HARVESTING

AND
THRESHING

AE 11- BASIC FARM

MACHINERIES AND
MECHANIZATION
HARVESTING
Introduction
Harvesting is the process of
collecting the mature rice crop
from the field.
• Cutting: cutting the panicles and straw.
• Hauling: moving the cut crop to the threshing
location.
• Threshing: separating the paddy grain from
the rest of the cut crop.
• Cleaning: removing immature, unfilled and
non-grain materials.
• Field drying: (optional) leaving the cut crop in
the field and exposing it to the sun for drying.
• Stacking / Piling: (optional) temporarily storing
the harvested crop in stacks or piles.
 Good harvesting practices
At harvest the quality of
rice is best. From then on
it can deteriorate quickly:
• Heat build up from mold and
insect development
• Discoloration/Yellowing from
heat build-up
• Cracking from re-wetting of Goals of good harvesting:
dried grains  maximize grain yield
(minimize losses)
• Loss of vigor
 minimize grain damage
• Reduced head rice yield  Minimize quality
• Shattering losses deterioration
When to harvest
Harvest rice when:
 20-25% grain moisture
 80-85% straw colored
and
 the grains in the lower
part of the panicle are in
the hard doe stage
 30 days after flowering
Manual Harvest
1. Manual systems
 Manual operation
sometimes using
tools
 Labor requirement:
48 person days /
ha
Manual Harvest
2. Manual cutting / machine threshing

Optional:
Winnowing

 Labor requirement: 28 person or

cleaning
days/ha
Manual Harvest

• Labor intensive operation – 40 to80 man-hr/ha

• Time & humanpower – prone to delays
• High postharvest losses – 2.11% ave. harvesting losses
• Added 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 / 5.5 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
Mechanical Reaper
Mechanical Reaper

Turning Technique
Mechanical Reaper

Turning Technique
Mechanical Reaper

Turning Technique
 Mechanical reaping

 Capacity: 2-4 ha/d

 Advantages
◼ Fast cutting
 Problems
◼ Places crop in window
back in the field
◼ Problem with lodged crop
◼ Complex cutter bar and
conveying mechanism
 A. Preparing the Field
3
1. Drain the field well about
10 days before harvest.

2. Know the field pattern of 2

operations. Determine 4
the entry point and exit
to next field.

Entry 1
 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.

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
 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
 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 Harvester
Rubber Crawler
Pick-up Reel
Cutterbar & Blade
Threshing & Cleaner
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 : 6.5 - 8 liters / hr.
consumption (diesel)
▪ Discharge of : Bulk or bagged
palay discharge
▪ No. of operators : 2-3 persons (including
required baggers for bagged
discharge)

▪ Cost of facility : P1.2M to P1.6M

▪ Lifespan : 10 years
Typical grain flow in a combine harvester
 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.
 Occupational Safety and
Health Standard
The workplace
o Working around
machinery is one of the
most dangerous
workplace.
o Loss of arm and limb is
highly possible.
o Rice combine shall be
fitted with slow-moving
vehicle (SMV) emblem
End