Cutting Beans

     I finally got some pictures of Beans being cut!

     Here is just one of many different configurations of bean cutters. I'll walk you through some of the basics.

     In the very front you'll see these tines. Some varieties of bean cutter also have large blades here that cut the beans, but this one uses a different method. These tines lift and separate the plants so that the stems are exposed. They also clear a path so that the wheels aren't running over anything valuable.

     In the back of this setup you have the rake. The rake picks up the plants and puts them into a windrow. Some configurations put the cutter and rake on different tractors entirely, but in the case of this machine, the cutter is on the rake.

     Towards the middle of this picture you can see two parallel bars. These bars turn and as they are pulled across at ground level they lift the bean plants out of the ground.

     Once the beans are in their windrows, they need to dry out, so they'll sit in them until they do.
     I finally got another full length post up! Stay tuned to learn the fate of the beans and more about agriculture in general.