Development of Simplified Spinach Harvester (Part 1)

Trial Manufacture of Portable Harvester and Problems to Improve

Abstract

A portable spinach harvester was developed experimentally, and the problems to develop more convenient and efficient machine was examined, employing three kinds of varieties of spinach as testing material. The results indicated that the working efficiency of the machine was corresponding to 60% of manpower operation. In the variety belonging to upright-type leaf, the rate of spinach to ship was between 76 and 79%, and that of unavailable to ship was between 10 and 12% in ordinary operation, when the propriety of shipping was judged by the degree of the damage of leaf and the cut length of root. Residual spinach could be shipped after 1 or 2 sheets of leaf were discarded. In the case of spreading-type leaf variety, however, harvesting by this machine was unsuitable because spinach was damaged, and this machine is currently suitable for upright-type leaf. Presently, experiment is intensively carrying out to achieve higher efficiency than manpower; for example, improvement of cutting device to increase the number of stocks by one operation, and the carrier mechanism to control plant posture for the reduction of damaged leaves.