Not all gardeners grow corn only to eat fresh and stock up a little for the winter, many use it as the main feed for livestock. If for the conservation of several jars or freezing of several packages of grain is separated from the cobs manually, then in mass harvesting the question arises of how to peel the corn. In order to process several bags of crop, you will need a special corn sheller, which you can make yourself.
general description
A corn huller is such a useful device with an electric motor that helps the owner to do a large amount of work without physical fatigue and spend a minimum of time on it. It can be of two types: a large one, into which a bucket or even more cobs are poured for processing, or a small one, designed for one cob. The first, with a capacity of 1 bag, is able to peel it in 3 minutes, that is, in an hour such a mechanical assistant is able to process half a ton of corn.
A small peeler is not designed for such volumes, it copes with only one cob at a time – it is held by hand, inserted into the hole of the unit alternately, first with one end, then with the other. Of course, half a ton of crops cannot be peeled this way – either the motor will burn out, or a person will be tormented to stand indefinitely, repeating the same action. But if the harvest is only a couple of bags, then it’s still hard to do it with your hands. How to peel corn easier and easier – you don’t need to think for a long time.
Each unit usually has a hole or even a chute for removing the cleaned grain, but the cobs fall out of the large drum in the other direction, for which there is a separate hole, or they are simply taken out manually.
Principle of operation
Each such electromechanical assistant is equipped with a motor powered by electricity. The motor of a large unit rotates a disk with non-sharp teeth, most often they are welded in the form of round growths up to 8 mm high. In the same disk, round holes are made for grains, a kind of sieve with growths is obtained.
During operation, the disk rotates rapidly (up to 50 revolutions per minute), the cobs, pressed down by their mass, beat and cling to the teeth, the grains fly out. The grains are poured out through the holes, as well as the gaps between the disk and the hopper into the lower compartment, from which, without acceleration, simply obeying gravity, they fall into the substituted container along a special chute. The same force of gravity and centrifugal force force new cobs to descend onto the cleaning disc, and already peeled, lighter ones to rise up. When the grain stops pouring, it means that only empty, peeled cobs remain in the bunker. Some designs are equipped with a special hole from where they themselves fall out.
How to shell corn with a small unit? The principle is the same, only instead of a rotating disk, it is equipped with a pipe with teeth bent inward, grains cling to them, which makes them say goodbye to the head of cabbage. They also crumble down, and the empty cob remains in the hands of a person.
The principle of operation of the devices is the same, only the location of the cleaning element in a large apparatus is horizontal, and in a small one – vertical.
A corn peeler is not a very complex mechanism, it does not consume too much energy – it all depends on the motor power and the amount of work. But it is indispensable for processing the harvest of those farms where corn is harvested specifically for feeding livestock.
How to make
Such devices of different capacities and different volumes can be bought. They are on sale, their advertising is found on the Internet. But most craftsmen prefer to make them themselves. Do-it-yourself corn peeler is made from improvised means. Old washing machines with a round body, used gas cylinders, motors from some old appliances, even just a drill can come in handy.
In order to make such a machine, you first need to decide on the volume of the processed crop, then find it on the Internet, ask somewhere on the forum or draw a drawing yourself.
Scheme of a corn peeler in the assembly
According to the drawing, you need to select all the components, tools and fasteners that you may need. Only after that you can start the manufacturing process itself.
Each unit must have a solid, stable base, a bunker made of a washing machine or a cylinder, an aluminum pipe is attached to it – a sort of capacious cylinder. A magnetic starter with a toggle switch for turning the engine on / off is placed on its wall. The grain chipper is connected to the tray shield.
For grains to fall out, a disk is made with holes with a diameter of 14 mm and welded rounded teeth 8 mm high. Perpendicular to the disk, 2 plates of 2 cm are welded from below, and a rubber scraper is attached to them, which will guide the falling grains. The flange is pressed onto the motor shaft, and a gear disk is attached to it. On one side of the hopper, a hole is made at the bottom, a tray is attached through which grains fall out. On the other hand, a hole is made a little higher through which the spent cobs are selected. For him, you need to make a shutter door and fix it so that it does not open spontaneously during operation.
From above, the bunker must be closed, which means that they make a lid that is easy to lift, but which will not open while the engine is running.
Video “Do-it-yourself corn peeler”
Take advantage of the idea of assembling a sheller for high-quality separation of corn kernels from the cob. Details in the video.
