Company is nuts about new tubular drag conveyor
A pecan processor replaces a bucket elevator with a tubular drag conveyor to solve its material handling problems.
Operators at Hamilton Ranches Inc. can’t help but feel a bit nutty. That’s because they spend their days processing pecans and walnuts. The family-owned company, based in Visalia, Calif., dehydrates about 750 dry tons of walnuts per day, but its main focus is on cracking, shelling, and processing pecans. The pecan meat is sold to candy manufacturers and other companies for use in food products. At one step in the process, the company was conveying wet pecans via a bucket elevator to a dryer. However, the wet pecans tended to stick to the plastic buckets, creating a mess and causing operators to spend extra time cleaning the buckets and any spilled pecans from the plant floor. The company decided to replace the bucket elevator with equipment that would convey the wet pecans without any material loss or unnecessary labor.