Tell me about Tox O Wik Dryers

[WiltonRanch]

Have a 500 bu Tox O Wik. My father used it for years but he’s a little forgetful about it. Looks like the controls are screwed from weathering but it appears not to be seized. I’m near lloydminster so no shortage of gasfitters and burner control parts. Never seen it this wet and so little done this time of year for this area. Everything swathed at least. Snow knocking down standing stuff. Absolutely depressing and everyone in the same boat. My plan is to get this beast going and drag over to the hoppers in hopes there is some harvest window, and dry out of a hopper and bin into another bin and ship to town. Have contracts and dry will be all they will take.

[sumdumguy]

What a tough way to make a living! We dragged home a Tox i Wik 500 from a dealer in Manitoba (used for 4 or 5 years in the seventies), we found it hard to keep the ground with the 12 Volt. We direct-wired to a good healthy 12 Volt battery sitting on the ground and the charge lasted about 12 hours, this fixed our problem. It too needed a pile of work even though it was brand new. Once it was going, it never stopped. I know what you are up against. Most times when we got the dryer fired up we ended up doing enough custom work to easily pay for the unit time and again.

We were lucky enough to have a dried out crop this year and lots of aeration so we never were stopped very long so maybe the drought was a blessing in disguise, but sure didn’t feel like it all growing season. Good luck, hope you get some nice weather and don’t need the dryer too much. 👍

[fjlip]

See less and earlier but you are still ahead of crop wasting away in rain/cold/snow. Strange world, rewarding occupation at times and depressing at others. My 50 years has the whole range of experiences, too many to repeat now. After a lot of rain, Glenlea wheat, you could see the green wheat leaves growing in the swath from the combine cab. Farmers still at this are extra ordinary people.
Our first dryer was a Grain Chief, a cheaper Tox o wik, used for 4 years, dried every frozen bushel of feed wheat in 1974.

[seldomseen]

I used a 380 for years and dried some every with it every year. Very dependable and you can put almost anything in it and will come out dry.

It gets expensive with high moisture grain in cold weather when burning propane and what I found would help was to build a small shed for the tractor that was running the dryer and build it all in around the dryer fan so all the tractor heat goes into the dryer. I had a 930 Case on it and it would run very efficient with the engine at about 1650 RPM and the shutter open just enough for the engine to run at 190 and all the engine heat going in. That little shed was always nice and warm when it was winter outside.

I use a Vertec now that is a little less baby sitting and doesn't need a tractor but if the wheat was over 22% moisture I think the GT would be better. The Vertec is also expensive to run

[jamesb]

Gt has manuals online
this for a 500
http://www.gtmfg.com/manuals/RB500%20Form%20S-3082.pdf

[WiltonRanch]

Thanks sent the manual link to my cousin who’s a commercial electrician. He’s getting the controls in town and the manual is a big help. Now to check the bottom bearing and fix tires cause we have to move it 300 yards.

[Oliver88]

Have a 500 bu Tox O Wik. My father used it for years but he’s a little forgetful about it. Looks like the controls are screwed from weathering but it appears not to be seized. I’m near lloydminster so no shortage of gasfitters and burner control parts. Never seen it this wet and so little done this time of year for this area. Everything swathed at least. Snow knocking down standing stuff. Absolutely depressing and everyone in the same boat. My plan is to get this beast going and drag over to the hoppers in hopes there is some harvest window, and dry out of a hopper and bin into another bin and ship to town. Have contracts and dry will be all they will take.

Will the grain companies seriously not be drying grain there?

[WiltonRanch]

Will the grain companies seriously not be drying grain there?

They will but have contracts to canola plant and feed brokers that want it dry. Rest if I can stuff into elevator tough I will

[seldomseen]

See less and earlier but you are still ahead of crop wasting away in rain/cold/snow. Strange world, rewarding occupation at times and depressing at others. My 50 years has the whole range of experiences, too many to repeat now. After a lot of rain, Glenlea wheat, you could see the green wheat leaves growing in the swath from the combine cab. Farmers still at this are extra ordinary people.
Our first dryer was a Grain Chief, a cheaper Tox o wik, used for 4 years, dried every frozen bushel of feed wheat in 1974.

Fj your story just reminds me of when a buddy of mine and I were starting out farming and having a whiskey with my buddy's father. We were talking about the up coming harvest with a lot of optimise and he said to us " Boys this is NE Sask were we start out full excitement and energy in August and that turns into nothing more than a salvage job in October"

The longer I farm the more that statement seems true.

[the big wheel]

If grain is really wet make sure you have a water tank full right beside. If the tank freezes up don't worry the burning grain will melt the hoses fast enough to save the dryer.

[grefer]

Are parts still available for Moridge batch dryers?

[Guest]

If grain is really wet make sure you have a water tank full right beside. If the tank freezes up don't worry the burning grain will melt the hoses fast enough to save the dryer.

the only guys that burnt them were guys that didn't look after them . they have a modulator valve , regulator , hi heat shut down , air switch . all the safety features, same as a modern dryer . they work good , just have to be there to dump and fill. you can use the grain temp control to automatically shut heat off when desired (dry) grain temp is achieved . they are not very nice in flax, tho. have to run pto slower and a lot less heat, and make sure it's circulating . if you run pto to fast , flax will not circulate , and then your hi heat will shut flame off .
be sure to test your air switch and hi heat shut down . flame should stop as soon as pto stops , or use an ohm tester without the heat . just turn hi heat shut down knob until flame stops. these two are the reason 90% of dryers burn . I have to clean leafcutter cocoons out of air tube to air switch every year on this super B, that we have now , sometimes switch is open , sometimes it is closed . closed locked switch is why fires happen .
as someone else said they are brutal on propane though

[WiltonRanch]

Well got the electrics working. Seems all components including igniter work. Friend who’s a gasfitter went through the gas side of it and it works properly. Now my question it has a vaporizer on it and my dad bottom fed it from the propane tank for liquid delivery. The tank came over with the ark and recertification may be a challenge so considering renting a tank. Now if I get a tank without a bottom valve can I run this thing on vapour from the top?

[Guest]

Well got the electrics working. Seems all components including igniter work. Friend who’s a gasfitter went through the gas side of it and it works properly. Now my question it has a vaporizer on it and my dad bottom fed it from the propane tank for liquid delivery. The tank came over with the ark and recertification may be a challenge so considering renting a tank. Now if I get a tank without a bottom valve can I run this thing on vapour from the top?

I don't think so ? any propane place will have tanks for dryers ? won't they fill your existing tank ? usually certification is only an issue if you try and sell it?

[the big wheel]

the only guys that burnt them were guys that didn't look after them . they have a modulator valve , regulator , hi heat shut down , air switch . all the safety features, same as a modern dryer . they work good , just have to be there to dump and fill. you can use the grain temp control to automatically shut heat off when desired (dry) grain temp is achieved . they are not very nice in flax, tho. have to run pto slower and a lot less heat, and make sure it's circulating . if you run pto to fast , flax will not circulate , and then your hi heat will shut flame off .
be sure to test your air switch and hi heat shut down . flame should stop as soon as pto stops , or use an ohm tester without the heat . just turn hi heat shut down knob until flame stops. these two are the reason 90% of dryers burn . I have to clean leafcutter cocoons out of air tube to air switch every year on this super B, that we have now , sometimes switch is open , sometimes it is closed . closed locked switch is why fires happen .
as someone else said they are brutal on propane though

dont make the mistake of thinking just because when I started all these things were working so I m good. That's not how it works with these batches that burn that long to dry your crop especially canola and flax and canary all oilseeds. rhey need babysitting less if you replace all the controls with new but still a lot more than the continuous ones.