{{unreferenced, date=March 2013 Ploeger BP 2000 bean harvester

A bean harvester, also known as a bean thresher or bean combine, is a threshing machine which is used to

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

beans. It mainly consists of a pickup, several beaters, shakers, one or several

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

elevators An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...

conveyor belts A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more Conveyor pulley, pulleys (somet ...

, a storage bin, and usually a spreader at the rear. Until recently, the only practical manufacturer of bean harvesters was

The Bidwell Bean Thresher Company The Bidwell Bean Thresher Company was a manufacturer of bean threshing machines used to harvest edible beans. The company was founded by Charles H. Bidwell (born September 10, 1848) of Albion, New York, who, at the age of 10 had already made a ...

Process

The pickup lifts the beans, which are arranged into

windrow A windrow is a row of cut (mown) hay or small grain crop. It is allowed to dry before being baled, combined, or rolled. For hay, the windrow is often formed by a hay rake, which rakes hay that has been cut by a mowing machine or by scythe into a ...

s by

rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...

s and pullers, off the ground and onto the main conveyor belt which feeds them into the first beater, which has many metal teeth, turns high

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

s, and does a significant portion of the threshing. From there the process varies from machine to machine. Basically the beans go through a series of more beaters and shakers.

Process

See also