Cordless Thresher Samples Grain Fast

Cordless Thresher Samples Grain Fast GRAIN HANDLING Miscellaneous In one quick swoop Dean Quimby’s cordless hand thresher strips grain from stems cleans them and collects them for testing Quimby says the device is increasingly vital as smaller elevators close and regional hubs become more common “Many farmers in western Kansas have to haul their grain 50 miles or more at harvest ” says Quimby “If they haven’t taken a sample and checked for moisture before harvesting they may be told the grain is too wet They can’t sell it and it’s not worth hauling home ” Getting an accurate test requires gathering a representative sample and threshing it clean That’s something that isn’t practical to do with a combine especially if using custom cutters to harvest It is also not easy to eliminate hulls and chaff by hand “With my cordless hand thresher a farmer can check his grain and if it’s ready tell the custom cutters to come and get it ” says Quimby Quimby developed his first prototype more than 25 years ago and displayed it at trade shows and meetings from Kansas to Perth Australia He patented it as the Field Scout The basic components include a V-shaped throat that strips the grains as the thresher is moved up the stem The grains fall into a chamber studded with 5/8-in tines and a rotating shaft with six 1 1/2-in tines through it They thresh out the grain which falls through a screen into a catch basin that can hold 300 grams “The shaft on my first prototype was driven by a handheld kitchen mixer powered by flashlight batteries ” says Quimby “I used a glue gun to attach pieces of plastic to create a housing ” The new prototype works essentially the same as the original The tines in the housing are made from heavy-duty trimmer line Different size grains require different sized screens which slip easily into place Hulls chaff and other trash are directed through an exit hole in the back as the swinging arm motion collects more grain Quimby also took advantage of the growth in cordless equipment The hand thresher is powered by a 2 000-rpm cordless right angle drill “It works great for a wide variety of grains including wheat barley oats and rice ” he says “It even works great with milo ” The new unit weighs only 2 lbs 4 oz before adding the angle drill That adds about 4 lbs to the working weight Pricing for the unit will depend on manufacturing and marketing costs The next step for Quimby will be to develop a simple 2-piece plastic molding that snaps together for mounting and dismounting the cordless drill It will also form the housing for the threshing and clean grain chambers He has submitted a patent with the new features and is eager to find a company interested in bringing the thresher to market Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dean Quimby 1209 North El Paso Dr Derby Kan 67037 ph 316 788-4986; bdquimby@sbcglobal net

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