berckes Mfg., Rt. 3, Box 228, Canby, Minn. 56220 (ph 507 223-7754).


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1995 - Volume #19, Issue #1