A combine harvester is a machine that performs the harvesting, threshing and cleaning processes for grain crops. It cuts the crop, separates the grain from the rest of the plant, and cleans the grain using air. The machine can harvest wheat, soybeans, oats, and rye, and sometimes collects straw for animal feed or bedding.
A combine harvester is a fundamental piece of equipment for the modern farm. It is a machine that helps in the harvesting of grain crops by combining three separate functions into one piece of equipment. The combine harvester performs the harvesting, threshing and cleaning processes. This allows the crop to be harvested faster and more efficiently and allows farmers to harvest larger quantities. Some crops that can be harvested using this machine include wheat, soybeans, oats, and rye.
The first process the combine harvester performs is harvesting, which involves cutting down the crop for harvesting. As the combine drives across the field, the crop is pulled into the combine in the front section, called the header. From there it is pushed further into the machine by a slowly turning wheel called a pick-up reel, which also contains the plants for cutting. The crop is then cut by the cutterbar, which has teeth that are sometimes called mowing fingers. These cut the plant down close to the ground.
Next comes threshing, which is the process of pounding the crop to separate the grain from the rest of the plant. After the crop has been cut, it is further transported to the combine harvester by a conveyor belt and deposited in a beater. Inside the beater, bars beat and separate the tops of the plant, containing the grain, from the straw or stems of the plant. The straw is carried out of the combine by walkers, while the grain falls through a screen for further processing.
Finally the cleaning process is performed using air blown on the grain or plant. The plant sits on a screen and air is forcefully blown over it. This separates and sweeps away lighter pieces of plant material, called chaff, that may still be attached to the grain. The grain then goes into a collection tank. When the collection tank is filled with clean grain, it is shot from a hose called a dumper, into a storage bin or trailer attached to the combine.
Sometimes the combine will scatter unwanted straw behind it as it moves across the field. Often, however, the straw is collected and tied into bundles to be used to feed the farmyard animals or for bedding. Some combines have attachments that can do this process in addition to harvesting, threshing and cleaning.
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