Double-Floored Grain Bin Hoppers Improve Aeration

Double-Floored Grain Bin Hoppers Improve Aeration GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous Flat-bottomed bins with an aeration system work well to dry grain but farmers still need to go in and shovel out the last couple hundred bushels Hopper-bottomed bins empty by gravity flow but aeration systems don’t work as well in them often leaving dead pockets and spoilage “We wanted to have both of the positive benefits in one bin ” says Frank Zacharias owner of Norbin Grain Storage “We put a full floor air system in a hopper bin It’s galvanized so you don’t have to worry about upkeep and spoilage ” Zacharias along with brothers Adolf and Albert started working on the hopper bin aeration problem about 3 years ago They launched their finished product in the spring of 2020 “The system is like a standard hopper with a separate floor about 6 in higher than the main floor An air plenum is created putting distance and open area between the floors so the air can flow between ” Zacharias says “It’s like a manifold effect The fan is mounted on the outside and the system pressures up the area between the floors The second floor is made up of perforated louvers so the air is forced into the grain across the entire area ” The long-lasting galvanized hopper bottoms are manufactured in Winkler Manitoba by Norbin Bin Storage and can be shipped anywhere broken down on pallets A Norbin crew assembles the hoppers at their destination or farmers can erect the units themselves The double-floored hopper bottoms can be a part of a new grain bin or built under an existing hopper bin Sizes range from 14 to 36 ft in diameter but can be custom built to fit other dimensions if necessary Costs vary depending on size but Norbin’s most common request is for their 27-ft model Complete with a full floor air system and skid it’s priced at $50 000 CAN Units without an air system sell for around $38 000 all plus S&H and assembly Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Frank Zacharias Norbin Grain Storage 860 Monticello Way Winkler Manitoba Canada R6W 0N3 ph 204 384-7850; sales@norbin ca; www norbin ca

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