Flaman Rentals Blog

Choosing Between an Auger and Conveyor

Posted by Mark Flaman Jul 25, 2013

There are a lot of reasons why you should choose a conveyor over an auger or vice versa, but I'll make it a little easier for you to figure out exactly which product will best suit you.

One of the biggest factors in someone purchasing brand new for the first time will be the cost. Conveyors are quite a bit more expensive than augers, but tend to last two to three times longer overall than an auger. The flighting on an auger would have to be replaced before it has put through one million bushels, where we've seen the belting on a conveyor last three to four million bushels.  

You can also get away with a shorter auger for the size of bin you're loading into, as the unloading angle is a lot higher on an auger, versus having the grain fall back down the conveyor belt once it reaches a certain angle. The motor on a conveyor is positioned higher up on top of its tube, to avoid the interaction with chaff, and requires less horsepower than an auger. 

The last big thing that you may be concerned about is what kinds of commodities compliment the auger or conveyor. A conveyor will be more gentle and avoid cracking on pulse crops such as peas and lentils, but canola and other oil seeds are not recommended because the oil deteriorates the belt and gets gummed inside the conveyor. Augers, however, love oil seeds, as they almost lubricate the machine, leading to a much longer auger lifespan. 

Now that you've got all your information, give us a call for some pricing or check out our selections of augers here and conveyors here.

This handy infographic can help you decide whether an auger or a conveyor is best suited for your operation.

 Download this infographic

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