Rubber Auger Scores High With Farmers

Rubber Auger Scores High With Farmers GRAIN HANDLING Augers (4) 1-2-29 "It's one of the most exciting new products I've ever been associated with," says Dick Rayl, president of Westgo Industries, West Fargo, N. Dak., which introduced Flexgo, the first and only rubber grain auger, 16 months ago. More than 3,000 rubber auger replacement sections have been sold to farmers who installed them on grain augers of various brands and sizes. Westgo, in introducing the new rubber auger, also made it available as a factory-installed option on new Westgo grain augers. In either case, only the lower intake end - not the entire auger - is equipped with a 24 in. Flexgo section made of toughened rubber. "There has been some confusion on this," says Rayl. "Some people thought the entire auger from top to bottom was made of rubber. It's not - just the bottom 24 in. section." You can buy a 24 in. rubber section (6 or 8 in, dia.) to convert the intake end of your existing auger from steel to rubber. The replacement section has a steel shaft running through the center. In converting your present grain auger to rubber, you simply pull out the existing steel auger, cut 24 in. off the lower intake end - where most of the wear generally occurs - and weld or bolt on the new Flexgo rubber section. "We've only had one rubber section returned to the factory," says Rayl. "It apparently came loose and got damaged. With this exception, owners have been well pleased with performance of the new product." Rayl notes that demand for new augers equipped with rubber has been better than anticipated, but the "replacement" sales to farmers for upgrading existing augers with rubber have been less than originally projected. "Instead of trying the new idea on an existing auger, it appears the majority of farmers decided instead to buy a brand new Westgo auger equipped with rubber," says Rayl. He notes that when Westgo engineers first began experimenting with the rubber auger three years ago, they had safety in mind. "But we soon discovered that rubber delivered two important bonus benefits - gentler handling and up to four times better wear than steel," he points out. "We've incorporated all three features- longer life, less grain damage and added safety - into the rubber auger. Extreme hot or cold weather (down to -20?) doesn't adversely affect its operation. The rubber flighting also flexes to absorb the stresses if a big pile of grain is mounded over the intake section before the auger is started up." Tests with oats, wheat, soybeans and corn have shown up to 60% less grain damage with the rubber auger than with a conventional all-steel auger, says Rayl. "If the rubber auger reduced dockage only 1%, it would save the farmer about $9 per 300-bu. truckload, with corn at $3," says Rayl. Retail price is $50 for the 24-in. replacement section in 6 or 8 in. dia. It comes with adapters and couplers and fits about 95% of the 6 and 8 in. grain augers, regardless of brand or vintage, says Rayl. It won't fit augers with a left-hand spiral, however. For more details on equipping your existing auger with a rubber intake section, or on a new auger factory equipped with rubber, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Westgo Industries, Box 547, Dick Rayl, Pres., West Fargo, N. Dale. 58078 (ph. 701 282-3277).

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