Farm Progress

See who has used grain dryers for sale without putting tons of miles on your pickup.

Tom Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

October 7, 2016

2 Min Read

Are you wishing you could find a used grain dryer in better shape or with bigger capacity without wasting time driving up and down the roads? Now you can. Steve Curtis, Indianapolis, a person with 45 years of experience in the grain industry, took an idea from a chance conversation with an equipment dealer and turned it into a website that simplifies shopping for used grain dryers.

See related story: 7 tips to consider when buying a used grain dryer

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“The dealer simple told me he wished there was a way to know which models other dealers had on hand in case he didn’t have what a customer wanted,” Curtis says. “I wish I could take credit for it, but it really came from that conversation.”

What Curtis set up was a website exclusively dedicated to listing used grain dryers for sale. You can check it out at usedgraindryersnetwork.com.

About 75 dryers are listed on the website, Curtis says. While he isn’t involved in actual sales transactions, his best guess is that about 25 dryers have been sold using this portal since he launched it in 2016.

Dealers pay to list used dryers on the site for a certain period of time. That generates income Curtis needs to sustain the site. If you find a dryer you want to know more about, you deal directly with the dealer who has the dryer. Curtis says he doesn’t play a role in actually connecting buyers and sellers other than providing contact information.

You will find dryers of various brands, sizes and ages listed on the site. The dryers may also be in varying conditions, although most dealers won’t invest in listing a used dryer that isn’t in good condition, Curtis says. “Some dealers won’t put a dryer up unless it has been reconditioned and is 100% ready to go,” he says.

So far Curtis has reserved listings for dealers. However, he’s aware that a good number of the dryers listed on the website are actually still owned by farmers.

He notes that several improvements are planned for the site. Dealers will be able to upload photos more easily, and sorting dryers by category will make it easier to find the ones that fit your needs.

About the Author(s)

Tom Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

Tom Bechman is an important cog in the Farm Progress machinery. In addition to serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer, Tom is nationally known for his coverage of Midwest agronomy, conservation, no-till farming, farm management, farm safety, high-tech farming and personal property tax relief. His byline appears monthly in many of the 18 state and regional farm magazines published by Farm Progress.

"I consider it my responsibility and opportunity as a farm magazine editor to supply useful information that will help today's farm families survive and thrive," the veteran editor says.

Tom graduated from Whiteland (Ind.) High School, earned his B.S. in animal science and agricultural education from Purdue University in 1975 and an M.S. in dairy nutrition two years later. He first joined the magazine as a field editor in 1981 after four years as a vocational agriculture teacher.

Tom enjoys interacting with farm families, university specialists and industry leaders, gathering and sifting through loads of information available in agriculture today. "Whenever I find a new idea or a new thought that could either improve someone's life or their income, I consider it a personal challenge to discover how to present it in the most useful form, " he says.

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