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GrainRite augers are a green gem

Demand is high for the GrainRite self-propelled augers, with their high capacity and heavy duty construction appealing to grain growers and the truck drivers that help them

 

GrainRite augers are available in three sizes

The apple-green GrainRite self-propelled augers have been a talking point among grain haulers since they first hit the market about 10 years ago – and there’s plenty more to talk about.

GrainRites are manufactured by Jaeschke’s of Tarranyurk, and Maree Jaeschke says the auger’s iconic colour was a deliberate choice that ultimately led them to adopt “The Green One” as its slogan.

“We chose that colour because we wanted something different. So that it did stand out,” she says.

“The slogan actually came from the truck drivers – they would say ‘you’ve got to get one of those green ones’, so that’s why we use it.”


 Check out this video of the GrainRite in operation from back in 2013


 Starting out as machinery dealers, the Jaeschke family have been selling the GrainRite augers since 2011, developing their own heavy-duty design for Australian conditions after years of selling other Australian-made machinery.

“They are a lot more heavy-duty – so we’re using much thicker barrels – and instead of a spiral barrel we’re using a solid rolled pipe that just has one weld seam at the top, so that gives the auger a lot more strength,” says Jaeschke.

The auger pipe itself is 2.75mm thick, giving it significant strength and durability, with a beefed-up framework to help carry the unit.

Available in three sizes – 35 foot (10.7m), 50 foot (15.2m) and 60 foot (18.3m) – the augers all have barrels 30cm wide and use a sliding A-frame lift mechanism.

The units are also powered with an electric fuel injection (EFI) Vanguard motor of between 33–37 horsepower (25–28kW), which Jaeschke says gives the augers more power.

That, plus the 2-pack paint in that famous apple green, help keep the augers more durable for work during the tough Australian summer.

GrainRites have a capacity of 3.5 tonnes per minute

It was their efficiency and durability that appealed to grain growers right at the start, says Jaeschke, as well as the truck drivers that helped them during harvest season.

“They are high-capacity augers, they do up to 3.5 tonnes per minute, and,being high capacity, truck drivers love them,” she says.

“If a truck driver goes to a farm where they have a little seven-inch (18cm) auger that takes two hours and the farmer next door’s got a GrainRite that takes 15 minutes, where do you think they’re going to go first?

“And a lot of customers will ask the truck drivers what is the best auger to get on the market today and a lot of the time they suggest us.”

Today, the company estimates that there are about 960 GrainRites out in the field, with a few repeat customers – one even owning five of the machines.

Jaeschke says she’s hoping the company can hit 1,000 augers sold in 2022.

“There are 10 of us in the business; we are employing more people than we were,” she says.

“We only have two dealers. The main reason we only have two is that demand outweighs supply, constantly, so there is no point having more dealers if we can’t supply.”

Happily, Jaeschke says some buyers are happy to wait, adding that sales had stayed strong during drought seasons, with demand coming from nonaffected areas.

“Because there are so many out there, a lot of people have got them – so people ring up a farmer and ask what they are like and the farmer says ‘they’re great, don’t buy anything else’.”

“So the word of mouth is fantastic, they are selling themselves,” she says.

Designed for durability in Australian conditions

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