CHAPTER 2

GRAIN HARVESTING MACHINE

1
GRAIN HARVESTING MACHINE

1) MOTORIZED REAPERS
2) MOTORIZED REAPER BINDER
3) THRESHER
4) COMBINE HARVESTER

2
1) MOTORIZED REAPER

3
4
Front View

5
Component

6
7
 Motorized Reaper
• A mechanical reaper or reaping machine is a
mechanical, semi-automated device that
harvests crops.

8
 Work principle
• Cut the crops and bring it down at right side of
the machine
• Cutter bar move from left to right controlled by
control handle
• Height and speed of the cutting is control by
throttle lever
• Height of cutting is 10-30 cm with angle 45º-60º
• Arranging and binding process is done manually

9
Motorized Reaper

10
2) REAPER BINDER

11
12
Reaper Binder

13
 Component

Handle

Side Divider

Engine

Picker Chain

Wheel

Binding unit Divider

Cutter 14
Yarn for Reaper

15
Reaper Binder

16
17
 Reaper Binder
• is a harvesting machine that reaps the crop as
well as binds it simultaneously. This machine
ensures 100% recovery of straw with
negligible grain losses at a surprisingly low
cost of operation. This machine is mainly used
in Wheat, Paddy, Oats, Barley and other grain
crops.

18
 Work Principle
• Harvesting and Binding of Grain Crops in a
single operation.
• Cut down and bind at the same time
• It reaps and binds the crops and leaves them
collectively on the farm at regular intervals.
• The cutting height which is adjusted by its
hydraulic sleeves automatically preserves its
level in accord with the unevenness with the
help of a spring.
19
• Used for Grain crops of Height up to 85 to 110
cm.
• Harvesting and Binding of 1 Acre of field in 1
Hour
• The machine parts are protected with a safety
mechanism against the possible overloads

20
3) THRESHER

21
• Design for threshing (threshing cereal from
stalk)
• Used for paddy, soy bean and wheat
• Cereal with stalk where inserted into the
threshing machine to separate the cereal and
the stalk
• Thresher can be moved from place to place
• Suitable for places that cannot be entered by
combine harvester

22
Thresher

23
Component

24
25
 Work Principle
• Main component that function as thresher is
threshing drum
• It rotated using power from engine
• Harvested crop were inserted into the inlet and will
be rotate by the drum for threshing cereal from stalk
• Dust will come out from dust exhauster
• Clean cereal will drop down and conveyed by auger
to clean cereal outlet
• Wind from rotating drum will help separating
process

26
4) COMBINE HARVESTER

27
28
Combine Harvester

29
The crop flow through the machine.

30
 Combine Harvester
• All combines perform the following 5 basics
crop harvesting functions
1) Cutting or windrow pick-up and feeding
2) Threshing
3) Separating
4) Cleaning
5) Handling

31
 1) CUTTING AND FEEDING
• A header – which cuts or gather the crops and
feeds it to combine separator
• Header has 2 unit
– Cutting platform or pick-up platform (which cuts
or gathers the crop)
– Feeder conveyor (which feeds the cut or gathered
crop to the separator)

32
Header Unit

33
 Work Principle of Header
• As the combine moves forward in the field the
dividers and ends sheets separate a swath from
the rest of the crop
• The reel parts a section of the crop and pushes it
against the cutter bar
• As the material is cut by the knife on the cutter
bar, the reel continues to push the crop or lift it
into the path of the spiraled auger.
• The auger moves the material to the center of
the platform where the feeder conveyor delivers
it to the cylinder for threshing
34
 Auger

Reel

35
Auger

36
 Feeder Conveyor

Cylinder for threshing

37
 Reel Operation
• Two types of reels are available:
– Bat-Type or Slat-Type Reel
– Pickup Reel

38
Bat-Type / Slat-Type Reel

39
 Bat-Type / Slat-Type Reel
• Consists of three to eight slats made of steel.
• The slats rotate against the standing crop to
hold it until the crop is cut by the knife on the
cutter bar.
• Then the slat lays the crop back into the path
of the auger

40
Pickup Reel

41
 Pickup Reel
• Has several steel tines or fingers attached to
the slats
• The fingers pick up crops which have been
blown down or have become badly tangled
• The fingers on the pickup reel reach down into
the crop and lift it so the cutter bar can get
under it
•

42
 Reel Adjustment
• Both types of reel are usually adjustable as
well as up and down.
• These adjustments are important to insure
proper delivery of material to the cutter bar
and auger
• In standing grain, the slat reel must be set so
the slats, in their lowest position, strike just
below the lowest grain heads and just slightly
ahead of the cutter bar

43
 Reel Adjustment
• In crops that are down and tangled, the pick
up reel must be set.
• This will insure that the material is picked up,
cut off and swept back into the platform auger
without losing grain
• The reel must rotate at the proper speed to
prevent shattering and loss of grain
• Usually the speed of reel for average
condition is 25% faster that the combine
harvester speed
44
 Cutting Platform
• Regular Cutting Platform
– Used in most crops except corn and rice
• Draper Cutting Platform
– Used in rice
– Has a draper or belt conveyor between the cutter
bar and auger
– Picking up or getting more crop into the combine

45
Cutter Bar

46
 Combine Stone Protection
• Provide protection from stone and other
objects which might enter the machine and
damage the cylinder, rotor and concave
• 2 types of door
– Automatic
– Manual

47
 Combine Stone Protection
• Automatic
– The doors open automatically when a stone or
large solid object enough to cause damage
approaches the cylinder or rotor.
– When the door open, a monitor light and alarm
are activated
– Operator must stop the machine to close the door

48
Automatic Stone Door

49
 Combine Stone Protection
• Manual
- A cavity in front of cylinder on some combines
catches and holds stones and other hard object
- These trap may open and empty while the combine
is operating
- Or may require the machine to be stopped and the
door opened manually from under the feeder
house

50
Manual Stone Door

51
 2) THRESHING
• Threshing system is the heart of a combine
• Threshing is a process of beating the grain
from its husk or beating the grains from the
heads.
• 90 % of the grain is separated from its stem,
cob or pod as it passes between the cylinder
or rotor and the concave

52
Threshing Unit

53
• Threshing area of a combine is located in the body of
the combine which known as the ‘separator’
• The component consist of a cylinder :
1) and a concave
2) or rotor and concave
• Types of threshing system :
1) rasp-bar cylinder and concave
2) spike-tooth cylinder and concave
3) angle-bar cylinder and concave
4) single or dual rotor and concave

54
Rasp-bar Cylinder and Concave

55
Spike-tooth Cylinder

56
Angle –bar Cylinder and Concave

57
Rotor and Concave

58
 Threshing Cylinder or Rotor and
Concave Function
• Feeder conveyor delivers crop to the threshing area
• Crop is fed into the opening between the cylinder or
rotor and concave
• As the cylinder rotates, material comes into contact
with the rapidly moving rasp bars and this impact
shatters the grain or seed from the stalk
• 90 % of grain will be separated from stalk, but if very
little separation occur, more of the grain is thrown
onto the straw walker or straw racks to faster the
separation process
59
Threshing Action

60
 3) SEPARATING
Beater
- Beater or rotary deflector is located behind and
usually slightly above the threshing cylinder or rotor
- It has a small diameter and about the same width as
the threshing cylinder or rotor
- Up to 90% of grain separated from stalk by cylinder
and rotor
- The remaining is separated by beater, finger grate
and straw walker

61
4 types of beater :
1) Wing-type
2) Drum-type with removable wings (cover teeth)
3) Drum-type with teeth (covers removed)
4) Drum-type with non-removable wings

Two jobs of beater :

1) It slows material as it leaves the cylinder and
concave
2) It deflects this material down onto the front of the
straw walkers

62
Beater

63
Straw walker or Racks
• Effective separation in a combine is determine by how
the crop is shaken as it travels through the separating
area
• Straw walker jobs :
1) provide the agitation to remove the remaining grain
2) remove the straw and trash by walking it out the
rear of the combine
• 2 types of straw walker :
1) one-piece oscillating straw rack
2) multiple straw walkers

64
Straw walker action
• After straw is deposited onto the straw walkers, it is
tumbled and tossed as it is propelled to the rear
• Loose grain falls down through the openings in the
walkers or racks and carried to the cleaning shoe
• The straw continues to be agitated along the length
of the straw until it reaches the rear of the combine
and falls to the ground
• Each agitating cycle occurs 150 -250 times per
minute
• If the speed is too fast or too slow, grain losses may
increase
65
Straw Walker

66
 4) CLEANING
• After threshed and separated, the grain and chaff
must be delivered to cleaning area by gravity or
conveying system
• 4 basic methods to deliver grain to the cleaning unit :
1) Gravity feed
2) Conveyor belts or chains
3) Multiple augers
4) Reciprocating grain pan

67
Gravity Feed

68
Conveyor Belts or Chains

69
Multiple Augers

70
Reciprocating Grain Pan

71
1) Gravity feed
• Grain threshed by cylinder and concave fall directly into the
cleaning unit
• Grain separated by straw walker are returned to the
cleaning area by the straw walker return pan

2) Conveyor belts or chains

• 2 design :
1) Grain conveyor under straw walkers – grain threshed by
the cylinder and concave falls directly into the cleaning unit
2) grain conveyor under cylinder and concave – conveyor
delivers threshed grain to the cleaning unit and straw
walkers have return pans to return grain to cleaning unit

72
3) Multiple augers
• Running the length of the threshing and separating areas
move the grain to the cleaning unit.
• Grain separated by cylinder and concave is moved back to the
cleaning area by augers at the front

4) Reciprocating grain pan

• Shaking action of the pan separates material into layers of
grain on the bottom and straw on top
• Pan motion carries the material rearward and finger grate will
drop the grain onto chaffer
• Air from fan carries straw out the rear of combine

73
Cleaning Unit
• Removed straw from grain that still mixed after
threshing and separating
• 3 basic component:
1) A fan
2) A chaffer
3) A sieve
• Fan has its own housing
• Chaffer and sieve are in unit called ‘cleaning shoe’

74
1) A fan
• A multiple-blade fan mounted in front of cleaning shoe
• Air blown from the fan removes most of the straw from the
grain
• Fan speed about 250 – 1500 rpm
• Air flow is controlled by changing fan opening or using this 3
methods :
1) Shutters – control amount of air taken in and delivered by
fan (partially closed when cleaning light seed and wide open
for heavy seed)
2) Windboards – control the direction of the fan blast to the
chaffer and sieve
3) Fan speed – adjusted along with chaffer and sieve openings
(opened more than normal for dry crop)
75
Cleaning Shoe
• Contain chaffer and sieve
• 3 types of shoe action :
1) reciprocating – chaffer and sieve move in opposite
directions to each other
2) shaker – chaffer and sieve move in the same direction at
the same time
3) cascading – chaffer and sieve positioned so that material
drops from one unit to the other in cascading or rolling
motion

76
Chaffer
• 2 types :
1) adjustable
2) non-adjustable

Sieve
• Similar to chaffer except that it is smaller
• 2 types :
1) adjustable louver
2) non-adjustable round-hole (2.5 – 14.3 mm)according to the
crop being harvested

77
Sieve

78
Sieve

79
Chaffer and Sieve Operation :

80
 5)HANDLING
• Handling crop means moving threshed, separated and
cleaned crop from the cleaning shoe to grain tank
• Then, from grain tank to a wagon or truck for transporting
• Rethreshing must be included
• Crop handling components :
1) lower clean grain auger
2) clean grain elevator
3) grain tank loading elevator
4) lower tailings auger
5) tailing elevator / upper tailings auger
6) grain tank
7) grain tank unloading auger

81
Handling System

82
Clean Grain Elevator and Augers
• After grain cleaned by the shoe, lower clean grain auger
delivers it to clean grain elevator
• Elevator carries the grain to the upper lean grain auger or
grain tank loading auger to store it in grain tank

Tailing Elevator and Auger

• Tailings are unthreshed or unseparated material which fall
through chaffer
• The lower tailing auger moves the tailings to the tailings
elevator
• Elevator then carries material to the upper tailing auger and
drop it at the center of separator
• Here the material is threshed, separated and cleaned

83
Grain Tank
• Is the storage area for clean grain
• Comes in many shapes and sizes
• Located in top, side or both side of combine
• Sizes vary from 3 – 11 m3 depending on size of the
combine

Grain Tank Unloading Auger

• When grain tank is full, grain must be unload into a
wagon or truck
• Large unloading augers (30.5 cm diameter) can
unload 7 m3 tank in one and a half minute.

84
Grain tank loading auger

Clean grain elevator

85