A stripper header is a harvesting attachment that removes grain heads from standing cereal crops while leaving most of the stems in the field. It matters because it can greatly reduce the amount of plant material entering the combine, which can increase harvesting speed and lower fuel use. Farmers often use stripper headers for crops such as wheat, barley, oats, and rice.
The tall remaining straw also helps protect soil from erosion and can conserve moisture for the next crop.
Key Facts
- Material flow is reduced because the header collects mostly grain heads and chaff, not full stems.
- Combine power demand often decreases when less straw enters the threshing and cleaning systems.
- Field capacity = header width x travel speed x field efficiency.
- If width is in meters and speed is in km/h, theoretical field capacity in ha/h = width x speed / 10.
- Rotor tip speed = 2πr x rpm / 60, where r is rotor radius in meters.
- Tall standing stubble can reduce wind speed near the soil surface and help trap snow or residue.
Vocabulary
- Stripper header
- A combine header that uses rotating stripping fingers or teeth to pull grain heads from plants while leaving most stems standing.
- Rotor
- The rotating drum or cylinder on a stripper header that carries the stripping fingers through the crop.
- Stripping fingers
- Comb-like parts that catch and remove grain heads from the standing crop.
- Stubble
- The upright crop stems left in the field after the grain heads have been harvested.
- Field capacity
- The area a machine can cover per unit time, usually measured in hectares per hour or acres per hour.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a stripper header cuts the whole plant is wrong because its main job is to strip off grain heads while leaving most straw standing.
- Using the same combine settings as a conventional header is wrong because less straw enters the machine, so threshing, cleaning, and airflow settings may need adjustment.
- Driving too fast in lodged or uneven crops is wrong because the stripping fingers may miss grain heads or increase losses when plants are not upright.
- Ignoring rotor speed is wrong because a speed that is too low can leave heads unstripped, while a speed that is too high can shatter grain and increase loss.
Practice Questions
- 1 A stripper header is 9.0 m wide and travels at 8.0 km/h. Using theoretical field capacity = width x speed / 10, what area can it cover in hectares per hour?
- 2 A stripper header rotor has a radius of 0.35 m and turns at 600 rpm. Using rotor tip speed = 2πr x rpm / 60, calculate the tip speed in m/s.
- 3 A farmer wants to conserve soil moisture and reduce wind erosion after harvesting wheat. Explain why a stripper header may be better than a conventional cutterbar header for this goal.