Truck-Mounted Grain Roaster

Truck-Mounted Grain Roaster GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous 33-1-8 This truck-mounted grain roaster is designed to roast grain to feed livestock. It's owned by custom operator Ken Ressler of Orville, Ohio, and operated by Maurice Steiner, who drives it to farms within a 60-mile radius and is on the road six days a week, all year long. The 16-ton rig makes quite a sight as it heads down the highway, pulling a trailer equipped with a big cooling drum. The roaster is heated by propane stored in a tank on front of the truck bed. It reaches temperatures up to 300 degrees. At the farm, an auger is used to load grain into the burner. Soybeans, wheat, corn and oats are the most common grains. Such grains are high in protein. It takes about 1 1/2 min. to roast a hopper full of beans, depending on the grain's moisture content. The cooling drum is equipped with big electric fans which are powered by a gas-operated generator. After the grain is roasted and the fans have cooled it, the grain is augered onto a dump scale that's used to weigh the dried grain. From there it goes into a wagon or truck. The farmer is charged $40 per ton, with a $3 discount if payment is made in eight days. The roaster can easily do 1,500 bu. per day. Sometimes Steiner is able to visit two farms in the same day, if the jobs are small. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Ressler, 16808 Burkhart Rd., Orrville, Ohio 44667 (ph 330 683-0826 or 330 466-0671).

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