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A Complete Guide on Harvesters: Types, Benefits, Uses & Applications

Updated on 12th December, 2025, By Sonu Gupta
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A Complete Guide on Harvesters: Types, Benefits, Uses & Applications

Harvesting is one of the most labour-intensive and time-consuming stages in farming. With the introduction of harvesters, farmers can perform various harvesting operations in hours that would have taken days using manual labour, ensuring improved efficiency, higher precision, and reduced labour dependency. In this blog, we will discuss harvesters, their types, benefits, components, and more.

Table of Contents

What is a harvester?

A harvester is an agricultural machine specially designed for cutting and collecting crops from the field efficiently during harvest time. It can harvest various crops, such as sugarcane, rice, wheat, and others, and offers clean grains. It performs different harvesting operations, including cutting, threshing, separation and cleaning of grains. It helps farmers save time and money, reduces dependency on manual labour, and minimizes grain loss. Different types of harvesters are used in agriculture depending on the type of crops and operations required. These harvesters range from multi-purpose combine harvesters to specialized machines for crops, such as sugarcane, rice, etc.

What are the benefits of a harvester?

Modern harvesters provide several benefits to farmers. Some of them are discussed below:

  • Saves Labour and Time: Manual harvesting is a slow and labour-intensive process, whereas modern harvesters can process large areas quickly, reducing the time required compared to the manual process.
  • Reduce Crop Loss: Manual harvesting method can cause grain loss during handling, whereas combine harvesters reduce slippage, improper cutting, and crop damage.
  • Enhance Efficiency and Productivity: Harvesters can operate for long hours over large areas, enhancing productivity. They ensure timely harvesting, which is crucial for mitigating weather-related damage.
  • Reduces Dependency on Labour Availability: Harvesters provide consistent performance, reducing depending on seasonal workers. They are quite beneficial during peak harvest season in remote regions when labour shortage is a common problem.
  • Support Large Scale Farming: Harvesters can handle all the harvesting tasks quickly and systematically, whereas manual harvesting becomes unmanageable on large-scale farms.

What are the components of a harvester?

The major components of a harvester are:

  • Reel
  • Header
  • Sieves
  • Grain tank
  • Cutter bar
  • Rotating blades
  • Unloading pipe
  • Augers
  • Conveyors
  • Fan

What are the types of harvesters in India?

Harvesters are available in three types in India, which include Combine harvesters, tractor-mounted harvesters and specialized harvesters. Let’s discuss each of them in detail:

Combine Harvesters

Combine harvesters are self-propelled harvesters that perform a wide range of functions in a single pass, including reaping (cutting of crops), threshing (separating grain from the stalk), and winnowing (removing chaff from the grain). They are widely used for crops like wheat, paddy, maize, and other cereals. They are suitable for large fields, reduce post-harvest grain loss, and save time and labour. The popular brands offering combine harvesters in India are Claas harvesters, Preet harvesters, Kartar harvesters, and many others.

Tractor Mounted Harvesters

Tractor-mounted harvesters are those that are mounted on the tractor using the PTO shaft or hydraulic linkage. These harvesters are powered by the tractor and pull it across the load. They are suitable for small to medium-sized farms, offering a cost-effective harvesting solution. The popular brands offering tractor mounted harvesters in India are Mahindra harvesters, KS Agrotech harvesters, Dasmesh harvesters, and more.

Specialized Harvesters

Specialized harvesters are those that are designed for the harvesting of specific crops, such as sugarcane harvesters, paddy harvesters, and many others. Let’s discuss them in brief:

  • Sugarcane Harvesters: Sugarcane harvesters are specialized agriculture machines specially designed to cut, clean, and collect sugarcane stalks from the field efficiently. They reduce the need for extensive manual labour and enable the timely cutting and transport of sugarcane crops. They also help perverse sugar content and quality, and the leaves and tops remaining in the field can be reused to enhance soil health.
  • Paddy Harvesters: Paddy harvesters are designed to cut, thresh, and clean paddy crops. Using paddy harvesters helps farmers complete the paddy harvest quickly, thereby overcoming the risks associated with weather conditions.

What is the difference between self-propelled harvesters and tractor-mounted harvesters?

Self-Propelled Harvesters

Tractor-Mounted Harvesters

They are powered by their own engine.

They are mounted on tractors and require the tractor’s engine power and PTO HP for operation.

They are suitable for large farms and commercial applications.

They are suitable for small to medium-sized farms.

They move on their own, allowing greater maneuverability.

They are dependent on the tractor’s movement, which can limit their flexibility.

They are generally large in size and can handle a larger volume of crops.

They are smaller in size and have lower harvesting capacity compared to self-propelled harvesters.

They are expensive due to the advanced technology used in automatic and precision agriculture.

They are less expensive than self-propelled harvesters, making them more accessible for small to medium-sized farms.

Get Complete Details of Harvesters in India Online

If you are looking for a trustworthy portal where you can learn everything about harvesters, Tractorkarvan is the best place. Here, you can find all the details of different harvester models of top brands in India. We have a compare harvester tool where you can compare two harvester models regarding their specifications. Explore Tractorkarvan now to learn more about self-propelled harvesters and tractor-mounted harvesters in India.

Frequently Asked Questions On Harvesters in India - Benefits, Types and Uses

1. What is a harvester?

A harvester is an agricultural machine specially designed for cutting and collecting crops from the field efficiently during harvest time.

There are mainly three types of harvesters: combine harvesters, tractor-mounted harvesters, and specialized harvesters, such as sugarcane harvesters and paddy harvesters.

The major components of a harvester are reel, header, sieves, grain tank, cutter bar, rotating blades, unloading pipe, augers, conveyors, and fan.

The major difference is that self-propelled harvesters are powered by their own engine, whereas tractor-mounted harvesters require the tractor’s engine and PTO power for operation.

Sonu Gupta
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Sonu Gupta
Sonu Gupta holds a bachelor's degree in arts. He is a seasoned SEO expert with focus on strategic planning and optimization of tractor related content. He is a believer of following a customer-centric approach in execution across his field of interest. He is an avid traveler, reader, and has a great interest in agriculture.
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