Mobile grain and seed cleaning unit for intra-farm use

Abstract

Post-harvest grain handling is the most important stage in grain crop production. Timely re-equipment of the technical base is a key factor in ensuring the proper level of profitability of production. However, the stages of modernization or new construction of a grain cleaning unit or seed line (design, approval, purchase of equipment and machinery, direct construction of the building and installation of equipment) may take several agricultural seasons and require significant material resources. Mobile grain cleaning units have a high degree of readiness, but for a number of reasons they may be unavailable to agricultural producers. In the current situation, it is possible to consider an intermediate version of mobile grain cleaning technology, namely the use of a mobile grain and seed cleaning unit for on-farm use which has many advantages of mobile technologies, but at the same time does not require significant financial resources. The technology is based on a complex combined grain and seed cleaning machine 5XFZ-40ZA by Julite Company (China) which allows immediately having all the working bodies consistent in productivity. A hopper with a manual rack gate and a screw conveyor allow directing the grain material to one side of the unit is proposed as a grain material accumulator. Low-speed bucket elevators NT.30 from the OOO AltayEKOsort (Barnaul) are used as lifting machines, and augers are used to remove waste. The considered arrangement ensures the unit operability both in the grain pre-cleaning mode (when processing it from the field), and it is possible to prepare seed material. The unit is mounted on a SZAP-83053 trailer, and the cleaned grain is unloaded into a heavy-duty truck of the KamAZ type.