Auer Landmaschinen Oberösterreich

Hay ventilation and drying systems

... First-class feed quality - a key building block in your success!

... Increase your effectiveness during the hay harvest

... Good hay even in changeable weather

... How a hay ventilation system from Auer increases your yields

• You are no longer at the mercy of the weather
• You can reduce drying and working time in the field
• You can select the optimal point to harvest the feed
• You receive hay of first-class quality, with a high nutrient, protein and vitamin content,
  thereby promoting the health, and increasing the fertility and milk production of your cattle

...Auer provides you with professional assistance

• We offer first-class advice, planning and construction guidance

• Our expertise is underlined by our many years of experience of intensive, in-house development work in close cooperation with people in the field and satisfied customers

• Optimally dimensioned systems provide short ventilation times while keeping drying costs low
• Partly or fully electronic hay ventilation controllers
• We would be glad to put you in touch with one of our partner firms for your dehumidifier needs

Hay drying systems for haystacks and bales

• A wide variety of fan options from 4 kW to 22 kW
• With the capacity to handle air volumes well in excess of 100,000 m³ per hour,
  we can guarantee to use the ideal radial fan for every requirement

• Pressure-resistant radial fans with outstanding efficiency overcome high air resistances and
  are ideal for bales and high haystacks alike
  
  

		Haystack ventilation - Box drying   The grid on the floor guarantees optimal air distribution. Auer crane systems are indispensable helpers for filling and emptying operations.
		Round bale drying with a modular air duct system Our tried and tested modular system can be expanded at any time or put together in any way you please. Of course you may also choose to make the air ducts yourself out of wood.

Information on cold and hot-air ventilation

Cold-air ventilation

The intake humidity of the feed for cold-air ventilation should be between 30% and maximum 40%.
For hot-air ventilation, feed with a humidity up to 50% can be taken in.
If material taken in for cold-air ventilation is drier than this, it is only possible to reduce re-humidification in the field overnight from dew or fog by swathing, which increases the labour involved while also reducing the hay quality. Success is primarily a function of temperature and the humidity of the outside air.
In extended periods of bad weather, there is a risk of the feed spoiling.
Leafy grasses such as clover, alfalfa and juicy herbs dry less well. Aftermath generally dries very well.

Hot-air ventilation

Solar heating: The heated air is extracted from the roof or from roof spaces. In practice average temperature increases of 5°C - in exceptional cases up to 10°C - are achieved. This ensures the low air humidity of 40-60%, which is absolutely vital for the final drying phase.

Air heating with a heater: This mainly relies on oil or gas-fired fan heaters or wood chip heaters with heat exchangers. To ensure rapid drying, the increase in temperature should be at least 15°C.

This table can be used to estimate the required heating output, if you are thinking of getting a warm ventilation system. An average wood chip heater with a heating output of 40 - 60 kW can cause a temperature increase of approx. 3.8°C - 5.7°C, when used with a fan with an air output of 30,000 m³/h.

... Some honest advice for achieving optimum results for round bale drying

• Air preheating (= hot-air ventilation) is necessary

• The bale press should not be set to compact the material too heavily, otherwise this will cause difficulties with ventilation
• Different bale presses compact the bales differently at the same pressure
• The passage of air is easier on presses which produce a looser core
• The first and second / third step are not the same when it comes to the method used for ventilation
• 30 - 35% humidity should be maintained in the hay during pressing, otherwise ventilation times will be very long (risk of spoilage!)
• The number of bales to be pressed is determined by the number of air outlets.
• Bales with feed of differing humidity levels must be inspected multiple times, and rearranged during the drying process
• A certain level of experience and careful monitoring of the feed quality is necessary. An electronic ventilation controller is useful, however it cannot replace periodic inspection by the farmer!

... We have no interest in telling tall tales - we only want you to achieve the objective of first-class feed quality!