First coffee harvester produced in the world turns 40

The first coffee harvester produced in the world was developed with Brazilian technologies and research. K3, the name of the equipment launched by Jacto in 1979, celebrates 40 years in 2019 and reinforces the company's innovative spirit and the search for solutions that contribute to the development of rural producers and agriculture as a whole.

 “The search for innovations and the commitment to guaranteeing farmers access to technologies that make them increasingly competitive is part of Jeito Jacto to make things happen. It was with this in mind that the K3 coffee harvester was launched, the first of its kind in the world. This pioneering spirit is a brand that the company is proud of and that also drives us to be better”, says Fernando Gonçalves, president of Jacto.

 The proposal began to take shape in 1973, when it gave rise to Jacto's Research and Development Department.

An interesting aspect of the harvester's history is that the founder of Jacto, Japanese immigrant Shunji Nishimura, among the many activities he developed when he arrived in Brazil, worked on manual coffee harvesting, in the interior of São Paulo. The experience of pain and having hands bleed at the end of the working day was a motivation for the development of the machine.

In 1974, the first harvester was launched for the first phase of the harvest and, in 1975, the first version of the harvester, the prototype K1, was launched, driven by a tractor and which served as the basis for the improvements of the second prototype, the K2, who went to the field in 1977.

Finally, in 1979, with the presence of the then vice-president of the Republic, Mr. Aureliano Chaves, Jacto launched the world's first coffee harvester on the market.

To get an idea of ​​the impact of the launch, even today coffee cultivation involves a high-cost activity, with the harvest corresponding to around 40% of the production value, requiring a large contingent of labor.

Within the Brazilian coffee production system, manual harvesting has been a limiting factor due to the lack of professionals, time and operational costs; therefore, harvest mechanization is a preponderant factor in maintaining Brazil among the large coffee producers.

Contribution to coffee culture 

The company has evolved with its line of harvesters and the K 3500, the latest harvester model launched by Jacto, has features and innovations that allow savings of around 33% compared to the traditional mode of operation. The equipment was developed to work in traditional plantations and also in dense plantations with up to 2,50 meters between rows.

Among other features is the machine's low center of gravity, which allows the equipment to work on slopes of up to 20% and an electronic engine, which provides lower fuel consumption and lower levels of pollutant emissions. The innovative design of the K 3500 resulted in 6 patent applications.

New specifications of the K 3500 harvester 

In conjunction with the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the first harvester, Jacto presents EXPOCAFÉ new specifications for the K 3500, bringing its technological differences to a greater number of producers. The new specifications equip the harvester with a single reservoir with a capacity of 2.000 liters and offer manual adjustment of the opening and closing of the harvesters.

“Even with a smaller reservoir and manual adjustment of the harvesters, we maintain the benefits of simultaneously unloading the harvest and opening and closing the harvesters to adapt to different plant sizes”, says Paulo Guirao, coffee harvester business manager.

Furthermore, all other features of the K 3500 are maintained in this machine with new specifications:

 - Possibility of working in conventional or dense plantings of up to 2,50 meters between planting lines;

 - Simple adjustment system to increase tipping capacity by up to 10%;

 - Efficient harvesting up to 2,5 km/h and fast transfer up to 15 km/h;

  - Low center of gravity that allows the equipment to work safely on terrain with up to 20% lateral slope;

 -  Steering system with a smaller turning radius that allows greater agility and speed in maneuvering, ensuring greater operational performance and safety in steeper terrain;

 - Cab with air conditioning, pneumatic suspension seat, armrest with joystick, camera display and easier operations that help and provide greater comfort for the operator;

 - Electronic engine, which allows automatic control of rotation and torque demand, providing lower fuel consumption and lower pollutant emission levels;

 - Integrated operational diagnostic system, which unites all the machine's functional modules, offering the operator greater ease in controlling operational functions, as well as recording and consulting important parameters for better optimization and work management;

 - Ease of transport, as the equipment does not require disassembly as it meets all legal transport limits on highways.

“In comparative harvesting efficiency tests with the main competitors, under the same working conditions, the K 3500 showed a harvesting efficiency of up to 35% greater and losses of coffee to the ground were up to 62% lower. This shows how the technological resources of the K 3500 contribute to increasing the producer’s profitability”, concludes Guirao.