Abstract
On-farm research to evaluate the performance of Deutz-Fahr (M1202) combine harvester on rice crop was conducted on Agricultural Engineering Department research and demonstration field, Bayero University, Kano. The experiment was run in a completely randomized block design based on three independent variables which include: forward speed of the machine, 3 levels each of moisture content of the crop and clearance. Field experiments were conducted at 1.70 km/hr constant speed, 11, 13 and 15% grain moisture content (MC) and 12, 20 and 26 mm cylinder-concave clearances. The results show that theoretical field capacity, effective field capacity, field efficiency and mean fuel consumption were 0.77 ha/hr, 0.68 ha/hr, 88 % and 45 L/ha respectively. Analysis of variance shows that there was highly significant difference in the mean values of grain breakages, cleaning efficiency and shaker losses at different MC and concave clearances. The mean values for grain breakages, cleaning efficiency and shaker losses were highest at 11% MC with values standing at 2.78%, 96.37% and 41.17 kg/ha respectively. Mean values for grain breakages, cleaning efficiency and shaker losses at 13 and 15% MC are statistically similar but lower than those at 11%. Grain breakages and cleaning efficiency values were highest at 12 mm clearance and lowest at 26 mm. But mean values for shaker losses were highest at 26 mm clearance and lowest at 12mm.
Keywords: combine harvester, moisture content, concave clearance, shaker losses
