The Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep’s A-frame design provides horizontal rigidity that prevents the sweep from bending as it moves through grain.
Photo courtesy of Sukup Manufacturing Co.
Photo courtesy of Sukup Manufacturing Co.
The award-winning products are the Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer and the Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep. The Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer combines the use of mixing/heating chambers with vacuum cooling technology. The Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep is a grain unloading machine that sweeps grain from large bins without requiring the operator to enter the bin.
The awards will be presented Feb. 14 at the ASABE Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
“We’re very pleased and honored to receive AE50 Awards for these two products,” said Charles Sukup, president of Sukup Manufacturing Co. The recognition “underscores the emphasis our company puts on innovation,” he said.
A record four products made by the company won awards last year – the Stirring Machine Gear Motor Delay, U-Trough Hanger Bearing, QuadraTouch Pro dryer controls, and SMART Loop dryer operation system.
Sukup’s Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer recycles warmed air back into the dryer, which reduces the amount of fuel needed to reach the optimum drying temperature.
Photo courtesy of Sukup Manufacturing Co.
Photo courtesy of Sukup Manufacturing Co.
To be eligible for an award, products must have been introduced and made commercially available between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016. Products or systems nominated must be intended principally for use in the production, processing, research, storage, packaging or transportation of agricultural and food products, and have the potential for broad impact.
Sukup’s Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer recycles warmed air back into the dryer, which reduces the amount of fuel needed to reach the optimum drying temperature. Fuel savings may exceed 25% compared to traditional pressure-cooled cross-flow dryers. The mixing chambers allow more uniform drying of grain, and they are made of solid sheets instead of perforated material, which eliminates the need to sweep debris from hard-to-reach upper screens on traditional cross-flow dryers. The patent-pending design of the Sukup Mixed-Flow Grain Dryer allows for a single center unloading system. It may be ordered with gravity-flow or auger loading and with auger or drag conveyor unloading.
The Zero-Entry Commercial Paddle Sweep’s A-frame design provides horizontal rigidity that prevents the sweep from bending as it moves through grain and vertical rigidity that allows use in deeper grain. The A-frame design also helps prevent stalling in the event of a grain avalanche. Vertical loads on sweeps in large bins may exceed 5,000 lbs./ft.², requiring tremendous design strength to endure such heavy loads.
