Augerless Way To Move Grain

Augerless way to move grain GRAIN HANDLING Conveyors 9-5-1 A revolutionary new "augerless" grain-moving system that uses flexible rubber tubing to move grain made its debut recently in Sydney, Australia. Dubbed the "Tubeveyor", the system uses what is essentially a split rubber hose to handle grain and other flowable materials. Inventor Andy Karpisek, a successful manufacturer of a variety of industrial products, says the Tubeveyor works like a rolled-up conveyor belt. "It moves easily around corners, over obstacles and it'll carry grain over any distance, vertically or horizontally, at a cost far below conventional grain handling systems," Karpisek told FARM SHOW. "Grain augers tend to crush and damage grain, creating lots of dust and fines. Because the Tubeveyor consists of a sealed rubber tube, it doesn't damage grain and it keeps dust to a mini-mum. Karpisek first designed the Tubeveyor on paper 22 years ago but he didn't build his first prototype until last year. The idea is to funnel grain into the rubber tube through an opening which runs the length of the hose. The opening is held closed by a watertight inter-connecting rubber lock system until it reaches its destination. There, the hose is opened up and the grain flows out. The Tubeveyor is routed from one location to another by a series of pulleys. It can be sized small enough to replace portable grain augers and big enough to do the job of commercial elevators. On farm, the Tubeveyor can be used to move grain from remote bins to livestock, replacing all other handling equipment. "There's no limit to the height, distance or volume of grain the system can move," Karpisek says, noting that he's now working on the first production models which will be powered by small electric motors. Karpisek says the system takes so little power that'll he'll also be marketing a hand-cranked model for third world countries. "We've had tremendous interest in the system from the largest manufacturers and industrial mining concerns as well as agencies that supply equipment to the least developed countries which need simple equipment that doesn't require high horse-power and lots of maintenance," he notes. Another big advantage of the Tubeveyor is the ease with which the volume of material it carries can be monitored. Because the tube is always filled to capacity, a meter can be incorporated into one of the drive pulleys to determine volume. Karpisek says it can measure much more accurately than even a conveyor because it carries uniform quantities. In addition to grain, the Tubeveyor can also be used to move fertilizers, chemicals, sand, cement, coal, foods and other materials. Thanks to its watertight seal, it'll also handle liquids,and is particularly suited for wet concrete and other hard to handle thick, viscous materials that can't ordinarly be conveyed. The fact that the system has no minimum speed of operation makes it even more versatile. Karpisek is at work developing the first production models which will convey about 500 bu. per hour. He hopes to have a 2,000 bu. per hour machine out sometime next year. For information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, L.S. Karpisek, L.S.K. Industries Pty. Ltd., 86 Woodfield Boulevarde, Caringbah, N.S.W. 2229 Australia (ph 02 525-8544).

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