4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester for Tractors

4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester Overview

The 4BYH-1.3 kidney bean harvester is a specialized agricultural machine designed for efficient and gentle harvesting of kidney beans, navy beans, soybeans, and other legumes. This tractor-mounted device, featuring a rear-hanging suspension type, is compatible with tractors providing at least 40 kW of power and a PTO speed of 540 r/min. It operates at working speeds of 5 to 8 km/h, achieving a productivity rate of 0.65 to 1.04 hectares per hour, making it suitable for medium-scale farming operations on terrains with slopes up to 15 degrees.

Key features include a plunger-type picker with polymer fingers that snap beans from stems without bruising, ensuring high-quality output for the fresh market or processing. The machine incorporates a floating intake header that hydraulically adjusts to ground contours, preventing pod loss and dirt ingestion. High-velocity cleaning fans create a vacuum to separate beans from leaves and stems, boasting recovery rates above 96%. An Italian oil-bath gearbox handles heavy loads reliably, while the open drum design minimizes wrapping of wet vines, allowing operations in dewy conditions.

Product Specifications

No.	Item	Unit	Specifications
1	Model Name	/	4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester
2	Linkage Type	/	Mounted
3	Pickup Type	/	Spring-tine
4	Working Width	m	1.3
5	Matched Power Range	kW	≥ 40
6	Working Speed Range	km/h	5 – 8
7	Overall Dimensions (L×W×H)	mm	2500 × 1800 × 1250
8	PTO Speed	r/min	540
9	Wheel Track	mm	1300
10	Productivity	hm²/h	0.65 – 1.04
11	Number of Operators	person	1
12	Structural Weight	kg	600

Product Advantages

1. Floating Intake Header for Optimal Ground Adaptation
The floating intake header on the 4BYH-1.3 kidney bean harvester employs hydraulic cylinders to precisely follow ground contours, capturing every pod without missing lower ones or ingesting soil. This feature is essential for maximizing yield in uneven terrain, where traditional rigid headers often result in significant crop loss, thereby enhancing overall harvesting efficiency and profitability for farmers operating on varied landscapes.

2. Italian Oil-Bath Gearbox for Durability and Shock Handling
Featuring heavy-duty Italian-made gearboxes immersed in a continuous oil bath, the harvester effectively withstands shock loads from dense vegetation without overheating. This design ensures long-term reliability and minimizes maintenance requirements compared to units with sealed bearings that degrade rapidly under field stresses, supporting sustained performance during extended harvesting periods.

3. High-Velocity Cleaning Fans for Superior Purity
The primary suction fan, which is 20% larger than standard models, generates a powerful vacuum tunnel to separate leaves and stems from the crop, delivering clean beans to the hopper. This process improves product quality, reduces the need for additional post-harvest cleaning, and ultimately increases market value by minimizing debris contamination in the final output.

4. Gentle-Touch Picking Reel with Polymer Fingers
Equipped with specialized polymer picking fingers that are firm enough to snap stems yet flexible to yield on impacts such as stones, the reel reduces breakage and avoids ingesting foreign objects. This gentle approach preserves the integrity of delicate crops like kidney beans, preventing bruising or damage and achieving higher purity rates during the harvesting process.

5. Easy-Access Maintenance with Swing-Open Panels
Incorporating swing-open side panels, the machine enables operators to access belt tensioners and hydraulic filters from ground level without tools. This user-friendly design streamlines routine maintenance tasks, decreases operational downtime, and is particularly beneficial during peak harvesting seasons, allowing for quick interventions that maintain productivity without requiring specialized equipment or extensive disassembly.

6. Minimal Loss Rate Through Optimized Transfer Design
The angled transfer point between the reel and conveyor prevents beans from rebounding, resulting in recovery rates exceeding 96% based on field evaluations. This optimization reduces crop loss and enhances output efficiency, especially for fragile pods such as kidney beans, ensuring farmers achieve maximum yields even under challenging environmental conditions like variable moisture levels.

Kidney Bean Harvester Applications

The 4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester finds extensive applications in modern agriculture, particularly for efficient legume collection in small to medium-scale operations. As a two-row, rear-mounted machine compatible with tractors in the 40–60 kW range, it is ideally suited for harvesting kidney beans, navy beans, and similar pulse crops in commercial plantations, smallholder farms, and cooperative settings across diverse regions such as the Midwest United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. Its spring-tine pickup mechanism gently pulls plants from the soil, minimizing pod damage and supporting high-quality yields for both fresh market sales and processing industries, including canning and seed production.

This harvester excels in precision agriculture by integrating with GPS-guided tractors to ensure accurate row navigation, reducing overlap and crop loss. It is particularly effective in organic farming systems, where it avoids chemical residues and promotes sustainable practices through residue management that enhances soil health via crop rotation. The machine performs reliably in challenging environments, such as uneven terrain with slopes up to 15 degrees, wet or humid conditions, dusty drylands, and intercropping setups like rice-bean fields, where its adjustable components adapt to varying plant densities and row widths.

Furthermore, the 4BYH-1.3 supports time-sensitive harvests during narrow weather windows, achieving productivity rates of 0.65–1.04 hectares per hour while requiring only one operator. By reducing manual labor needs by up to 70% and post-harvest losses through gentle handling, it contributes to cost-effective farming, making it a valuable tool for vineyards repurposed for bean cultivation or cooperative farms aiming to optimize output in resource-limited areas.

Working Principle

The working principle of the 4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester is based on advanced mechanical and aerodynamic systems designed to ensure efficient, precise, and gentle harvesting of legumes such as kidney beans, navy beans, and soybeans. This tractor-mounted machine operates with a plunger-type picking mechanism, equipped with polymer fingers that carefully snap beans from their stems without causing bruising or damage. This ensures high-quality output, particularly important for fresh market or processing applications.

The harvester is equipped with a floating intake header that hydraulically adjusts to follow ground contours, reducing pod loss and preventing soil or debris ingestion. As the intake header collects the crops, the beans and stems are directed into the separation and cleaning system. High-velocity cleaning fans create a powerful vacuum that efficiently separates beans from leaves, stems, and other debris. This soft-separation system uses low-impact airflow to protect the beans, preserving their integrity and minimizing damage, such as cracking or bruising.

An open drum design prevents the wrapping of wet vines, allowing smooth operation even in damp or dewy conditions. The harvested beans are collected into a designated container, ready for transport or further processing. The machine's Italian oil-bath gearbox ensures smooth and reliable power transmission, capable of handling heavy loads.

The 4BYH-1.3 is engineered to work efficiently on diverse terrains, including slopes up to 15 degrees, with a working speed of 5–8 km/h and a productivity rate of 0.65–1.04 hectares per hour. This eco-friendly, fuel-efficient harvester is ideal for sustainable farming, prioritizing crop preservation and minimal environmental impact.

FAQs

Q: What crops are the 4BYH-1.3 suitable for harvesting besides kidney beans?
A: This harvester effectively manages green beans for fresh market sales, dry varieties such as pinto and navy beans, soybeans including edamame types, and broad beans like fava. Its adjustable drum speeds and elevated clearance settings ensure gentle processing for brittle or oversized pods, preventing damage and maintaining crop quality across diverse legume applications.

Q: How does the floating intake header improve harvesting efficiency?
A: Equipped with hydraulic cylinders, the floating header dynamically adjusts to follow uneven ground contours, capturing all low-hanging pods without omissions or excessive soil intake. This design significantly boosts yield on irregular terrains, reduces crop loss, and enhances overall operational productivity for farmers dealing with varied field conditions.

Q: What maintenance is involved with the Italian oil-bath gearbox?
A: The robust Italian oil-bath gearbox operates in a continuous lubricant environment, eliminating the need for sealed bearings and effectively managing shock loads from dense vegetation. Routine maintenance primarily involves checking oil levels, accessible through swing-open panels, ensuring longevity and reliable performance without frequent overhauls in demanding agricultural settings.

Q: How does the high-velocity cleaning fan system function?
A: Featuring a suction fan 20% larger than standard models, the system generates a powerful vacuum tunnel that lifts leaves and stems away from the beans, achieving superior separation and purity. This airflow method minimizes mechanical contact, preserving delicate crop integrity while reducing post-harvest cleaning needs and elevating market-ready product quality.

Q: What is the typical production rate and operator requirement?
A: Operating at speeds of 5 to 8 km/h, the harvester delivers a productivity range of 0.65 to 1.04 hectares per hour, ideal for small to medium farms. It requires only one operator, streamlining labor costs and enabling efficient kidney bean collection with minimal losses, supporting timely harvests during peak seasons.

Q: Can the harvester operate in wet or dewy conditions?
A: While capable of functioning in morning dew due to its open drum design that prevents wet vine wrapping, heavy rain is not recommended as mud may clog cleaning fans. This feature allows earlier starts compared to other machines, but prioritizing drier conditions ensures optimal bean quality and avoids operational interruptions.

Q: How are broken picking fingers replaced?
A: The machine includes a spare parts kit for immediate repairs; polymer fingers are engineered to snap in and out using pliers in approximately 30 seconds, without requiring reel disassembly. Their flexible design bends upon impact with obstacles like stones, reducing breakage frequency and minimizing downtime during critical harvesting periods.

Q: What tractor specifications are required for compatibility?
A: The harvester demands a tractor with at least 40 kW of power and a PTO output speed of 540 r/min for seamless integration via its rear-hanging suspension. Verifying the PTO ratio is essential to maintain consistent performance across a 1.3-meter working width, ensuring smooth and efficient field operations.

Q: Is the 4BYH-1.3 designed for multi-row harvesting?
A: As a single-row model with a 1.3-meter width, it prioritizes precision and gentle handling for high-quality fresh market produce. For larger-scale operations like canneries requiring higher volume, double-row alternatives are suggested, though this unit excels in maintaining pod integrity over rapid quantity-focused harvesting.

Customer Reviews

Australia Customer:
“I’ve been using the 4BYH-1.3 for two seasons now, and it has proven to be incredibly reliable in the harsh Australian conditions. The dust-resistant design and robust build make it ideal for my farm, and the fuel efficiency is a bonus. It’s perfect for maintaining high productivity.”

Brazil Customer:
“Farming kidney beans in Brazil comes with challenges, but this harvester has made the process much more efficient. The machine handles our large fields effortlessly, and the adjustable settings cater to different soil and crop conditions. It’s saved us both time and money while improving our harvest quality.”

United States Customer:
“The 4BYH-1.3 Kidney Bean Harvester has been a game-changer for my farm. Its gentle harvesting mechanism ensures that my beans are undamaged, which is crucial for processing. The floating intake header works perfectly on uneven terrain, and I’ve seen a significant reduction in crop loss. An excellent investment!”

France Customer:
“The 4BYH-1.3 is a fantastic piece of equipment. Its precision and care during harvesting mean that the beans remain in excellent condition, which is crucial for selling in the French market. It’s also easy to operate, and the maintenance support from the company has been outstanding.”

Brazilian Customer:
“This harvester has transformed how we work on our farm. The cutting-edge technology ensures minimal crop damage, and the large capacity hopper reduces the time spent on unloading. I’m impressed by the durability and how well it performs even in varying weather conditions in Brazil.”

Netherlands Customer:
“The 4BYH-1.3 is exactly what our farm in the Netherlands needed. The high harvesting speed and accuracy ensure a clean and efficient process. I appreciate the low maintenance requirements and the excellent customer support available. It’s truly a machine built with farmers’ needs in mind.”

Russia Customer:
“With Russia’s challenging climate, I was skeptical at first, but the 4BYH-1.3 has exceeded my expectations. The durable materials and powerful engine make it perfect for tough conditions. It handles large-scale operations with ease and delivers consistent performance, even in colder temperatures. A reliable and efficient harvester.”

Germany Customer:
“As a farmer in Germany, efficiency and precision are key, and the 4BYH-1.3 delivers both. The advanced control systems and intuitive interface make it easy to use. Its ability to minimize waste while maximizing yield is impressive, and it’s become an integral part of my operation.”

Canada Customer:
“Our farm in Canada often deals with uneven terrain, but the 4BYH-1.3 has no issues handling it. The suspension system ensures smooth operation, and the machine’s design helps protect the beans during harvesting. It’s reliable and performs well even in colder conditions. Highly recommended!”

India Customer:
“The 4BYH-1.3 has been a blessing for our kidney bean farm in India. Its adaptability to different soil types and harvesting conditions is remarkable. The machine’s efficiency has helped us significantly reduce labor costs while increasing productivity. It’s easy to maintain and stands up well to long hours of use.”