A new forty metre tube conveyor is set to drive grain into the silo in no time.
Powered by a John Deere 6068T1 industrial engine, the Tubeveyor is the work of industrial engineers Oztec.
The Toowoomba based company manufactures a range of grain and cotton-handling equipment for the agricultural sector, as well as industrial conveyors and other equipment for the oil and gas drilling and mining industries.
Oztec, managing director, John Sheehan said the companies products are available in a range of lengths, diameters and engine sizes, but the 40m Tubeveyor is the largest his team has built so farm.
"It is a 600 millimetre wide belt conveyor inside a 1200 mm tube and has the capacity to carry a wide range of grains," he said.
“We have been building self-propelled augers and tube conveyors since we started in 2003, but this is the biggest one we have ever done.
“It is run by a John Deere 6068T1 industrial engine, which is the same engine we have put in our earlier models. It is a very reliable engine and has more than enough power for this job as well. Over the last 15 years we haven’t had one bit of trouble with these engines.”
Mr Sheehan said the design of the Tubeveyor is unique.
“With a belt conveyor like this you can only run it up to an angle of 25 degrees or the grain starts falling backwards on the belt. It is 40m long to get the height needed to fill silos that are 15m high.
“We could have built it as a shorter self-propelled grain auger, but over that height an auger puts a lot of pressure on the grain. The belt is a lot softer on lupins and chickpeas, so it handles the grain more gently. That’s the main reason this farmer went with the belt conveyor this long.”
Mr Sheehan said the 6068Ti is a six-cylinder engine providing 107 kilowatts (144 horsepower) at 1800 revolutions per minute.
“The engine is working well,” he said.
“We have put a Kensho K27 engine controller with it, which is a computer that provides the engine with greater protection.
“It is very easy to operate and has a lot of features which we don’t need to use, but it has very extensive software in it and it goes well with the John Deere product.”
The 6068Ti features a dynamically balanced crankshaft, forged-steel connecting rods for increased durability, a self-adjusting poly-vee fan drive.
