June 13,

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How Does a Corn Combine Harvester Work?

After a long summer, its time to harvest your corn! You might be searching for used combines for sale to get the most out of your harvesting for less, considering a new machine can be expensive. But what your combine harvester actually does under the hood might not be so clear. How does it take the corn plant and process it into kernels? The combine harvesters design allows for easy processing of corn, so you dont have to manually shuck and kernel corn.At Machinery Pete , we know it can be difficult to find a combine that works within your budget. Our used marketplace gives you the ability to find trustworthy sellers and great prices. So what is a corn combine harvester and how does it work?

What Is a Combine Harvester for Corn?

A combine harvester is a machine used to increase the production of the collection of a variety of grains by cutting and separating them. Because this machine combines reaping, thrashing, gathering, and winnowing, harvesting crops is a less tedious process than when the collection was done by hand. To make this process even easier, farmers can swap out headers to accommodate different crops. This is true for all types of combine harvesters and gives you the ability to collect several grains year-over-year.

What Does a Corn Combine Harvester Do?

For corn specifically, the combines purpose is to separate the husks, kernels, and cob to prepare for making different food products like cereals, cornflour, and sweeteners. The processing of corn from stalk to kernel is all completed within the combine harvester. 

1. A row divider picks up corn stalks as a combine drives through the field.
2. The stalk is then pushed through a tiny space, where the corn cob and most of the husks are removed.
3. Once the ears of corn are separated from the stalks, the stalks are discarded through the rear of the combine.
4. After the corn is husked, the kernels are separated from the cob. When corn enters the combine, it is fed into a cylinder which spins the corn cobs and loosens the kernels.
5. The kernels are sifted through a sieve to remove any other undesirable pieces of the cob.
6. The remnants are then discarded back to the ground. Because of this process, the soil is replenished with plant matter, which keeps it rich in nutrients.

Once this process is complete, farmers should have corn kernels prepared for storing and distribution. 

What Is the Difference Between a Harvester and a Combine Harvester?

Used Combines from Machinery Pete

At Machinery Pete , we have been offering the best deals on used combines since we were founded in . Our website launched in and is one of the fastest-growing combine marketplaces in the United States. MachineryPete.com was built with the online equipment shopper in mind. Our vast selection of machinery will help you find the right combine for your needs at a price that is affordable. Find your perfect combine harvester on our website today to get the best deals.

Want more information on Corn Harvester? Feel free to contact us.

During harvest season, combine harvesters can be found all over Illinois fields. But what exactly do they do? Learn how this versatile machine changed the farming industry by streamlining the process of harvesting grains.

See more: How a Corn and Soybean Planter Works (VIDEO)

What Is a Combine?

In , Hiram Moore built and patented the first combine harvester in the United States. Before its invention, nearly 90% of the U.S. population worked on farms. Combine harvesters get their name from the way they automatically combine the processes of harvesting and separating of grain crops into one step, an otherwise laborious series of operations once done separately. It can harvest crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, rye, barley and oats. After gathering crops, the combine cuts them at the base, feeds them into a threshing drum that shakes the grains away from their stalks and sweeps the unwanted material to the back of the machine.

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How Does a Combine Work?

1. The combine (pronounced COMM-bine) header strips the plant of ears or pods close to the ground and moves them into the machine. Farmers switch out the header depending on if they harvest soybeans, corn or other crops.
2. The crops move toward the center via spinning augers or belts and travel up a conveyor.
3. The threshing segment or rotors of the combine beat the ears or pods to break and shake the grains (from crops such as corn) or oilseeds (from crops such as soybeans) away from their cobs or pods.
4. The separated grains or oilseeds travel by conveyor into a crop tank. The unwanted stalks, husks, cobs, pods and/or bits of leaves known as chaff or residue move along different conveyors, as more grain or oilseeds fall through into the tank.
5. When the crop tank is full, a tractor with a cart on the back pulls alongside the combine. The harvested crop is carried up from the tank by an elevator and shoots out of a side pipe, or unloader, into the cart.
6. The crop residue exits the back of the machine to either be spread across a wide area or baled to use for animal bedding. Most machines use a chopper to make it smaller and more manageable.

Todd VerHeecke, a Henry County farmer who also works for a major farm implement manufacturer, contributed to this content.