Cameras for monitoring grain drier.

[Colin]

What's the best option for this job so that I can check on my phone what's happening with grain temp etc. We don't have WiFi at the site but my house is only 100m away, we do have 4g though. We are trying to cut down on labour demands in the summer. This is on an Alvan blanch, not that it makes a difference. I have enquired about their auto moisture control system but it's not quite there yet and is a lot of £. In hindsight should have went for an auto batch machine instead.

 

[Brisel]

Graham Potter a system he can control from his combine cab seat.

App allows grain dryer control from combine cab - Farmers Weekly

Yorkshire grower Graham Potter enjoyed a less stressful harvest this year thanks to an iPad app that gave him control of the farm’s grain drying plant

www.fwi.co.uk

 

[Chae1]

Farmers eye in Dundee have installed a camera in one of our sheds for calving.

Would recommend them.

Millennial farmer on YouTube has a smart camera setup. Might be worth a look for inspiration.

 

[Brisel]

Agri Camera too

@sleepy

 

[Matt77]

+1 for agri camera, got one of theirs in the calving shed, can move it from phone, zoom in etc, it’s been faultless, sure you can get cheaper systems but are they as good/reliable

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

What's the best option for this job so that I can check on my phone what's happening with grain temp etc. We don't have WiFi at the site but my house is only 100m away, we do have 4g though. We are trying to cut down on labour demands in the summer. This is on an Alvan blanch, not that it makes a difference. I have enquired about their auto moisture control system but it's not quite there yet and is a lot of £. In hindsight should have went for an auto batch machine instead.

Only 1 camera with just 4G available I’d just get one of these...

Reolink Go 4G LTE Mobile Security... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JFWRHN3

Mine came bundled with a Vodafone V-SiM which costs £4 a month and you can suspend the SIM card using the Vodafone app, when out of season, so only pay the months you’re actually using it.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

If you want multiple cameras it may be better rolling a solution together using a 4G router and power over Ethernet cameras back to a small switch and recording to a little NVR like a £200 Synology box which you can connect to over a 4G internet connection pretty easily.

 

[MrNoo]

If it's anything like my old Alvan Blanch drier you'll be needing a lot more than one camera!!! Bought an auto batch drier last year, love it, reduced stress levels dramatically last harvest.

 

[Colin]

If it's anything like my old Alvan Blanch drier you'll be needing a lot more than one camera!!! Bought an auto batch drier last year, love it, reduced stress levels dramatically last harvest.

Installed in 2017 after previous tower drier went on fire, wanted a cf still but should have went for auto batch then it could have run 24/7 with minimal supervision. AB are talking about an auto control system but all you really need is something to see grain temp once it is running, then I can get trailer drivers to do own wet samples, would reduce labour need by one during harvest.

 

[Brisel]

I thought about automating my Svegma but the whole system here is too complicated. The investment required to take one person out of the team covered 15+ years of extra casual labour. It was just easier to leave one chap in there full time who could manage the elevators, 2 wet bins, dry grain output, place pedestals, push up the heaps etc. He has avoided a couple of fires too, when wet samples with small grain blocked the airflow in the drier laterals. I've yet to see a system that accurately measures moisture and controls a drier successfully too. Just not overdrying the grain saves a fair chunk of overtime in weight loss.

 

[Chae1]

@sleepy

 

[Colin]

I would be doing the monitoring, drivers would generally have enough time to weigh, sample and push up. Then the cameras would cover the pit and look at control panel. At the moment there is a system that texts you if it stops but by that time it's too late. We hoover out the plenums every morning and there's not really anywhere for stuff to accumulate. We already leave it running until 1 or 2 in the morning by itself just need a slightly bigger wet holding area so we don't have to love stuff about. Should have went for the auto batch though [emoji24]