40 Indonesian

Journal of Agriculture 4(1), 2011: 40-45

Handaka and Joko Pitoyo

MODIFICATION OF A GRASS CUTTER INTO A SMALL RICE HARVESTER1)

Handaka and Joko Pitoyo
Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development Situgadung, Legok, Tangerang, PO Box 2, Serpong 15310, Phone: +62 21 5376787, 70936787, Facs.: +62 21 71695497 E-mail: bbpmektan@litbang.deptan.go.id

ABSTRACT
One of the critical points of the postharvest problems in rice is the high price of rice harvester machines that meet the standards of low shrinkage and affordable by the consumers. For this reason, a commercial lawn mower had been modified into a rice harvester machine. Modifications that had been made were (1) replacing the cutter blade with a rotary blade; (2) changing the dynamic balance of the harvest machine into a mower type; (3) adding a guider and a propeller; and (4) adding an operator belt. Performance tests on 100 m 2 with a standard engine for crop harvest showed that the modified machine had a working capacity of 18-20 hours/ha, fuel consumption of 15.0 l/ha, work efficiency of 95%, and weighing of about 10 kg. All the standard components were available in the market, while the frame of the propeller and the operator belt could be made domestically. Price of the machine is in the range of IDR2.5-30 million/unit in 2007. In this respective capacity and price of the machine, the operational costs were in the range of IDR75,000-100,000/ha. [Keywords: Rice harvester, grass cutter, lawn mower]

INTRODUCTION Food crop harvests in Indonesia are still done using human power. Despite the outpouring of human labor for the harvest is still high, this work is very hard to replace with the engine power because human power is quite abundant, so harvest labor fees are relatively low. However, in some areas in Indonesia, such as in South Sulawesi, rice harvest has been done using the engine power (Koes-Sulistiadji et al. 2005). Research on rice harvester machine had long been done, since the introduction of reaper machine in 1978 until the 1990s. Silsoe (NCAE) has also conducted research on stripper harvester, which was done in Indonesia together with GTZ and Bogor Agricultural University (Tado and Quick 2003). For other food crops, Rojanasaroj et al. (2003) conducted research on soybean harvester in Thailand using two wheel tractors. The study reported that the harvest with a small machinery is getting a lot done.

1)

Article in bahasa Indonesia has been published in Jurnal Enjiniring Pertanian Vol. VI No. 2, 2008, p. 77-84.

Lately, China developed a small harvester machine called a crop harvester, which is like a lawn mower for cutting grass and other cereal crops such as rice, wheat, corn, feed grasses, and shrubs, by changing the blade piece (Boshima 2007). Excellence of the Chinas designed machine is simple, lightweight, inexpensive, easy to assemble and disassemble, and very easy to operate. From shape and structure of the frame, crop harvester (Boshima) is an advanced modification of a standard lawn mower, with a light engine (2-2.5 hp), high rpm (<4,500) and the steering and shaft grip (swing arm), and the circular blade is detachable and removable. Chattopadhyay and Pandey (1999) reported that the cutting speed and leaning angle of the rice stems to be cut affected cutting energy of the cereal cutting machine. Further information also showed that cutting speed could increase cutting energy consumption by 10%. However, the speed of forward motion did not affect the cutting energy. Important parameters to be used in the modification and conversion of a lawn mower into a rice harvester are working capacity, working efficiency, and fuel consumption. Based on these criteria, a reference coefficient for the harvest machine is a minimum working capacity of 18 hours/ ha, minimum working efficiency of 80%, and maximum fuel consumption of 0.8 l/hour. Maximum weight of the machine is 12.5 kg with a maximum engine power of 2.5 HP. Harvest shrinkage should be less than 2%. Engine uses pure premium fuel and the fuel flow system is gravity. Besides, a operator belt is added, which is adapted to the operator demands. The belt can be obtained from the market with an attractive design. With a simple design, a lawn and shrub mower valuable IDR2 million (2008) can be converted into a cutting machine for rice, maize, grass, and other cereal crops. These machines are expected to be easier and faster to replace the crescent as a mean of harvest. This is particularly because after more than 25 years, the machine that was researched and developed by IRRI in early 1980, and commercially traded by the industrial machinery Kubota, Yanmar, and some Korean agricultural machinery industries had no progress in Indonesia. The purpose of the modification of a lawn mower into a rice harvester machine was to find innovative solutions

Modification of a grass cutter into a small rice harvester

41 The field test was conducted at the Klirong Village, Kebumen District, Kebumen, Central Java in June 2007. In this test, the trial plots were set up using the local measurements (ubinan), which then converted to an area of 100 m2 per plot. The trial was performed using a test standard using a reapper, in accordance with the existing ISO (BBPMP 2005). The machine testing followed the concept of a single test with 12 plots as replicates. Observations were made on capacity, working speed, fuel consumption, and work efficiency (Anonymous 2007).

for simple harvesting machinery that serves to multi-cereal commodities, lightweight, easy to operate, and has a relatively large capacity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials The scope of this activity was engineering to modify a model or prototype of a lawn mower available in the market (Table 1). The engineering materials consisted of aluminum plate, circular blade that is enriched with a layer of carbide, belt carriers, aluminum pipes, and engines. Methods Steps taken were as the following. 1. Performing a design by specifying the design capacity, among others modified lawn mower with (a) a maximum weigh of 10 kg; (b) price of about IDR2.5 million, including an engine with a minimum engine speed of 4,500 rpm; (c) had a circular blade with carbide layer; (d) competitive harvest cost compared with harvest cost using manpower, and (e) the most important thing, had a maximum shrinkage of 2%. 2. Testing for performance evaluation, including capacity, fuel consumption, ease of operation (handling test), work efficiency, and operational cost estimates. The tests were conducted at the Laboratory of Equipment and Agricultural Machinery of the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Machinery Development, including functional and verification tests in the field (rice field and dry land). The tests were conducted according to the applicable ISO standard and other standards recognized by the international community on the planning of agricultural mechanization (FAO 1997). 3. Financial analysis to estimate the fixed cost using the assumption of capacity, investment, and cost variables, such as wages, fuel prices, cost of repairs, and maintenance.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Design and Development of Rice Harvester Machine of Mower Type Design of cutting blades Design of the cutting blade is shown in Figure 1. Blade type was circular with the number of cutting eye 42 pieces. Blade material was carbide tip with blade size of 4 mm length, 3 mm width, and 2 mm height. Rotation speed was 3,000-4,000 rpm. Blade diameter was 255 mm. Cutting speed could be measured using the formula as follows: = r 2n 23000 = = rad/second 50 60

= .100,0.1275 m/second = 40.05 m/second Circular type cutting blades are available in the market. This type of blade would experience wear and tear on the cutter eye or the carbide tip, as shown in Figure 2. At the time of cutting rice plants, which were in parallel hills and regular space, a unique propeller or impulse was needed so that three or even more than four rice hills could be cut and neatly arranged in a single stack. The boost was resulted from movement of the cutting blade with the

Table 1. Specification of a straight type of lawn mower Parameter Type Model Power motor Weight Fuel Harvested commodity Remark Carry (back) Grass cutter 2 steps/2 HP/6000 rpm 9 kg (including engine) Mixed premium/premiun Rice, maize Figure 1. Design of cutting blade

Source: Brush_Cutter_Grass_Trimmer_Grass_Cutter_CG415 2008. Internet web

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Handaka and Joko Pitoyo

mower is rarely found in Indonesia (Figure 5). Modifications made from back-carried type of lawn mower was to change the construction into a straight form, which is to add a straight pipe at the end of the drive motor to the aluminum pipe, so that the shape and construction resembles a straight type lawn mower.

Design of cutting guider and driver The cutting process at the time of harvesting using a circular blade type is expected to cut materials collected and arranged neatly as if using a reapper harvester machine. To meet this purpose, a guider or a cutting driver is designed in such a way to meet one hill width of thickness plus the distance of a clump of a left and right loose distance (space) so as to separate the cut and not cut plant hills.
Engine Guider & propeller Connection

Figure 2. Commercial cutting blade with carbide lining at the blade tip

knife hook, and a propeller to push the rice hills that has been cut so that the rice hills will not fall or collapse per hill that cause the rice straw runoff. The booster speed should not be too high or too low. If the speed is too high, it causes the rice hills fall down or bent but not cut off because the rice hills have not been all cut off by the edge of the blade, but it has been driven by the machine. Meanwhile, if the speed is too low or slow, the rice hills that have been cut beforehand would collapse and cannot be collected with the next rice hills. Based on experiences, the value of propeller speed to cut four rice hills with a 25 cm plant spacing or equivalent to a 100 cm working width of propeller impulse started from the beginning at the right part until the left ranged from 0.7 to 1 second (1-1.4 m/ second).

Cutting blade W2 W1

t s

L2
t t s

L1
s

Dynamic balance of rice harvester of mower type The main consideration in designing length of sleeve or rod was safety and comfort to the operator when swinging the harvester in a half circle movement. Sleeve length, L = 150 cm W1L1 = W2L2 Given W1 = 6 kg, L1 = 25 cm, and L2 = 125 cm, hence the maximum W2 added was 1.2 kg. Various types of lawn mowers are available in the market, but most of them are the carried type. Engine or power motor is back-carried (strapped onto the operators back) and power is then channeled to the cutting blade through a flexible shaft (axis) into a rigid shaft in an aluminum pipe, which is also held by the operators hands to move the cutting blade as shown in Figure 4. The other type of lawn mower is the construction of the drive motor to the tip of the cutting blade connected directly using a straight shaft (axis). This type of lawn

Figure 3. Dynamic balance of rice harvester of mower type

Figure 4. Back-carried type of lawn mower

Modification of a grass cutter into a small rice harvester

43

Driver of plant hills was designed curved or concave so as to collect the cut hills with a driver that is arranged accordingly with plant height in the plant row, as illustrated in Figure 6.

Performance test results for the rice harvester The performance test for the rice harvester machine was conducted at an average speed of 9.07-10.95 m/minute. With a theoretical work width of 75-100 cm (3-4 lines), a theoretical work capacity of 18.54-26.3 hours/ha was obtained. The fuel consumption of the machine was in the range of 0.60-0.86 l/ha. Table 2 shows that performance of the machine on rice varied on its capacity, speed, and work efficiency, which was caused by the conditions of rice field. Under a dry rice field, a high cutting efficiency (99%) was obtained, whereas under a wet rice field condition in Kebumen, its cutting efficiency was only 82-85% (BBPMP 2007). The field test results for a lawn mower that has been modified into a maize harvesting machine showed that the working capacity of the harvest was not significantly

Figure 7. The main assembly of the lawn mower (rice harvester)

Table 2. Test results of rice harvester machine in rice field Kebumen, Central Java Parameter tested Working speed (m/min.) Width of work (cm) Working capacity (hour/ha) Working efficiency (%) Fuel consumption (l/hour) Source: BBPMP (2007) Location 1 9.51 80.00 26.30 82.38 0.60 2 10.95 90.00 19.60 86.28 0.59

different from the land preparation machinery or from threerow capacity of a reapper (18-19 hours/ha), with working of efficiency >95% and fuel consumption of 0.8-0.9 l/hour. In this modification, a larger belt with a more ergonomic construction was added, so operators did not feel weary (tired) despite working more than 0.5 hours continuously. This was in contrast to the original machine design, which used a smaller belt, hence it was less comfortable to wear.
Figure 5. Straight type lawn mower

Estimated Cost of the Machine Based on the price of the lawn mower in the market, before the modification, price was around IDR2-2.5 million/unit, depending on the engine used (2 HP, 6,000 rpm). After the additions and changes of driver/booster, steering handle, carrying belt, and other accessories, it was estimated that the price of the new prototype of multi-commodity harvesting machine worth IDR3-3.5 million/unit. With this price assumption, an estimate of operating cost of the machine is shown in Table 3. Based on data in the table, the operating cost of the harvester machine per hectare was about IDR246,000. If the expected yield of maize grains

Figure 6. Guider and propeller parts of rice harvester

44 is 5 t/ha, the harvesting cost per kg was approximately IDR50/kg. For rice, an additional cost was needed for collecting and threshing the rice grains, which may reach IDR100/kg. Based on the cost analysis, this simple harvester machine can be used as an alternative tool when there is a

Handaka and Joko Pitoyo

shortage of harvest labor. If it is used in rice production areas with a high cropping intensity (more than twice a year), this machine will likely be readily accepted by farmers due to time lines problem. However, thing still needed to be taken into account is the engine durability.

CONCLUSION Modification of a lawn mower into a harvester machine has been done by the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Machinery Development. This machine was designed for the demands for a simple harvesting machine that cost less than IDR5 million/unit, and inspired by the innovation of small harvest machines that have been widely traded by China. The modifications were done by replacing cutting blade on the lawn mower with rotary blades (circular blade), adding a guider and a driving force to drive the cutting (to lay down), put the engine in a straight line with the blade, and adding an operator belt carrier for easy operation. The harvester machine of this modification had a power of 2 HP/6,000 rpm, with pure premium fuel or mixed gasoline. Its working capacity was 19 hours/ha, with an efficiency of over 90% depending on field conditions as well as, operators ability and skills. It had a working width ranging from 75 to 100 cm, depending on farmers cropping patterns, with fuel consumption of less than 1 l/hour. In principle, this machine can be used for cutting and windrowing stems of rice, maize, grass, and other cereals. With the price of lawn mower of around IDR2-2.5 million/ unit, and additional costs to completeness of the harvester machines, estimated total price of the new machine would reach IDR3-3.5 million/unit. At this price level, the operational cost was IDR245,000/ha or estimated at IDR10050/kg, including the additional costs for transport, collection, and milling. With these assumptions, the machines will be an alternative harvester to replace the current harvest technique.

Figure 8. Testing the harvester machine in the laboratory of the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development (top), and in the field (below)

Table 3. Main components of operational cost for a maize harvester machine Component and assumption Capacity Early investment Economic age Bank rate Fixed cost Fixed cost Total operational cost Total cost/ha Total cost/kg (maize yield 5 t/ha) Unit hour/ha IDR year %/year IDR/hour IDR/hour IDR/hour IDR IDR/kg Value 19.00 3,500.000 3.00 18.00 1,745.63 11,195.00 12,940.63 245,871.88 49.17-50.00

REFERENCES
Anonymous. 2007. Farm Mechanization Planning. http://www. Fmech_20 htm/Farm Mechanization Planning. BBPMP (Balai Besar Pengembangan Mekanisasi Pertanian). 2005. Standar Prosedur Pengujian Mesin Pemanen Reapper. BBPMP, Serpong. BBPMP (Balai Besar Pengembangan Mekanisasi Pertanian). 2007. Laporan Hasil Pengujian Mesin Pemanen Multicrop Boshima. BBBPMP, Serpong. Boshima, Co. Ltd. 2007. Boshima Harvester and Grass Cutter. A hand out. Shenshen, China. Brush_Cutter_Grass_Trimmer_Grass_Cutter_CG415.2008. Internet web.

Modification of a grass cutter into a small rice harvester Chattopadhyay, P.S. and K.P. Pandey. 1999. Effect of knife and operational parameters on energy requirement in flail forage harvesting. J. Agric. Engin. Res. 73(1): 3-12(10). FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 1997. Concept, Selection, Testing and Evaluation of Farm Machinery. FAO Bulletin. No. Document, FAO, Rome. Koes-Sulistiadji, A. Hendriadi, Harjono, dan J. Pitoyo. 2005. Pengujian Mesin Panen Stripper Harvester tipe Chandoe. Balai Besar Pengembangan Mekanisasi Pertanian, Serpong.

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Rojanasaroj, C.R., C. Sirisomboon, R. Nochai, W. Tangjaroendai. 2003. Small soybean harvester: Implementing a two wheel tractor. Proc. Int. Conf. on Crop Harvesting and Processing, ASABE, St Joseph, Michigan, 9-11 February 2003. Tado, C.J.M. and G.R. Quick. 2003. Development of pedestrian rice harvester. Proc. Int. Conf. on Crop Harvesting and Processing, ASABE, St. Joseph, Michigan, 9-11 February 2003.