Development and Performance Evaluation of a Pedal Operated Paddy Rice Winnower for Small Scale Rural Farmers in Nigeria

A pedal operated paddy rice winnower for small scale rural farmers was developed to work under the condition of Bauchi state. It was locally fabricated in center for industrial studies (CIS), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. The whole machine was constructed from steel, angle iron, sheets, bearing, chain and sprockets, shaft, bolts, nuts, and bicycle frame, while design parameters calculated includes shaft diameter (15mm), torsional moment (0.68Nm) and gear ratio (2.66) respectively. The cleaning effect of the winnower is achieved through the cranking of the prime mover (Bicycle) which drives the fan. The machine was developed to be driven by human muscle power through the pedal on the bicycle. The threshed grain with a moisture content of 13.28% (wb) was fed into the hopper manually and the final cleaned grain was collected under the sieve on a collecting pan. From the test carried out on the machine, it indicates that only one person is needed to operate, while it needs the sum of #73,100.00 as an investment cost. On the other hand, the performance test indicates a cleaning capacity of 90 – 100kg/hr of threshed paddy rice, with a cleaning efficiency of 84.04% and a loss of not more than 13.82%. The machine has a great potential in helping to reduce cleaning time and save cost.