without external power unit.

Highest capacity among the

Threshing Machinery three.
Major Parts of a Thresher
General Terms

• Threshing – The process of detaching grains from

• Threshing Cylinder – Main rotating part with
attached rasp bars, wire loops, or pegs to detach grains.
the panicle using impact or rubbing. Commonly applied to
rice, wheat, and other cereals.
• Concave – Encloses the threshing cylinder for

• Shelling – The removal of seeds from cobs, pods,

separating grains.

or husks after separation from the plant. Applied to crops

like corn and peanuts.
Methods of Threshing
• Lower Concave – Wire mesh/bar covering the
lower cylinder part.

• Manual Threshing – Threshing using a flail,

threshing frame, or by trampling (by human or animal).
• Upper Concave – Metal sheet with louvers/grills
above the cylinder to assist separation and straw
movement.

• Mechanical Threshing – Threshing using a

powered machine where grains are separated by rotating • Straw Outlet – Where separated straws are
parts. Capacity: 500–2000 kg/hr. discharged.

•
Classifications of Threshers
According to Operation Feed Tray – Panicles are fed into the thresher
here; must be longer than operator's arm for safety.
Through Flow Thresher – Entire harvested plants are
fed perpendicularly into the machine and threshed;
materials exit through another perpendicular outlet. Uses a
threshing cylinder with a diameter-to-length ratio of 1.
• Oscillating Screen – Separates chopped straw
from paddy using vibration and perforated surface.

• Single Cylinder – Has one threshing cylinder. • Blower – Provides air to remove light materials

•
and empty grains from the
output.
Double Cylinder – Has two cylinders in series.

• Axial Flow Thresher – Grains move axially

• Engine – Powers the thresher’s mechanical
components.
through the cylinder; fed from one side and straws are Factors Affecting Threshing Capacity
ejected from the opposite end.

• Hold-On Thresher – Operator mechanically holds

• Moisture Content of Grain – High moisture
decreases threshing efficiency.
stalks until all grains detach from the panicle.
According to Threshing Unit Type
• Straw-to-Grain Ratio – A higher ratio reduces
• Rasp Bar – Cylinder with parallel, equidistant bar-
threshing capacity.
like protrusions.
Wire Loop – Cylinder surrounded by arch-like wire loops
of equal size.
• Length of Straw Cut – Longer straw lowers
capacity.

• Peg-Tooth – Cylinder surrounded by pegs/spikes

arranged in tandem.
• Variety – Some types (e.g., Japonica rice) are
harder to thresh.

•
Types of Axial Flow Thresher

• Portable Axial-Flow Thresher without

Operational
maximize output.
Skill – Skilled operators can

•
Oscillating Screen
Small and lightweight with ≤16 hp power. Modular and
easy to transport and assemble. Feeding Rate – More input increases power
demand.

• Mobile Axial-Flow Thresher

Larger than portable type; includes engine and oscillating • Moisture Content of Crop – Higher moisture
screen. Equipped with wheels for movement using power increases power requirement.

•
tiller or animals.

•
Length of Straw or Stalks – Longer input
Self-Propelled Axial-Flow Thresher materials require more power.
Large unit with built-in engine for both threshing and Technical Definitions
mobility. Includes oscillating screen. Can move in the field
 Crop Damage Loss – Grains lost from crops damaged or
•
(kg/hr).
Actual Capacity – Amount of threshed output
knocked down by the harvester.
Stripper Harvester – A type of harvester that uses
combing teeth to separate grains from panicles without

• Blower Loss – Percentage of grain lost through

the blower compared to total input.
cutting the plant.
Pull-Type Combine – A combine that is pulled by a
tractor; power is provided via a power take-off shaft.
Self-Propelled Combine – A combine with its own engine

• Clean Threshed Grains – Grains separated with

100% purity (no empty grains).
(60–150 hp), operated by a single person.
Shatter Loss – Grain loss on the ground or out of reach of
the cutter bar before harvesting.

•
Cutter Bar Loss – Grain lost due to mishandling at the
cutter bar.
Cracked Grains – Grains with fractured
Cylinder Loss – Grains not threshed and left over the
endosperm due to excessive impact.
straw rack.

• Cylinder Diameter – Effective diameter formed by

the outermost threshing elements.
Separating Loss – Threshed grain that is lost from the
rear of the combine.
Cleaning Loss – Grain quality loss due to foreign matter
remaining after cleaning.

• Cylinder Peripheral Speed – Linear speed at the

outer edge of the threshing cylinder during operation.
Corn Picker – A machine for harvesting corn by removing
ears from stalks.
Snapper – A corn picker that detaches ears from stalks

•
but does not remove husks.
Grain Content – Percentage weight of grain Picker-Husker – A corn picker with an additional
relative to total harvested crop, standardized at 20% attachment to remove husks from ears.
moisture. Picker-Sheller – A corn picker that also shells the corn on
the field.
Pull-Type Corn Picker – A picker driven by a tractor via a
Harvesting power take-off drive.
Harvesting – The process of gathering matured crops that Self-Propelled Corn Picker – A picker with its own engine
are ready for processing or consumption. and mobility system.
Mechanical Harvester – A machine powered by an Loose Ear Loss – Ears that fall to the ground beyond
internal combustion engine used for harvesting crops; can reach of the gathering mechanism.
be self-propelled or pulled-type. Picker Ear Loss – Ears left attached to stalks that escape
Grain Harvester – A machine used for harvesting grain during picking.
crops like rice and wheat. Shelled Corn Loss – Corn kernels that fall to the ground
Corn Harvester – Also called a corn picker, used to during shelling.
harvest ears of corn from the stalks. Shelling Loss – Kernels not removed from the cob and
Sugarcane Harvester – A specialized harvester for lost over the rack.
cutting and collecting sugarcane. Separating Loss (Corn) – Kernels lost with husks and
Cotton Harvester – Also known as a cotton stripper; it silks that weren’t properly separated.
removes cotton from plants using a combing or stripping Cotton Stripper – A cotton harvester that removes cotton
action. bolls using a stripping mechanism.
Forage Harvester – A machine used to cut and chop Double Roller (Cotton) – A cotton stripper with alternating
silage crops such as grasses for animal feed. nylon brush bristles and rubberized strips.
Root Harvester – A machine designed to dig and Multiple-Finger/Comb-Type – A cotton stripper with
separate root crops like potatoes, beets, and peanuts from comb-like fingers to harvest cotton.
the soil. Forage Cutter – A component of a forage harvester used
Hay Harvester – Equipment used for cutting, drying, and to cut silage crops.
collecting hay. Chopping Unit – The part of a forage harvester that
Manual Harvesting – Harvesting crops using hand tools chops the cut crops.
like sickles and scythes. Ensilage – The process of preserving forage in a silo for
Mechanical Harvesting – Use of power-operated animal feed.
machinery to gather crops. Root Separator – A mechanism in root harvesters that
Reaper – A machine that cuts the panicle during separates roots from soil.
harvesting and lays it in a windrow for manual collection. Digging Mechanism – The part of a root harvester that
Reaper Binder – A reaper that also binds the cut panicles lifts the root crop from the soil.
together for easier transport to threshing areas. Field Efficiency – The ratio of actual
Stripper – A harvesting machine that strips grains off productive field time to the total time spent, expressed as a
panicles using combing action without cutting the plant. percentage.
Combine – A multi-functional harvester that cuts, Theoretical Field Capacity – The calculated maximum
threshes, and cleans grains in a single operation. area a machine can cover, assuming 100% efficiency.
Rice Reaper – A machine specifically designed to cut rice Effective Field Capacity – The actual area a machine
panicles and place them in windrows; can be power-tiller covers per unit time, considering losses and inefficiencies.
or tractor-operated. Power Output – The amount of mechanical energy (in hp
Laying/Windrow Loss – Grain loss occurring when cut or kW) delivered by a harvester to perform work.
crops fall to the ground during reaping. Harvesting Rate – The rate at which the harvester
Header Loss – Grain loss during cutting and transfer by gathers crops, typically in tons per hectare.
the horizontal conveyor belt.