Abstract

This paper discusses on the design and manufacturing of crop harvesting machine that is proposed to
improve the productivity and working environment of farmlands.

Harvesting by using sickle which is traditional method; is time consuming; it needs much labor force and result in
grain loss. Importing combine harvester is too expensive and not affordable for small scale farmers. The aim of the
study is to design and manufacture wheat and barley crop reaper for harvesting. The designed reaper was manually
driven and powered with diesel engine for cutting wheat and barley crop stems. With the help of pulley-belt
arrangement drive power is transmitted from engine to gearboxes. A spur gearbox and a bevel gearbox are used.
One end of bevel gear box output shaft was connected to slider crank mechanism which converts rotary motion of
shaft into reciprocating motion of cutter bar. Reciprocating cutter bar slides over fixed bar and created scissoring
action between cutter blades which were responsible for cutting the wheat crop stems. Collecting mechanism consist
of flat belt with collecting lugged plates bolted on it. This machine is able to run of field easily and the efforts of the
farmers are reduced.

The problem statement, objectives, methodology, concept screening and concept scoring through
product design and development (PDD) technique, literature reviews, design analysis including
preliminary design, geometric analysis, and component analysis, manufacturing process, results
and discussions are available. The last clarification discusses about the conclusions and
recommendation followed by reference and appendices.
Key words: harvest, reaping, slider crank,

Introduction
The Ethiopian agricultural system is predominantly subsistence, characterized by the use of
traditional farming implements and practices. Agriculture, which employs 85% of the
population, continues to use hand-tools and tillage equipment from thousands of years ago.
These implements are hand tools or operated using animal power, which is mainly oxen.
Similarly farmstead operations in crop production, animal husbandry and forestry operations are
by and large performed with bare hands or very rudimentary farm tools.
Mechanization, along with other farm inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds and pesticides,
can significantly improve agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. Mechanization is a powerful tool
in achieving sustainable agricultural production because it enhances human capacity with the
potential beneficiaries being men and women farmers. It increases timeliness, efficiency and
consistency in field operations. This is critical for land preparation especially in Ethiopia where
there is sequential cropping owing to the receipt of rainfall through two seasons a year in
substantial parts of the country.
Farm mechanization can help perform the power-intensive and ergonomically arduous tasks. It
can also relieve the growing seasonal labor constraints that are experienced by farmers in several
parts of the country. It also helps compensate for the immigration of rural youth who are
disenchanted with the drudgery involved in agriculture. Thus mechanization, contrary to the
restricted view on labor displacement, stands to compliment human labor in improving
agriculture production in Ethiopia.
Four wheel and two wheel tractors can facilitate other off-the-farm tasks such as transportation,
driving pumps and agro-processing equipment, maintenance of farm, and rural infrastructure.
The requirements of farm power (mostly in the forms of power tiller, tractor and draught
animals) shall be initially made available in the country by the government and private sectors.
After the initial wave of investments, the government shall gradually withdraw and hand over to
the private sector. The government shall nevertheless continue to remain as a catalyst in
sustaining mechanization in the country.
Meanwhile, creating credit access to farmers who otherwise would adopt mechanization options
is critical in providing the transformation. Here it will be important to help farmers’ cooperatives
leverage their collective bargaining power by assisting in establishing business plan,
financial integrity and wherever applicable guarantee loans. Farmers and potential entrepreneurs
need to be aware that besides the profitability in using and providing (hire) mechanization
services in the farm, machineries such as tractor and power tillers can also be used in generating
additional revenues through off-farm activities such as transport and infrastructure development.
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Building a strong private sector on farm mechanization will create demand and sustenance of the
supply of farm power, implements and spare parts.
Technical skills need to be developed at grass-root levels involving rural artisans, operators,
mechanic, service providers, farmers and other end-users. Development of agriculture
engineering sector in the country will enable creation of new designs of ergonomic tools for
human labor and draught animals, and further widen the choice of mechanization options for
local conditions.
Mechanization options that help conserve natural resources such as land, soil fertility and water
need to be developed and endorsed. Ethiopia needs a massive adoption program on
mechanization delivering knowledge and awareness amongst farmers through potential
entrepreneurs and extension agents. Introduction of mechanization at various stages of farm
operations will not only improve the agricultural commodity chains but also enhance rural
employment opportunities and profitability of farming.
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Chapter one: Introduction

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Introduction
1.1. Background
Agriculture in Ethiopia is characterized by small holdings, due to high population density with
nearly two-third of the population residing in rural areas. There are 111.5 million hectares of
land in Ethiopia, 74.5 million hectares of which is suitable for agriculture, and 13.6 million
hectares of which is currently under production. Farmers produce cereal crops (wheat, barley,
maize, and rice), oil seeds (sesame, Niger seeds, canola, linseed, ground nuts and sunflower,
lentils), pulses (soya beans, haricot beans, chickpeas, beans and lentils), beverage crops (coffee
and tea), cotton, horticulture and apiculture.
Large scale commercial agriculture has expanded partly due to foreign direct investment. The
Ethiopian government is seeking private sector investors to help modernize the agricultural
sector and help it produce more efficiently, particularly with large-scale commercial farming and
agro industrial activities. Ethiopia has created a more attractive investment climate in recent
years by providing potential investors with various tax breaks, access to affordable land, and a
relatively efficient investment process.
The government plans to spend about USD 4.4 billion in agriculture during the GTP period
2010/11- 2014/15. Initiatives will be undertaken such as the importation and adaptation of
existing and proven technologies, including agricultural mechanization, research on crop,
livestock and natural resources. The agricultural sector suffers from poor cultivation practices,
overgrazing, deforestation, underdeveloped water resources and drought. According to the
Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia is estimated as having one of the highest rates of soil nutrient
depletion in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Agricultural Mechanization is an important link in achievement of effective growth in production
and it needs to be addressed in larger context. Despite the big potential of agriculture in Ethiopia,
the low level of engineering technology input in agriculture has been one of the main constraints
hindering the modernization of the country’s agriculture and food production systems. One of the
major causes for the disappointing performance and low contribution of agricultural
mechanization to agricultural development has been the fragmented approach to mechanization
issues (Bishop and Morris 1992; Mrema and Odigboh, 1993). This often arises from poor (or no)
planning and over-reliance on unpredictable or unsuitable aid-in-kind for many mechanization
inputs, as well as limited co-ordination within and between government and private sector
agencies dealing with mechanization. Thus, developing appropriate mechanization technology
will improve production and productivity, reduce the huge production losses and it has a great
contribution to food security. Moreover it is only when the environment is made conducive
through proper use of appropriate energy and improved implements, will there be an
10 | P a g e
improvement in the working conditions and performance of jobs that would otherwise be
difficult to accomplish in the traditional way.

Statement of problem and justification

So as To ensure a more consistent yield or productivity there is a need for a smaller and efficient machine

to harvest the crops with ease and also which would be more accessible and also considerably cheaper.

Objectives

General objective

 To design and manufacture crop harvesting machine

Specific objective

 To manufacture the prototype for crop(like wheat and barley) harvesting machine
 To evaluate the economic benefit of mechanized harvesting.
 To startup an agricultural machineries manufacturing
Significance of the study

The significance of this study is:

Develop a good crop harvester machine that can harvest wheat and barley.

This project will contribute a greater role on increasing production yield, reduction of labor and reduction
of lead-time during harvesting for agricultural farmlands. We hope that this paper will encourage the
farmers, agricultural investors and agricultural development extensions to be used to this new design
approach and to adapt it as an effective selection and method that will benefit for farmers.

Scope of the study

The focus for this project includes, the design stage covering detail analysis of the machine components
by assessing the data using product design and development (PDD) concept up to the modelling of the
machine using SOLID WORKS 2016 software,prototype development and testing the product.

Limitation of the study

There are some limitations that were faced up on the study.

Some of them are:

 Unavailability of some data’s related to our works.

Chapter two

Literature review

2.1 Agricultural equipment

Agricultural equipment is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. Crop
harvesting is one of the agricultural equipment that is used in agricultural fields.
2.2 What is crop harvesting machine?
 CHAPTER FOUR

DESIGN ANALYSIS

4.1. Preliminary design analysis

4.1.1. Concept generation

Problem statement for concept generation
The farmers need an easy way of harvesting their wheat and barley from their farmland. The
machine needs to be able to function in all-weather conditions and be corrosion resistant, safe in
terms of structural failure, and easily operated by a single operator.
Concept development
To conduct a comprehensive and thorough concept development by making a list of terms that
described the conceptual system as a whole, as well as separate conceptual subsystems. The
terms used are according how the crops are harvested. The mechanisms offer harvesting of wheat
and barley with ease and low crop cultivation cost and lower crop losses. This is through internal
and external concept generation techniques.
Searching Externally:
The main aim of this external search is to find out the existing solutions for the existing problems
and to gather available information's about the competitive products and the technology they use.
The figures below are selected internal concepts.

4.3. Detail Parts Design Analysis

Material selection

Because the crop harvesting machine has different components so the material that is used for this project
must be good in corrosion prevention, and durable. And the materials are better to be cost effective.

The following factors are considered while selecting the materials of the crop harvesting machine:

 Availability of the materials.

 Suitability of the materials for the working conditions in service, and
 The cost of the materials.
  Substitutability of the materials.

Design considerations and general assumptions

The components of crop harvesting machine were designed and elaborated based on the parameters like
functional requirements, engineering and general considerations.

2.4 Transmission selection

In selecting of the power transmission, some parameter such as: type of available gearbox, input to output
ratio, power range, physical constraints and prices should be considered. The diagram of power
transmission system is shown in Figure
2.1 Crank slider mechanism
Crank slider system was used because of its simplicity in construction, availability of components and
affordability, comparing with other methods. In the designed machine, there must be employed an asymmetric
crank system.

Top view of the motion of crank slider mechanism

In such a system the stroke of the knife bar “s” is not equal to a double crank radius. The relation between
radius “r” of cranks (in mm), knife stroke “S” (in mm) and eccentricity “E” (h/l) of the system, “l” is pitman
length (in mm) and “h” is crank height above the cutting plane (in mm) Kariafojski and
Karwowski, 1976).
S
r=
2
√1−E2
Assumptions:
For the sake of efficient cutting in the cutting blade it is assumed that:
 Knife stroke (S)=65mm
 Radius of the crank slider mechanism (R)=30mm
 crank height above the cutting plane H=120mm
65 mm
30 mm=
2
√ 1−E2

From this formula, we have eccentricity (E) of: E=0.3846

h
E=
l
0.3846=120/l
To find l;
120
l=
0.3846
¿ 312 mm
Relations between forward speeds, cutter bar speed and chain conveyor

The operator has to walk behind the machine, so the forward speed should be enough comfort. The best
speed for operator walking behind the machine in the field was achieved to be 0.8 m/s. Cutting speed
should be higher than the forward speed, if not stalks will be flattened and crushed accompanied by large
resistive force. So, specified speed of the cutter bar shaft (in rpm) should be justified over the forward
speed (Sharmin, 2014).

Cutting speed ≥ forward speed

The rotational speed of the driver pulley of the cutter bar was achieved through Equation (11) (Devani
and Pandey, 1985).

30 V C
N C=
S

Where, NC = rotational speed of crank slider shaft (rpm); VC = cutting speed (m s-1); S=stroke length of
the cutter bar (m). In this research stroke length of the cutter bar was 65 mm. Therefore, assuming the
above values, the amount of NC was obtained to be 675 rpm
S N C 0.065∗675
V C= = =1.46 m/ s
30 30

1.46m/s>0.8m/s

2.4 Lug speed (VL) and lug spacing

The lug will convey crops one side to discharge. To avoid clogging of the cut crop in
between the guide spring and guide plate, the crop should be conveyed at a higher speed than
the cutting speed. Therefore, the lug speed was given 1.5 times of the cutting speed to avoid
possibility of clogging due to higher crop density or vegetative growth. Lug spacing has a
relation with star wheel diameter and number of wings of the star wheel (Sharmin, 2014).

π * Do
Lug Spacing =
NW
 Where, Do = outer diameter of star wheel (m); NW = number of wings (here 7). In the star wheel there were
seven wings and lug spacing was calculated as 94 mm. The lug should be placed in such a way that it can
give motion to the star wheel without any slippage.
Then the outer diameter of star wheel is calculated as, DO= 210mm

Calculation of speed of reaper and lug belt conveyor

There are different methods for crop transfer. Vertical transfer has the minimum losses and
reaped crop lies in a windrow which could be easily picked up by labors. The belt conveyor has
to convey the crops at an appropriate speed achieved as 2.12m/s and diameter of flat belt
conveyor is taken as 100mm. from this we can calculate rotational speed of the flat pulley.
V =rw
Where, v = linear speed of the pulley and flat belt in m/s =2.12m/s
r = radius of the pulley m = 0.05m
w = angular speed in rad/sec
N = rotational speed in rpm.
v 2.12 42.4 rad
w= = =
r 0.05 sec
60 w 60∗42.4
N= = =405 rpm
2π 2π
The shaft of flat pulley conveyor is driven by v-belt drive system and the smaller pulley is
assembled in crank slider shaft, where the diameters of smaller and larger pulleys are 60mm and
100 mm respectively.
D5=60mm, D6 =100mm, N8= 405rpm, N7=?
D5 N 8
= , N =605 rpm……… rotational speed of shaft of crank slider mechanism
D6 N 7 7
The shaft of slider crank mechanism is driven by chain drive where numbers of teeth of both
sprockets are the same so there have no change in speed of both sprockets.
T3= T4, N5= N6=605rpm ………rotational speed of chain driver
A bevel gear mechanism is assembled to drive the chain drive mechanism at right angle from
engine pulley drive system.
T1=10, T2 =16, N4= 675rpm, N3=?
D5 N 4
= , N =¿ 1080rpm, rotational speed of engine driven pulley drive mechanism.
D6 N 3 3
The bevel gear drive receives rotational power from engine through v-belt drive mechanism,
Where, D1=60mm, N1= 3000rpm, N2= 1080rpm, D2 =?
D1 N 2
= , D =166.67=166 mm , Rotational speed of driven engine pulley.
D2 N 1 2
Rated speed of the diesel engine which is 3000rpm is selected.
Calculation of speed of forward speed of the reaper
The reaper machine was reaping at 0.8 m/s (forward speed) and 500mm diameter tyre has
selected for ground wheel. From this specification we can calculate the required rotational speed
of the axle as follows,
V =rw
Where, v = forward speed of the reaper or linear speed of the tyre in m/s =2.12m/s
r = radius of the tyre m = 0.25m
w = angular speed of the axle in rad/sec
N = rotational speed in rpm.
v 0.8 3.2rad
w= = =
r 0.25 sec
60 w 60∗3.2
N= = =30.6 rpm
2π 2π
Since the selected rated speed of the engine is 3000 rpm. So the total gear ratio of the pulley
drives and gear box is calculated as, rated speed of engine divided by axle rotational speed.
=3000/30.6 =98
2.3 Engine selection
To select an appropriate engine for the machine, at first the power requirements of machine were
calculated. The power requirements included the followings:
2.3.1 Power required to cutter bar mechanisms
Power required to cutter bar mechanisms was calculated by Equation (2) (Srivastava et al.,
2006),
Fave × Xbu× Fcut
p=
6 ×10 4
Where, P1= power for cutting (kW);
Fave = average cutting force (KN);
Xbu = depth of material at initial contact with knife (mm);
Fcut = cutting frequency (cuts min-1),
 fcut=Wi ×V ×n × 60
Where, wi = cutting width (m);
V= forward speed (m s-1);
n = number of plant was 250 plants m-2.
2.3.2 Power required for conveying unit
This power was related to windrowing of cut crop, and this power is required to move the chains
and lugs rotate the axes and move the cut crop. The average weight of each barley stem at this
stage was 4.5 g.
m
Cut area per time (m 2 /s ) = cutting width (m) × forward speed ( )
s
stems stems
Number of cut stems per time ( ) = number of cut stems per area ( 2 ) × cut area per
s m
2
m
time
s
kg stems
Mass of cut crop per time = number of cut stems per time( ) × mass of one stem (kg)
s s
Power requirement for transforming in the cutting width ( N . m/s) = mass of cut crop per time
(kg s-1) × g(m s-2)
The above calculated power was the power needed to move the cut crop in a unit of time. Some
power was used for moving the lugs and rotational axes of the windrow mechanism in an idle
mode. In order to ensure that the calculated power would be enough, a confidence coefficient of
2 was considered.
2.3.3 Power losses
Power losses are power requirement for overcoming on rolling resistance of machine and
internal friction, which is obtained from Equation (4) (Macmillan, 2010).
P3 = R×V (4)
Where, P3 = power losses (kW); R = rolling resistance force (kN); V = forward
speed (m s-1).
Rolling resistance force was calculated from Equation (5):
R =ρ×W (5)
Where, R = rolling resistance force (kN); ρ = coefficient of rolling resistance and W = weight of
machine (was 2200 N). Soil texture of the tested farms was loamy and the tyre diameter was 0.5
m. Therefore, the rolling resistance coefficient was 0.33 (Macmillan, 2010).
2.3.4 Power required to moving the machine on its forward speed
This power was obtained from Equation (6),
P4 = Ftraction×V (6)
Where, Ftraction = net traction force (N); V = forward speed (m s-1).
In order to calculate net traction force Equation (7) was used:
Ftraction = H – R (7)
Where, Ftraction = net traction force (N); H = gross traction force (N) and R = rolling resistance force (N).
The Equation (8) is also available for gross traction force:
H = A×C + W×tanφ (8)
Where, H = gross traction force (N); A = contact area of tyre with soil (mm2); C = cohesion for semi harsh
loam soils which is 0.25-0.3 and here was taken 0.27 (kg mm-2); W = weight of machine (N) and φ = angle of
internal friction for semi harsh loam soils which is 22°-26° that here was taken 24° (Bernacki et al., 1972).
After calculating the gross traction force and rolling resistance from Equation (5) by placing in the relation (7),
the net traction force was obtained.
2.3.5 Total power
The total power requirement for engine, therefore, was the sum of the above mentioned powers through the
Equation (9):
p 1 + p 2 + p3 + p 4
Pe =
ɳe
Where, Pe was the total power requirement for the engine (kW) and ɳe was the power transmission efficiency.
Transmission efficiency of gears is about 98% per pair of gears and the efficiency of V-belt drive ranges from
70% to 96% (Budynas and Nisbett, 2011). So, an available engine that could supply this power was selected.
The main parts of a self-propelled multi-crop reaper include the following:
• splitting cover/divider
• splitting bracket
• Pressure spring
• Star wheels
• lug chain/forwarding chain
❑ • Blade/cutter
❑
• Blade binder
• Cutter bar/flat bar
• bevel gearbox
• Main gearbox
• Wheels
• Belt and pulley
• throttle lever
• turning clutch
• Gear changing lever
• Lug spring/pressure spring
Name of part Functions

Splitting cover/divider: Divides, compresses, guides or distributes a regulated quantity of the standing crop towards the cutter
blades when the machine moves forward Splitting bracket hitches the splitting cover firmly to the main frame of the machine

Pressure spring: Holds the stems of the crop being harvested upright and exerts pressure on them to enable precise cutting
Star wheels: Guide the harvested crop into the machine, to the gap between the mainframe and the pressure spring, so it can be cut
efficiently
Lug chain/forwarding chain: Helps the rotating star wheel to move in a specific direction; it also throws the harvested crop to
one side of the machine
Blade/cutter: Cuts the stems of the crop being reaped
Blade binder: Aligns the upper and lower cutter bar/flat bar correctly
Cutter bar/flat bar: Holds the cutting blades (these look like teeth and cut the stalks of the crop being reaped)
Bevel gearbox: Transmits power from the engine to the cutter bar/flat bar
Main gearbox: Transmits power from the engine to the wheels (which move the reaper backwards and forwards)
Wheels Enable the reaper to be moved around
Belt and pulley: Supply power from the engine to the gearbox
Throttle lever: Controls the engine speed
Turning clutch: Turns the reaper to the left or right
Gear changing lever:Used to change gears when turning
the machine to the left and right

The self-propelled multi-crop reaper:

♦ saves money and time – especially useful where labor is scarce or expensive, and where time is
short (for example, where farmers grow more than one crop per year in the same field)
♦ makes harvesting far quicker than by hand
♦ helps farmers plant the next crop quickly – which often increases that crop’s yield
♦ deposits crops to the side of the machine where they can be picked up easily for binding
♦ cuts the crop – and if it is a very advanced model, binds it too!
Limitations of a self-propelled multi-crop reaper
The self-propelled multi-crop reaper:
♦ cannot harvest completely lodged crops
♦ is difficult to use in fields with excessively moist clay soil or standing water; add cage wheels
to keep the machine from getting stuck in the mud
Main parts of the self-propelled multi-crop reaper and their functions
Parts that separate and divide the crop during reaping Dividers
Function: these divide the uncut crop into equal sections ready for cutting and move it towards
the cutter bar/flat bar.
Splitting bracket
Function: hitches the splitting cover to the main frame of the reaper.
Pressure spring
Function: exerts pressure on crop stems or tillers, aligning them upright for cutting.
Lug chain or forwarding chain
Function: keeps the star wheels moving in the correct direction; throws the cut crop to one side
of the machine.
Star wheels
Function: the star wheels guide the harvested crop into the machine to be cut.
Parts that cut the crop
Functions:
The blade (or ‘cutter’) cuts the crop.
The blade binder aligns the upper and lower cutter bars/flat bars.
The blocking plate helps the blade binder maintain a gap of 0.5 mm (Maximum) clearance
between two cutter bars/flat bars. The cutter bar/flat bar holds the blades that cut the crop.
Output devices
Function: these parts work together to enable the self-propelled multi-crop reaper to lay down the
crop horizontally after being cut (allowing it to be picked up easily). Moving switch lower output
middle output
Wheels
Rubber wheels
Cage wheels
Function: these enable the self-propelled multi-crop reaper to move forward or backward. Note:
it is essential to fit ‘cage’ wheels when using the self-propelled multi-crop reaper in standing
water or on moist soil, as sometimes happens during the early monsoon rice harvest. These keep
the reaper from slipping or getting stuck.
Levers and switches (
Functions:
The throttle lever helps control the reaper’s speed.
The turning clutch lever controls the clutch.