Mechanized Harvesting

and Threshing
MARIO VERGARA PASCUA
Science Research Specialist II
Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization
(PHilMech)
Rice Post Harvest System
Harvesting and Threshing
RICE HARVESTING
Definition
Considerations:
Parameters of Harvest:
Maturity
• Correct maturity days
• 80-85% are grains colored
Unto 95% if using combines
• Firm but not brittle
Parameters of Harvest:
Manual Harvest
• Using sickles for cutting
Sickle or Scythe
 Manual Harvest
• Windrowing or in-field drying
 Manual Harvest
• Gathering and hauling to piles
 Manual Harvest
• Rice stacks or piles ready for threshing
 Manual Harvest
• Labor intensive operation – 20 to 40 man-hr/ha
• Longer time required – prone to delays
• High postharvest losses – 2.11% ave. harvesting losses
• Addtl. costs or expenses – food, fares, etc.
Mechanical Reaper
• Hand tractor mounted
• Cutterbar (scissors)
• Width - 1m / 1.2 m
• Engine - 3 hp / 5 hp
• Forward speed - 2.5 kph / 4.5 kph
• Weight - 120 kg / 150 kg
• Capacity - 2 ha/d / 3 ha/d
• Labor - 2 operators
Parts and Components

Chain Conveyor
Front Cover
Star Wheel

Marker

Gathering Header

Lower Frame
Reciprocating Cutter Header Point
Knife

Crop Divider
PARTS DESRCIPTION

1. Handle
2. Engine switch
3. Recoil starter
handle
4. Recoil starter
5. Wheels
6. Bonnet
7. Marker
8. Carrying deck
9. Fuel tank
  
PARTS DESRCIPTION

10. SP-change
lever
11. Throttle lever
12. Main clutch
lever
13. Harvest clutch
lever
14. Air cleaner
15. Muffler
16. Chain casing
  
Mechanical Reaper
Mechanical Reaper
OPERATION
HARVESTING OPERATION
The field condition when using the reaper must be the same with the field condition
for manual harvesting

A. Reaped height: 10 to 30
cm
B. Stalk height: 50 to 100 cm
Ɵ. Prostrate angle: 60°C
Mechanical Reaper
Turning Technique
Mechanical Reaper
Turning Technique
 A. Preparing the Field
3
1. Drain the field well about
10 days before harvest.
2
2. Know the field pattern of
operations. Determine the 4

entry point and exit to next

field.
Entr 1
y
 B. Preparing the machine
1. Check always the machine,
engine and all parts
functioning well. Make a
quick test run.
2. Make the necessary
adjustments to the machine
e.g. power on engine,
height of cut, etc..
 B. During Reaping
1. Maximize cutting width of
machine. Form a straight
line of cut.
2. Make efficient turns at
corners.
 C. After reaping
1. Windrow moderately if
necessary.
2. Build small rice stacks or
piles.
3. Use underlays if possible.
MAINTENANCE
LIST OF LUBRICATIONS, OILING AND INSPECTIONS
TIME OF EXCHANGE
PRIOR
REAPER PART DESCRIPTION QUANTITY
OPERATION
1 ST
AFTER THAT

Fuel tank Refuel Regular gasoline for cars* Fill-up capacity: 3L

Up to a lubricating port
Engine crank casing Inspect SAE30 with an engine leveled
After being
(abt. 0.6L)
used for 10 Every 50 hrs.
hrs. (2.5ha) (13ha) Up to not less than half
the area of a gear inside
Transmission casing Supply   SAE90 or 80
a hole of a lubricating
port (abt. 1.1L)
Reaping cutters

Knife clip, Slide plate

Knife head Proper quantity;

2T oil or the excess oil for the
Crank roller Lubricate Prior operation depending on the field
transmission casing
condition
Corresponding cutter
Carrying chain
Fulcrum of tension sprocket
MAINTENANCE
ENGINE CRANK CASING AND TRANSMISSION CASING
Checking your lubricant Discharge plug Lubricating port

Engine
Crank
Casing

Transmissio
n Casing

Make sure that the engine is level when checking and filling the lubricants in
the engine and transmission
MAINTENANCE
LUBRICATING AREAS

3 5
1&2
6

4 5 7 8
1. Reaping cutter
2. Corresponding cutter
3. Knife clip
4. Slide plate
5. Crank roller
6. Knife head
7. Carrying chain
2 1 8. Fulcrum of tension sprocket

Deliver the lubricants (2T oil) to the area shown with an arrow mark. Make sure to this
lubrications prior reaper operation.
MAINTENANCE
LIST OF INSPECTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
TIME OF INSPECTIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
ITEMS DAILY, PRIOR
OPERATION
The 1st Others
Every 50 hours
(approx. 13 ha)
· Air cleaner (oil bath type) and oil replacement Inspect Supply oil (SAE30) up to
as often as needed the oil level mark
depending on the
field condition
· Cleaning of cooling fins
 As often as needed depending on the field
· Cleaning of air inlet areas of the recoil starter condition
· Looseness of bolts and nuts
Inspect
· Damages around each area of the machine Replace the safety pin every time it will be
. Inspection of the safety pins broken to avoid further damages in the
machine.
. Cleaning of the cutting areas
· Adjustments of a guide rod   Each time
· Length of a main clutch wire
· Length of a wire of a clutch for reaping use Inspect and adjust After being used for 10
hours (2.5ha) Every 50 hours (13ha)
· Tension around chain areas
· Abrasion of a chain guide
· Grinding of reaping cutters and their corresponding
cutters
 
· Clearance between a reaping cutter and a knife clip
  Prior to operations at the reaping season or every 50
· Abrasion of a slide plate hours (approximatel13 hectares).
· Cleaning of a fuel filter pot  
· Adjustments of the spark plug
MAINTENANCE
SAFETY PINS
There a two (2) safety pins are used in this reaper. They are located in the sprocket and
at the crank at the back of the cutting blade. This pins are used to prevent other parts
from being damaged under abnormal loads.

1. Stopper
1. Driver 1. Safety pin 2. Safety pin
2. Safety pin 2. Stopper 3. Boss
3. Stopper 4. Shaft of a
reaping
cutter
A. Greased
areas
MAINTENANCE
SAFETY PINS
Sprocket in the carrying chain

Cutting blade crank in the carrying drive chain

OPERATION
PRIOR HARVESTING

Before starting the engine:

make sure the following
lever are either “neutral”
or “off”:
1. Main clutch lever
2. Harvest clutch lever
3. Throttle lever
4. SP-change lever

Before shifting the SP-change

lever from one position to
another, make sure that the
main clutch lever and the
harvest clutch lever is in their
“off” position.
RICE THRESHING
 Manual Threshing
• Foot treading
• Impact “hampasan”
Mechanical Threshing

• Hold On Types
 Pedal Threshers (or
motorized) 200 to
300 kgs/hr

• Throw-inTypes
 Axial Flow (0.5 to 2
tons/hr)
Axial Flow Thresher

• High capacity
• Clean grains
• Low labor requirement
• Suitable for fresh or wet
palay
• Mobile & easy to operate
• Ave. postharvest losses –
2.18%
Axial Flow Thresher
• Mobile - w/ wheels & drawbar
• Design - Peg-tooth/concave grate
• Width - 1.5 m
• Engine - 12-16 Hp
• Weight - 200 to 500 kg w/ engine
• Capacity - 0.5 – 3 tons / hr
• Manpower - 4 to 6 laborers
Axial Flow Thresher
Parts and Components
 Operations
1. Start engine & throttle to
recommended speed (600-
700 cylinder rpm).
2. Feed thresher with
harvested crop to check
performance. Adjust if
necessary.
 Operations
3. Operate the machine, 3-4
persons required: 1 or 2
men load the tray, another
to feed the thresher. 1
checks the grain discharge
and the blower/sieve .
 Operations
4. Feed the crop continously
at uniform rate. Maximum
feeding w/o overloading
engine.
5. Check always the grain
discharge for impurities,
the seive at the windboard
for losses.
 Operations
6. Reduce feeding rate when
threshing wet.
7. Periodically check the drum
and the concave grills for
accummulation of straws
and chaff.
Axial Flow Thresher
Axial Flow Thresher
Considerations to Good Threshing
Operations
1. Least scattering/spillage
losses.
• Use of threshing mats
• Care by laborers
2. Least separation losses.
• Adjust RPM to optimum
• Adjust feeding rate if due to high
MC palay or low grain-straw ratio
• Check drum and concave grills for
accumulated straw or dirt
Considerations to Good Threshing
Operations
3. Clean grain vs blower
losses.
• Clean grains but recycle chaff
and tailings
• Adjust blower inlet cover
• Adjust feeding rate
4. Optimum capacity.
• Adjust RPM to optimum, 600
to 700 RPM
• Continous and uniform feeding
rate
RICE COMBINE
HARVESTERS
 Definition:
1. Combines the operations of harvesting
and threshing
2. Mobile grain-harvesting machine for
cutting, picking, stripping or picking up
crop, threshing, separating, cleaning
and conveying grain into a grain
hopper and depositing harvest residue
onto the ground.
Combine Harvesters
Rice Combine
• Self propelled (Crawlers or
wheel drive)
• Cutting knives
• Threshing system
• Bulk or bagged discharge
Combine Harvesters
Technical Info
 Type of Machine : Self-propelled (crawlers or
wheel-drive)
 Power : 60hp to 70hp
 Field capacity : 1- 2.5 hrs. / ha.
 Fuel consumption : 6.5 - 8 liters / hr. (diesel)

 Discharge of palay : Bulk or bagged discharge

 No. of operators : 2-3 persons (including

required baggers for bagged
discharge)

 Cost of facility :
 Lifespan : 10 years
 Combine Harvester
Driver’s Cab
Grain Tank Unloading Auger
Re-threshing of Tailings Engine
Threshing Drum

Reel Impeller

Grain Conveyor Straw Walker

Straw Chopper
Bottom Sieve
Stone trap
Grain Pan Top Adjustable Sieve
Cutting Bar Header Auger Concave Tailings
Conveyor
Fan
Grain Auger
Rubber Crawler
Cutterbar & Blade
Bottom Sieve and Top Adjustable Sieve
Pick-up Reel
Threshing & Cleaner
Grain Pan
Combine Harvesters
 A. Preparing the Field
1. Drain the field well about
10 days before harvest.
2. Prepare the entry point of
the machine to the field.
3. Clear or cut manually the
crop in the area where the
combine will first enter.
 B. During Operations
4. Make ready the grain bags
for use at harvest.
5. Identify drop points (if bag)
or unloading stops if bulk).

6. Manually cut the crop in

corners or edges not
reached by the machine.
Postharvest Losses in Rice
Based on a study of PHilMech and PhilRice (2010), a total of
16.47% Grain losses incurred during the postharvest
activities. Both drying and Milling have the highest recorded
losses with 36% and 34% share respectively

Cutting
Tradisyonal na pamamaraan
Tradisyonal na pamamaraan
Tradisyonal na pamamaraan
THANK YOU !!!