A Combine Harvester also known as Combine or a Thresher ia a very effective Agricultural Machine that executes the tasks of harvesting, threshing and cleaning variety of crops. The history of harvesting combines goes back to 500 B.C. and that time wooden implements were used.
The first mobile cart was called Gallie and since then humans made immense efforts to simplify the process.The first combine harvester was made in USA and was a big size machine.
Since then many countries of the world have developed facilities for manufacturing of farm combines.
Combine Harvester – How it Works
The manufacturers all over the world have designed biggest combine harvesters and the desire for improvement is an on-going process. The combine harvester machine executes lots of functions and how it works is explained step by step ahead.
- The standing crop is guided to the cutter mechanism by reel. The dividers are also supplied to divide the crop which comes to the machine and the remaining part standing in the field is slightly pushed apart so that is saved from the damage by machine.
- The cut crop falls into the pan of the cutter bar. it has auger with right and left hand flights on it and it brings the cut crop to the centre of auger. Fitted prongs are located in the centre of auger and convey the crop to feeder channel, chain and slats running in feeder.
- Crop is thrashed by thrashing drum and basket. To facilitate operations for various crops and their thrasing characteristics, drum speed is variable and can be easily adjusted from the operations platform.
- The gap between concave and drum can easily be increased or decreased. For concave there are 2 adjustments, one is instantaneous which brings the basket close to thrashing drum and other is fine adjustment.
- A debrading sheet is placed on the first 2 rows of concave. It is operated from outside. For mot of the crops, it is locked in off position.
- A stone trap is provided in front of thrashing drum and concave so as to catch the stone taken by the cutter bar and fed with the crop. The stone being heavy in weight drops remaisn there to be taken out during the service of combine harvester machine.
Harvester Combine Picture
- The threshed straw is brought to the straw walker by guide drum. The mixture of grain and short straw returns to step bed through bottom pam of straw walker. A baffle plate is placed over straw walker to control the straw to the straw walker by allowing the straw to fall at front end of the straw walker and making it to travel full length of straw walker.
- The mixture of grain and straw dropped from the grates of concave and also through the straw walker falls on step bed. The bed grain is separated friom chaff due to vibrations and short straw is carried to the chaffer rack.
- When grains, chaff and short straw are being dropped from the chaffer rack, air is directed from the blower which blows the chaff and short straw away from combine.
- On the other hand, grain is separated on hinged screen and double strip screen drop through chaffer rack.
- Air from variable speed blower is arranged in such a way that it passes under chaffer rack and also under sieves. The strong air current blows dust particles, short straws and other trash materials away from tractor combine.
- The clean grain is dropped from the fixed hole sieve and carried to the grain elevator with the help if screen conveyor. Another screw conveyor is fixed to the top of grain elevator to convery the clean grains to to the grain tank. The grains are discharged from the grain tank with the help of discharge conveyor and discharge auger.
Types of Combine Harvesters & Their Uses
The type of combine harvester machines are basically classified into 3 major types.
- Pull type harvesting combines
- Pull type with auxiliary engine
- Self propelled harvesting combine
Pull Type harvesting combines are also known as Tractor Pull Combines or Tractor Combines. The machine is pulled by a farm tractor and at the same time, power needs for thrashing, cutting, separting and cleaning is taken from P.T.O shaft of the tractor. These combine harvesters are being used in various places depending on the needs.
Pull type with auxiliary engine are pulled by a tractor but a separate engine is mounted on the harvesting combine which supplies power to cutting, thrashing and other requirements. These type of combines are not much in production.
Self propelled harvester combine is self contained unit with an engine over it. The engine power is divided into 2 parts i.e. for driving the machine and the other for harvesting related operations.
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Thresher Types & Their Commercial Uses
Harvester Combines Uses & Operation in Farming
This machine using which all the operations connected with harvesting of crops are done is called harvesting combine. The operations are listed below:
- Feeding crop to the cutting mechanism
- Cutting the crop & feeding the crop to thrashing unit
- Thrasing the crops & separating the husk from grain
- Grain cleaning
- Conveying of grains
- Grain Storage
The uses of combine harvesters or we should say the efficiency parameters are listed below:
- No Grain Loss
- Clean grain delivery
- The combine can be operated on crops with high moisture content.
- Easy to operate & maintain
- Less consumption of fuel
- The combine harvester machine is used on different crop varieties like wheat, corn, soybeans, oats, sorghum,rice etc.
Largest Combine Harvester Manufacturers
The manufacturers of biggest or smallest combine harvesters know that this is a highly priced agricultural equipment. This machine is not in direct grasp of small farmers in major agricultural countries. The small combine harvester manufacturers deliver the product according to the farm requirements.
The manufacturers exist in lots of places in India including Punjab. The major manufacturers also exist in various other countries like China, Germany, USA, UK, Europe etc.
The list of largest combine harvester manufacturers is never ending and I have tried to showcase this list and will keep on adding to this list in future.
- John Deere
- Mahindra
- Deutz Fahr Germany
- Jiangsu TYM China
- Sonalika
- New Holland
- Crop Tiger by Class
- Standard combine harvester by Standard Combine of India
- Dashmesh India
- Caterpillar
- Indo Farm
- Harvesking Kubota Harvesters by Kubota Agricultural Machinery India Pvt. Ltd
- Kartar Agro
- Preet Combines India
- Yanmar Japan
- Kubota
- International Harvester
- Ajaco
- Swaraj
- Araus Argentina
- Arbos Italy
- Fendt
- Hind India
- Kaset Pattana Thailand
- Marani Argentina
This list of manufacturers export these combines to different parts of the world and major asian countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan etc. The high price of these machines makes them out of reach of common farmer.
The decision to buy combine harvester depends on many options and can save the overall time and improve the crop yield. Some farmers take this machine on rent from contractors during the buzy harvesting season. The bigger contractors sell or rent out these machines to the farmers.
The widespread uses and the efficiency of this farming equipment makes it the desired machine in agriculture industry.
