Reliable, automatic and economic grain dryers
9th February 2026
Perry of Oakley outlines its range of fully automatic, continuous flow grain dryers – available in a range of throughput capacities from 5–150tph and suitable for drying wheat, maize, soya bean and most combinable crops.
Perry of Oakley‘s dryers are fuel-efficient as standard, with advanced energy-saving options available, which can save up to an additional 35% on direct dryer operating costs.
They utilise technology that has been tried and tested across the world over the last 70 years, the company says.
The technology behind the savings
There are two key dryer add-ons that deliver these savings, and drive up profit per tonne:
1. Grain Sentry
This is an award-winning automated PLC moisture sampling and dryer control system. It uses moisture samples automatically obtained from the dryer filling and discharge equipment to adjust the speed of the dryer, which optimises performance, driving up your profit.
The Grain Sentry only requires a calibration check once a year (a game changer, according to Perry of Oakley), and as it takes the readings automatically, there is no manpower lost in ensuring accurate up-to-date data is being used to run the dryer.
Plus, the grain is returned to the system rather than being lost in the process, avoiding loss of tonnage due to the frequency of the testing.
As the Grain Sentry automatically controls the dryer for you, it significantly lessens the impact should your experienced dryer operator leave. Plus, it massively reduces the amount of time a farm operator needs to be checking the dryer.
How much would it save you? With a throughput capacity dryer of 30tph on wheat, drying 6,000 tonnes per season, during an average UK summer, based on removing 6% of moisture, the saving would be ~£17,000 per season.
That goes up to ~£40,000 per season for a 60tph dryer drying 15,000t per season.
Grain Sentry can be retro-fitted onto any make of shutter or roller discharge continuous flow grain dryer, not just Perry ones.
2. Hot Air Recirculation with insulation
The Hot Air Recirculation works by recirculating the cooling air from the lower levels of the dryer with the heated air.
Depending on the size of the dryer, 25–30% of the warmest air is moved by the recirculation fan along transfer ducts to an additional plenum and mixed with the freshly heated ambient air.
This reduces the costs of heating the air and saves you approximately 24% of your fuel costs to run your dryer – significant sum.
Add to this the savings from using Grain Sentry to automatically run your dryer and the combined savings increase to up to 34% of your operational dryer costs – a huge boost to your profit per tonne.
Worried about dryer fires?
Another key challenge with operating a grain dryer is fire risk. Add in Perry’s patented Fire Detection System and the dryer will automatically shut down if abnormal heating is detected in the drying column.
Dryer construction
All of Perry’s dryers have a fully galvanised construction, making them ideal for outside or inside installations.
What size dryer do I need?
The two Perry dryer ranges span throughput capacities from 5tph up to 150+tph on wheat and can dry a wide range of combinable crops.
1. The Mistral
This is the lower end of the capacity range with 5–30tph for wheat. It’s ideal for farms wanting to start their own grain drying.
They are a great alternative to mobile dryers, the company reckons, and come with roller discharge and a hard-wired control panel. They can be upgraded to include the Grain Sentry and Fire Detection add-ons.
2. The Savannah
This is designed for large farms and commercial grain stores. The capacity range goes up to 150+tph.
Shutter discharge comes as standard for greater control of the dryer performance, along with a touchscreen PLC for dryer control.
UK manufacturing
Perry of Oakley has been drying the world’s grain since 1954, which it says makes it the UK’s most experienced manufacturer of grain dryers and grain conveying equipment.
The advances in design and technology through the decades have resulted in the company’s Savannah Series dryer being one of the most energy-efficient and reliable grain dryers available on the market.
Integration is key
Perry of Oakley can provide a complete design, build and commissioning service with ongoing support, and take away the integration challenges for you. It can supply all the key components for your grain processing facility, including intakes, all the conveying, storage silos and bins, samplers, cleaners, colour sorters, control panels, the list goes on.
For more information, contact Perry of Oakley on +44 (0)1404 890300 or email sales@perryofoakley.co.uk.to discuss your next project or your individual machine needs.
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