Grain bin slide gates are essential bulk material handling equipment — they’re critical for controlling grain flow or other bulk materials at various discharge points. You may place grain bin slide gates on conveyors, below hoppers, at emergency shut-off locations or in other areas as required. Learn how these devices work and the custom options offered by LCDM.
Grain bin slide gates, also called slide gates, feed bin gates, slide doors or hopper gates, have durable frames with slide plates that open and close against the flow of your material. The slide plate can actuate manually, electrically or pneumatically. Slide doors are made from durable materials like steel that can handle hundreds of pounds of material. They also typically have seals to prevent leakage when the gate is closed. LCDM grain bin slide gates can work as stand-alone devices or as part of a bulk material handling system.
They’re also effective at emergency shut-off locations to quickly stop the flow of grain in case of a malfunction or emergency.
Feed bin gates play an essential role in grain bin and silo management. Farmers who use these devices benefit from:
To keep your grain bin slide gate in good working order, follow these tips:
LCDM offers many types of slide gates based on your unique application. The rack and pinion slide gate is a specific type of grain flow device that works on the principle of a rack and pinion gear set. When activated by your operator, the rack and pinion slide gate opener moves the slide plate open or closed with the help of a hand wheel, blushed rollers and plate retainers.
Those in the grain industry find rack and pinion slide gates a popular option because they are solid steel grain gates with a simple design that is easy to install and use. They are cost-effective and flexible, as you can use them almost anywhere along your applications. In addition, LCDM offers a complete line of replacement parts for easy repair.
Manually operated rack and pinion slide gates are the most common option. Stock sizes range from 6 to 24 inches with 10-gauge and 8-gauge galvanized metal body options. The inlets and outlets of these gates are square but can be made round by adding square-to-round transitions. LCDM stocks hand wheels and chain wheels for manual control options.
Manually actuated rack and pinion slide gates are easy to operate and provide significant cost savings for your feed bin operation. The slide doors require no air or electricity to function. These sturdy, durable gates are adaptable to fit various applications. The small manual gate is ideal for compact grain systems in tight spaces.
Gear drive-operated rack and pinion slide gates are highly popular in commercial applications. In most cases, there are too many gates to open manually, so an electric motor helps automate the process to ease operation. The standard electric option includes a motor, a gear reducer and two limit switches. Explosion-proof motors and limit switches are available upon request, as well as high-voltage motors.
Gear drive gates are ideal for material operating systems that require more than one gate to open simultaneously. These gates feature durable builds and tight seals that require minimal maintenance over the device’s lifetime.
Some facilities use a programmable logic controller (PLC) to automate the opening and closing of their feed gates. These grain gates must use electric actuation to operate. PLCs offer advanced technology with increased flexibility and reliability for applications with multiple feed bin slide gates. They also provide significantly faster response times.
Electrically actuated rack and pinion slide gates are typical in more extensive commercial operations where cable controls would be difficult to install where a PLC is controlling the operation of the valve. The standard electric option includes an actuator, a motor and two limit switches. Explosion-proof motors and controls are available upon request as options for motor voltages.
Pneumatic-operated slide gates are most utilized in commercial and feed mill operations. Power from the pneumatic controls delivers more force and faster response times over manually operated gates. The specific function of the valve will determine the pneumatic option needs.
Pneumatic gates work well across various applications, including silos, hoppers, mixers and screw conveyors. The sturdy materials and durable build offer many years of dependable service.
All pneumatic options include an air cylinder with add-on options of solenoids and limit switches. Explosion-proof solenoids and limit switches are available.
LCDM’s Hopper Bottom Adapter works well with most industry hopper bins. Unlike a silo that typically stores larger volumes for extended periods, a hopper is used for specific processes like weight scaling or batch mixing. Hopper slide gates allow grain operations to control material flow at the bottom of the unit.
LCDM stocks an adapter that bolts up to a 16-inch hopper outlet. An 18-inch slide gate must be used with this adapter to fit correctly. Adapters in stock will bolt up to Brock and GSI 16-inch hopper bins. An adapter for a Sukup hopper bin is also available.
You’ll want to choose LCDM for your grain flow slide gates for many reasons. Our custom slide gates are a product of our unique designs made to maximize efficiency. To ensure quality, we build all our rack and pinion slide gates in our facility.
You can be sure that every slide gate you order from LCDM consists of only domestically produced products, from racks and pinions to hubs and wheels. Whether your application needs a solution for wet pulp or dry grain, our team can help you determine the slide gate design that best fits your needs. Several primary benefits include:
Our unique design includes our well-known leak-proof inlet collars, ensuring the gate has a tight seal when closed so that you do not leak grain. This feature can be vital as grain loss can represent a significant hit to your bottom line. Our custom slide gates also feature steel rollers with oil-impregnated bushings so that your wheels do not seize up unexpectedly.
We can provide a dust seal kit to minimize further leakage, one of the most popular mill gate features.
We are happy to customize a slide gate solution to meet the needs of your business. Our standard sizes range from 6 to 24 inches, with additional sizes available upon request. We supply 12-inch hand wheels and 11-inch chain wheels for manual operation. We also offer electric, pneumatic and explosion-proof options.
All custom LCDM feed bin gates feature premium materials and superior engineering to deliver many years of service. Our systems require little maintenance. We can build your gates with specific material sizes and gauges to match your system requirements.
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