Sugar Cane Flow

NW271480-UN-16MAY06

The gathering discs, located on each side of the topper, gather the cane tops and feed them to the topper severing disc, located in the center of the topper. The crop dividers then separate the rows of down or tangled cane. The power knockdown rollers push the cane forward and down to the optimum angle for feeding into the harvester. The basecutters cut the bottom of the stalk. The butt-lifter roller then sends the cane up into the feed rollers that regulate the speed of the cane, which determines the length of the billet cut by the choppers. The choppers cut clean, even billets by slicing the cane between two opposing blades and dropping them into the elevator basket. From there, the billets are delivered to the elevator. Meanwhile, the primary extractor fan extracts debris, leaves and dirt from the cane and directs it onto the ground behind the harvester. The elevator system delivers the cane to a container system either to the rear, left or right hand side of the harvester. As the cane falls from the end of the elevator into the transport, the remaining loose material is removed by the secondary extractor fan in the final stage of the process. This debris is directed away from the transport and harvester by the rotating hood of the secondary extractor.