Design and Development of Arecanut Harvester cum Sprayer

摘要

This paper addresses the design, fabrication and testing of an ergonomic device for the harvesting and spraying of areca trees. It simplifies the spraying and harvesting operations and enhances safety. The device developed consists of three sturdy concentric aluminium pipes attached by sockets. Raising and lowering of the pipes is facilitated by a rope and pulley mechanism, which is driven manually by a robust reel assembly. Cutting blade is bolted to the detachable holding head for harvesting. The cutting blade is replaced by a hydraulic nozzle connected to a hose for spraying. A rocker sprayer has been selected for spraying pesticide. From the field trials, it is revealed that the lifting mechanism functions very efficiently up to a height of 10 m without any deflection. It is light in weight as it is made of aluminium pipes, simple in fabrication and easy to operate. The device eliminates the problems and hazards involved in climbing. As per trial results even the women workers can operate the device safely and easily because very little physical effort and skills are required in operating it.