Swather

• The swather leaves a windrow of crops to dry.harvest patterns image by Dougie Robertson from Fotolia.com
  
  In areas where the growing season is short (e.g. Northern U.S. states and Canada) a swather is used to harvest wheat. The swather cuts the stems of the wheat and forms a windrow (a uniform row of cut small grain crop left to dry before combining or further harvesting) binding all the wheat together. Using a swather is necessary in these regions as the wheat does not have enough time to dry before being harvested due to the short seasons. Swathers are also used by farmers who own combines that are not equipped to reap (cut) the crop.
  
  

Combine

• A combine makes harvesting wheat less tedious.fragment of Combine Harvester at work image by asmik from Fotolia.com
  
  The combine is an integral part of the wheat harvest. Combines are a combination of a reaping (cutting), binding and threshing (loosening the head of the grain from the shaft) machine. Traditionally, three separate machines needed to be used in the harvesting process; combines accomplish all three. Combines can be used to harvest many types of crops because combines have different removable heads that are used to harvest specific crops. A combine can hold a large amount of wheat but eventually will need to be emptied in order to continue processing the harvest.
  
  

Grain Trucks

• Grain trucks take the crop from the fields to the storage facility.the harvest image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
  
  Grain trucks are often an overlooked but important piece of machinery used in the harvest of wheat. Due to the limited storage capacity of combines, grain trucks often travel alongside the combine during the harvesting. These trucks are necessary to transport the harvested wheat from the fields to storage units or commercial sites for shipment. Grain trucks are often equipped with large, specialized wheels to provide extra traction and leverage in the fields.
  
  

Grain Augers

• Grain augers move the grain up into storage containers.farm image by Richard McGuirk from Fotolia.com
  
  Grain augers are an important piece of machinery in the harvesting process. Augers move the wheat from the grain trucks up into or out of the storage units using a motorized spiral rotating shaft similar to a drill bit. In some cases this piece is encased in metal tubing. Powered by a tractor, electrical motor or mounted engine, augers are extremely dangerous. (Combines are also equipped with moving augers to move the wheat from the combine into the grain trucks.)
  
  

Bins and Storage Units

• Bins and silos are used to store wheat before being shipped.Rusty Grain Bins and Silos image by steverts from Fotolia.com
  
  Metal or concrete bins or silos are an essential part of the wheat harvest. These covered structures are equipped with fans or fuel burners that aerate and in some cases, dry the wheat. Without the proper storing of wheat, the wheat is rendered useless for processing. Various grain elevators and bins are also equipped with machinery to sort and move the grain in order to dry the wheat evenly.