AgriScot
Svegma dryer proves its durability With over 30 years’ of service and three moves under its belt, the Svegma continuous flow grain dryer at Lowick Hall Farm near Berwick on Tweed is going stronger than ever. It has been a long term plan of the Colgan family to build a new farm-stead – known as Aidansfield Farm, in the heart of a 700 acre (283 hectare) site adjacent to the village of Lowick. Conor Colgan MBA took the reins of the project, following the death of his father Aidan in 2014. The new grain dryer facility features two Svegma continuous flow dryers working side by side. “Dad’s Dryer” as it is affectionately known by the family, was originally a Svegma SVC 2/2 dryer with a capacity of 8.5tph. It was purchased in 1986 by Aidan Colgan and installed on his farm in Ireland. When the family relocated to Northumberland in 2002, the dryer came too. It was dismantled, shipped across the water then re-erected with additional sections to service the existing grain plant at Lowick Hall. At the beginning of 2017 this original dryer was moved again to its current location at Aidansfield
Farm where it was placed alongside another Svegma. A second refurbishment added more extension panels, an outdoor roof and extra drying section, ultimately giving this dryer a capacity of 13tph. Conor Colgan said that because parts were still available and it was possible to increase the capacity it was a cost-effective solution to move it to the new farm: “We were very happy with the performance of the Svegma so were pleased to be able to find a second Svegma to work alongside it.” The second dryer on-site is a fouryear-old Svegma SVC 3/3 which was purchased from a farmer in Wiltshire who was restructuring his business. With technical advice and expertise from BDC Systems, the UK’s exclusive supplier of Svegma dryers, this machine was also refurbished and extended to become a SVC 5/3 dryer with a capacity of 20tph. One dryer has roller discharge and the other shutter discharge. Both are serviced by a Skandia intake conveyor and elevators, also supplied and specified by BDC Systems. Andrew Head, managing director
Svegma dryers side by side at Aidensfield Farm, Lowick.
of BDC said: “It’s great to see that even after 30 years the existing Svegma dryer has been extended and given a new lease of life to continue to perform as it’s always done. “Developments in fans, burners and control panels have taken place over the years, but the intrinsic structural design of the Svegma has changed very little – proving the design was right from the start.” This means that spare parts are still available for dryers which are 30 years old or older and most parts are available ex-stock from BDC Systems’ warehouse, he added. BDC Systems supplies a comprehensive range of grain equipment. It can supply Svegma continuous flow dryers in capacities
ranging from 5tph up to 100+ tph machines for commercial plants. Skandia handling equipment is available in three ranges for various types of installation and in capacities ranging from 20tph to over 500tph. As sole UK agent for Skandia equipment BDC Systems holds a large stock of spare parts and accessories at its Wiltshire headquarters. ■
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