Understanding Combine Harvesters in Brief
History and Evolution
The earliest Combine Harvesters first appeared in the 1830s but were heavy, inefficient and could only handle a narrow swath of cereal crops. It was not until the late 19th century that significant improvements were made. In the early 20th century, steam-powered machines started replacing horse-drawn variants. This helped increase capacity and efficiency. However, steam power was heavy and unwieldy.
The arrival of gasoline engines in the 1920s led to the fully development of modern Combine Harvesters. Manufacturers like International Harvester, Deering, andCase IH started integrating internal combustion engines. This made combines much more powerful, maneuverable and capable of higher field capacities. After World War 2, even larger machines with greater capabilities started emerging to meet rising agricultural demands. Further technological innovations in the late 20th century led to advanced electronics, automated controls and bigger combines with widths of over 30 feet. Today's modern self-propelled combines are high-tech machines that can complete tasks much faster than older models.
Key Components
Modern Combine Harvesters are highly complex machines consisting of several critical components. The main ones include:
- Header - The forward part that cuts and transports crop material into the machine for threshing. Common header types include draper headers and pick-up headers.
- Feeder House - Receives cut crop from the header and uses threshing cylinders or rotor to separate grain from chaff/straw.
- Separation System - Components like shoe covers, sieves and fans that separate grain from lighter materials.
- Cleaning System - Sieves and attached shaker mechanisms that further clean the grain by removing lightweight trash and foreign materials.
- Grain Tank - Large holding tank that collects and stores threshed and cleaned grain.
- Unloading Auger - Conveys grain from the tank to transport trucks during unloading.
- Engine/Power Source - Usually a powerful diesel engine provides power to all mechanical and hydraulic components.
- Controls - Advanced electronic and computer controls that monitor functions and let the operator control all operations from the cab.
Working Process
Here are the basic steps in how a Combine Harvesters works:
1) The header cuts and sections standing crop material as the machine moves through the field. Cut crop is fed into the feeder house.
2) Inside the feeder house, threshing cylinders or rotors beat and rub the grain, separating it from stalks, leaves and empty husks.
3) Air separates heavier grain kernels from lighter chaff/debris using fans and sieves in the cleaning system.
4) Further sieves and shakers remove any remaining small waste material from the grain.
5) Clean grain falls into the storage tank while straw and chaff are expelled out the rear.
6) When full, the operator activates the unloading auger to transfer the harvested grain into awaiting grain trucks.
7) The harvest then continues until the field is completed and the full cycle repeats across numerous fields.
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