When your farm or operation is ready to invest in your own grain roaster machine, it can be challenging to know what to look for in a roaster and which features to consider. Finding the perfect machine for your needs may sound difficult, but when you know what to look for, you can narrow down your search much easier.
For those who need some assistance identifying which features to choose in a roaster, we’re sharing our recommendations for items you should consider when selecting your machine.
Power type
Consider what type of machine you want to purchase. Most roasters fall into two power types: propane powered or electric. For a full breakdown of the two options, you can check out our buyer’s guide here. But generally speaking, we recommend propane roasters for most businesses.
Propane powered roasters offer the features many farmers are looking for. They’re very energy efficient, provide a healthier roaster grain for animals, have lower operational costs, and include built-in safety measures for peace of mind.
Efficiency
Consider how much grain you are planning to roast and how efficient you want your machine. If you’re planning to roast smaller batches, efficiency may not be a huge consideration for you. But for those wanting to roast a lot of grain, and fast, energy efficiency is important.
To understand what efficiency you need, first determine how much grain you plan to roast. For example, if you plan to roast 1 ton of grain per hour, your roaster’s efficiency and size can be much less than if you were to roast 20 tons an hour. While the amount of grain will help you determine the size of your roaster, a roaster that best suits your amount of grain will produce the highest energy efficiency. This means that roasting with a Roast-A-Matic Model 50 for 1 ton of grain an hour will be much more efficient – both energy and cost wise – than roasting 1 ton of grain in a Roast-A-Matic Model 800.
Easy to move
Do you plan on moving your roaster often? If so, be sure to get a machine that is portable to some degree. Stationary roasters like many electric options will not allow you to move your machine around on your farm or operation. If mobility is important for your plans, choose a roaster machine that can move from place to place with ease.
You may also want to consider how easy your roaster is to move if you plan to offer roasting services to other farms and operations besides your own.
Safety
We understand that safety is a top priority for all farm operations. From farmers and workers to the animals themselves, keeping everyone and everything at the farm as safe as possible is crucial. And this doesn’t stop with your grain roaster.
Find a roaster that provides built-in safety measures so you know your operation can run smoothly without second thought. Especially when dealing with flames and high temperatures, inquire about the fail-safe measures in your roaster.
At Schnupp’s, our Roast-A-Matic machines all include built-in safety measures that allow our products to turn off as a fail-safe. This means that if anything goes awry, the machine’s default setting turns to safety and shuts down.
Ongoing Support
While we encourage everyone purchasing a roaster to look for an option with ongoing support, consider how much support you want after you make your purchase. Hand-in-hand with support comes training which may be essential in your operation’s roasting success. If you’ve never used a roaster before or are unfamiliar with the option you end up choosing, be sure to ask the manufacturer if training is included in your purchase.
Training should allow your team a hands-on experience with the roaster in a supervised setting. The company you work with should train your team, review how things work, answer any and all of your questions, and ensure a smooth hand-off when you use the roaster on your own.
Find Your Perfect Roaster Today
If your business is ready to get to roasting, Schnupp’s Grain Roasting is here to help Connect with our team today for more information on how to get grain roasting at your farm or mill or with any questions you may have. Happy roasting!
