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Performance of an Electric Vertical Conveyor Reaper vis-à-vis Conventional Reaper for Harvesting of Paddy Crop

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Abstract

A walk-behind type electric vertical conveyor reaper (E-VCR) of cutting width 600 mm, powered by a 800 W 48 V DC motor using four lead–acid batteries of 12 V 18 Ah for carrying out cutting of crop and a 24 V 350 W DC motor using two lead–acid batteries of 12 V 12 Ah for propelling was developed. Its performance was evaluated and compared with a self-propelled fossil fuel operated vertical conveyor reaper (VCR) while harvesting in test fields having matured paddy crop with moisture content of grain and straw as 20 to 32% and 68 to 75%, respectively. The field capacity, cutting efficiency and header loss with E-VCR were found to be 0.06 ha/h, 95% and 2.05%, respectively, as compared to 0.20 ha/h, 98% and 2.42% with VCR. The E-VCR had less drudgery than VCR due to reduction in noise and hand vibration by 8% and 50%, respectively. Manpower required for harvesting with E-VCR, VCR and manually with sickle were 16 man-h/ha, 5 man-h/ha and 185 man-h/ha, respectively, leading to a cost of harvesting per hectare as Rs. 2904, Rs. 2318 and Rs. 8094. Annual use below 2.9 ha for E-VCR and 5.2 ha for VCR was found uneconomical for carrying out harvesting.

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Funding

The financial support received from the National Initiative for Design Innovation (NID) sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India is sincerely acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India

    Arjya Utkalini Sahoo & Hifjur Raheman

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  1. Arjya Utkalini Sahoo
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  2. Hifjur Raheman
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Correspondence to Hifjur Raheman.

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Sahoo, A.U., Raheman, H. Performance of an Electric Vertical Conveyor Reaper vis-à-vis Conventional Reaper for Harvesting of Paddy Crop. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. A 103, 239–246 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-021-00584-3

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