Redesign and Evaluation of a Chickpea Harvester

Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran Received: November 2nd, 2014; Revised: November 19th, 2014; Accepted: January 28th, 2015 Purpose: Slow manual harvesting of rain-fed chickpeas cultivated in fallow fields in developing countries have encouraged the design of a mechanical harvester. Methods: A tractor-pulled harvester was built, in which a modified stripper header detached pods from an anchored plant and a chain conveyor transferred material. The stripper harvester was redesigned to use: 1) the maneuverability of tractor-mounted frames, 2) the adaptability of floating headers, and 3) the flexibility of pneumatic conveyors. Results: A mobile vacuum conveyor, which was an innovator open system, was designed for the dilute phase transferring mode for both grain and material other than grain. A centrifugal fan transferred harvested material to a cyclone separator that settled harvested material in a grain tank 1 m high. The machine at the spot work rate of 0.42 ha·h-1 harvested chickpea pods equal to the output of 16.6 farm laborers. Conclusion: The low cost and reasonable projected purchase price are the advantages of the concept. Additionally, the shattering loss reduction confirms the feasibility of the prototype chickpea harvester for commercialization.