Wagon-Mounted Bin Fan Dries Wildflower Seed
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Andrew Swanson grows native wildflowers on his Nevada, Iowa farm. To reduce shatter losses, he often has to harvest when the plants are still immature and with a high moisture content. To dry the seeds fast, he installed a perforated metal false floor in a wagon and mounted an ordinary bin fan on back.
The fan installs in the wagon's endgate. Swanson built a metal housing that directs air flow under the false floor.
"I use this idea on several of my wagons. It works a lot better than laying the seeds on the ground and turning them in the sun, which I had been doing," says Swanson. "Sometimes I harvest just the seed heads, and other times the entire plant. Often there will be a lot of trash mixed in with the seeds. I use a pitchfork to turn the material over occasionally. Depending on the weather, it can take anywhere from one or two days to a week to dry the entire wagon. Then I run the seeds through a cleaner and bag it. Some of the fans I use are 3-phase, and some are single phase."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andrew Swanson, 64905 190th St., Nevada, Iowa 50201 (ph 515 382-6120).
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Wagon-Mounted Bin Fan Dries Wildflower Seed WAGONS/TRAILERS Accessories 31-4-30 Andrew Swanson grows native wildflowers on his Nevada, Iowa farm. To reduce shatter losses, he often has to harvest when the plants are still immature and with a high moisture content. To dry the seeds fast, he installed a perforated metal false floor in a wagon and mounted an ordinary bin fan on back.
The fan installs in the wagon's endgate. Swanson built a metal housing that directs air flow under the false floor.
"I use this idea on several of my wagons. It works a lot better than laying the seeds on the ground and turning them in the sun, which I had been doing," says Swanson. "Sometimes I harvest just the seed heads, and other times the entire plant. Often there will be a lot of trash mixed in with the seeds. I use a pitchfork to turn the material over occasionally. Depending on the weather, it can take anywhere from one or two days to a week to dry the entire wagon. Then I run the seeds through a cleaner and bag it. Some of the fans I use are 3-phase, and some are single phase."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andrew Swanson, 64905 190th St., Nevada, Iowa 50201 (ph 515 382-6120).
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