Farm Power And Machinery (1+1)

Fixed height with wooden head and metal blade harvester

• This type of harvester has a light weight cutting mechanism made of a light bamboo pole.
  
• The components of the harvester include, a wooden head, a metal blade, a spring, a fruit collecting net, a wooden pole, a hand lever and nylon rope.
  
• The cutting mechanism of the harvester consists of the wooden head, the cutting blade and the retaining spring.
  
• The wooden head of 220 X 115 X 20 mm is stationary and acts as a support against the cutting blade when a fruit stem comes between the metal blade of 195 X 58 X 6 mm in size and the head.
  
• The failure of the stem takes place due to the cutting action of the sharp blade against the head.
  
• The blade is given proper sharpness and heat treatment to prevent fast wear.
  
• The blade is always held in open position by means of a soft spring of 64 mm in length and 90 mm in diameter.
• The blade moves against the tension of the spring while cutting is taking place.
  
• Immediately after cutting, the blade is pulled back to its original open position by the spring which is connected between the blade and the pole.
  
• A nylon net is fixed around a ring of 300 mm diameter made of 8 mm steel rod, just below the cutting mechanism to collect the cut fruit, thus a avoiding any damage.
  
• The net depth is kept at about 270 mm. The entire cutting mechanism was fitted to a bamboo pole of 12 mm diameter and 3.5 m length.
  
• At about 380 mm from the bottom end, a hand lever is fitted to the pole.
  
• The metal cutting blade on the top and the hand lever are connected by a nylon rope of 3.2 m length.
  
• By pushing the hand lever down, the blade moves against the head and cutting takes place.