How Does a Corn Harvester Work

How Does a Corn Harvester Work?

A corn harvester, more accurately known as a combine harvester equipped with a corn head, is a complex machine designed to perform several harvesting steps in one continuous operation: gathering the stalks, removing the ears, husking them, and cleaning the kernels. Understanding its function provides insight into modern agricultural efficiency.

The Process Begins at the Header:
The specialized corn head is the front attachment that initiates the process. As the combine moves forward, pointed metal snouts guide the corn stalks into the head. Gathering chains then grip the stalks and pull them down towards the cutter bar, which severs them at the base. The stalks, now with ears attached, are pulled rearward into the machine by a series of rotating augers. Rolls, often with intermeshing lobes, pull the stalks downward, snapping the ears off the stalk. The stalks are then ejected back onto the field, while the ears alone are conveyed up into the body of the combine via an elevator.

Threshing and Separation:
Once inside the combine, the corn ears are fed into the threshing and separation system. Unlike grain crops, corn ears require a gentler approach. They are typically fed into a dedicated corn cylinder or chamber. Here, the ears are rubbed against a concave metal grate. This action breaks the ears apart, separating the hard kernels from the cob. The kernels and smaller material (collectively called MOG or material other than grain) fall through grates onto the cleaning system below. The larger, now empty cobs are expelled from the rear of the machine.

Cleaning and Storage:
The mixture of kernels, bits of cob, husk, and dust that falls through the grates is shaken across a series of sieves or screens, often called the cleaning shoe. A fan blows a steady stream of air upward through these sieves. The lighter material, such as chaff and dust, is blown out the back of the combine. The heavier kernels settle and are conveyed to a clean grain elevator. This elevator carries the kernels to the onboard grain tank. Once the grain tank is full, the combine operator unloads the kernels via an unloading auger into a waiting grain cart or truck driving alongside.

The entire process—from cutting the stalk to storing clean kernels—is a seamless, automated operation controlled from the combine's cab. It allows a single machine and operator to harvest vast fields of corn with remarkable efficiency, performing the tasks of reaping, threshing, and winnowing in a single pass.

Shijiazhuang Tianren Agricultural Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd provides robust and reliable agricultural equipment designed to support these essential harvesting functions.