EVALUATION OF LOCALLY MADE CLOVER THRESHER AND SEPARATOR

The present study was to evaluate the performance efficiency of stationary threshing and separating machines of wheat crop ( locally manufactured). The same thresher was used to thresh and separate clover crop. To extend the operational use of this machine and consequently decrease the operating cost per hour, reduce threshing and separation losses and increase seed quality, the performance of local manufacture machine was tested to suit clover crop. Threshing drum speeds tested were 350, 450, 550 and 650 r.p.mand feed rates  6, 10, 14 and 18 kg /minwith straw moisture contents 9.8 %, seed moisture contents 10.5 %, air speed in cleaning 6 m/s, slope of sieves was 30 with horizontal and vibrating screen speed of 350 rpm. The experimental results revealed machine productivity, total seed damage, un-threshed seed losses with straw, machine efficiency and the unit-energy consumption. The optimum operating conditions for threshing and separating clover were found to be 550 r.p.m at feed rate 14 kg/min with straw moisture content 9.8 %, seed moisture content 10.5 %, air speed in cleaning 6 m/s, slope of sieves at 30 with horizontal and vibrating screen speed at 350 rpm, to avoid the highest rate of resulted with losses and seed damage. Threshing capacity of 4.43 kg / min, total seed damage of 3.6 %, un-threshed seed of 0.91%, seed losses with straw of 0.29 % threshing efficiency of 95.2%, consumed power of 9.57 kW and energy consumed of 35.97  kW .h /ton including  operation and losses.