The Grain Level Indicators That Are Used By Farmers

By Eugenia Dickerson


The equipment a farmer owns is very important as it helps him to run his establishment more efficiently. Farms that specialize in grains have storage silos, or elevators, of various sizes. In older times, these silos were constructed from wood, but more recently they have been made of concrete or corrugated steel. These silos can be huge, depending on the size of the farm, and therefore farmers use grain level indicators to help them determine how much produce they have stored.

Nowadays, there are also centralized storage facilities, that serve a number of farms in the area. This means that the silos are now constructed even larger. As time passed, farmers gained access to more advanced tools, and learned how to control certain problems such as silo explosions, which were, and still are, quite devastating. Overfilling also became less of a problem due to the invention of sophisticated gauges.

There are different gauges that are used for different purposes. One type of gauge is used to determine only when no more produce should be added to a silo. This is the most common type used. Other gauges are a bit more fancy, and measure the current level of grains in the elevators. These can be useful for many reasons as well.

A tilt switch indicator is an example of a type of gauge that farmers use to prevent the overfilling of their storage facilities, and there are several ways in which these switches operate. One has a steel ball that turns on an electric switch, while another is based on a mercury concept. Others with no mercury are also available. Farmers should consider the positive and negative aspects of each type of tilt switch before they decide which one to purchase.

The mercury switches are more expensive than the mechanical ones, and they also have a remote which can be very useful. However, the toxic mercury substance in its design can be considered as a problem. Mechanical switches are less expensive, but should be avoided in potentially explosive environments.

Solidstate switches are of a more complicated design, and therefore come at a higher price. Most farmers like their design, but some may consider the fact that they can only be remotely operated a concern. It does, however, have no mercury. Different farms may require different types of tilt switches, depending on their requirements and the amount of money there is with which to buy new equipment.

The second type of gauge available is the rotary paddle bin indicator. It consists of a motor which turns a paddle above the produce. When the silo is busy filling up it turns freely, but when the silo is full, the motor will switch off. The farmer will then be warned that the silo is full.

Grain level indicators are there to ensure the smooth operation of a grain elevator. They can be expensive, but they are a worthwhile investment. Gauges such as these have been used for decades to ensure that silos do not overfill, and others have also been employed to monitor inventory.




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