# Dion 860H Silage Blower Sales Demo

How a tractor\-driven forage blower moves chopped silage from a hopper, through a spinning paddle rotor, up a spout into a silo\.

By Thomas Lamontagne

Topic: Machines

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/tgTOL15XYC0V)

## Transcript

### 1. Meet the Dion 860 H\.O\.

This red machine is a forage blower\. It takes chopped silage, the juicy feed farmers store for cattle, and throws it up a pipe into a tall silo\. H\.O\. means high output: it is built for big tractors of 130 to 200 horsepower\. Drag to walk around it\.

It weighs about 680 kg \(1,500 lb\), close to a small car\.

### 2. A big, easy\-to\-fill hopper

Wagons unload chopped silage into the hopper, the open box at the back\. Its opening is 47 inches \(119 cm\) tall and 42 inches \(107 cm\) wide, so a wagon can unload quickly without spilling\.

Newer models have a hopper 15 inches taller than the older design, so it holds more\.

### 3. The 14\-inch auger

In the bottom of the hopper turns an auger, a giant screw\. Each turn pushes the silage along the tube toward the fan\. Its 14\-inch \(35\.5 cm\) flight gives the fan a steady, even feed\.

The tube is cut open here so you can watch the flight turn\.

### 4. Inside the fan

Behind the big round cover spins the rotor: eight steel paddles on a wheel 59 inches \(1\.5 m\) across\. The auger drops silage into its centre and the paddles catch it\.

The cover is lifted away here only to show the inside\.

### 5. Fire it up\!

Press Start blowing and watch the whole path\. The paddles fling silage outward, around the band and up the spout at about 118 mph \(190 km/h\), faster than cars on a highway\. On the farm, the spout joins a pipe that runs to the top of the silo\.

Motion is shown slowed down: the real rotor turns 650 times a minute\.

### 6. Tractor power, geared down

The blower has no engine\. A shaft from the tractor's PTO, short for power take\-off, spins at 1,000 rpm\. Belts and pulleys slow it to 650 rpm for the rotor, trading speed for strength\.

An overrunning clutch lets the heavy rotor coast down safely when the tractor slows\.

### 7. Built to last

Silage scrubs the fan band hardest between the inlet and the spout\. On the 860 H\.O\. that grey wear section is Hardox 450, a very hard steel, and it can be turned around to use its fresh side\. A shear bolt in the drive breaks on purpose if something jams\.

Breaking a cheap bolt protects the expensive drive parts\.

### 8. Ready for silage season

Hopper, auger, paddle rotor and spout: one simple path from wagon to silo\. Small wheels with a hydraulic axle lift make it easy to move and set in place\. Drag to look it over once more\.

Silage is chopped corn or grass that ferments in the silo, like pickles for cows\.