Mechanics of Farm Machinery

In Iran, more than 50,000 hectares of sunflowers (oil and nuts) are cultivated annually. Conventional grain combine harvesters are not compatible with the unique characteristics of sunflowers, leading to significant grain losses during harvesting. Therefore, it is currently being harvested manually. Manual harvesting increases labor hardships, energy and time consumption, and production costs. In this research, to harvest sunflower seeds, modifications were made on conventional head of a combine harvester (John deer 1055) to allow simultaneous harvesting, threshing, and cleaning of the sunflower seeds. After designing and fabricating the accessory, the improved head in field conditions was evaluated and compared with conventional harvesting methods. The field evaluation of the improved head was based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments involved three different harvesting methods: 1) using a modified combine head, 2) employing a combine equipped with pan attachment, and 3) manual harvesting. In each of the machine treatments, beating and cleaning units were set up for sunflower harvest. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the treatments concerning machine losses, field capacity, and harvesting costs, all at the 5% significance level. In the modified combine, combine with pans attachment, and manual method, combine losses were 0.72, 4.85, and 6%, and field capacity was 1.2, 1.13, and 0.12 ha h-1, respectively. The profit-to-cost ratio was 13.97, 13.3, and 3.01, respectively. The grain breakage percentage was 3, 3.3, and 0.56, respectively. According to the results, due to lower losses, appropriate field capacity, and lower harvesting costs, the use of John deer 1055 combine with the modified head is recommended for harvesting of the sunflower.

The paper captures a theoretical study, by numerical modeling concerning the evaluation of the transversal stability parameters for the Segway type vehicles. To the development of the numerical models used were taken into account: the operating mode of the vehicle with two wheels located coaxial; the influence of the pressure in the tire on the dynamic radius of the vehicle and the speed; the forces that acts on the cornering; the influence of the electric engine rotation speed on speed of the vehicle type Segway; the influence of the center of gravity height of the users and their weight on the speed and on the transversal stability of the vehicle; the influence of the angle of transversal inclination of the road on the speed and on the stability of the vehicle. In the study shall be taken into account in matters relating to the different transversal inclinations the of the road, different rays of the trajectory, the different speeds, the main parameters of the Segway type vehicle ...

The present project focuses on solving the problem faced by the farmers in separating the seeds from the edible sunflower heads so study was conducted to designed, fabricated and evaluated a threshing unit which will separate the seeds from the sunflower heads. The sunflower threshing unit operates on the principle of axial flow movement of the material with diameter drum thresher of 600mm and length thresher of 1200 mm. The performance was evaluated in terms of output threshing efficiency, separation efficiency, percentage of seed losses and damage seed. Evaluation was carried out with Galami Badami variety at different levels of moisture contents; 40%, 30% and 20% (w. b.) and at different peripheral velocities of drum speeds; 17.23, 12.56, 7.85, feed rate; 3000, 2000, 1000  with constant concave clearance of 35mm. The analysis of variance showed that the drum speed (A), feed rate (B) and moisture content (C) affected all parameters of performance significantly at level 1% and mois...

A methodological approach for evaluating a priori the stability of agricultural vehicles equipped with different mounted implements and operating on sloping hillsides is shown here. It uses a Matlab simulator in its first phase and, subsequently, the Response Surface Modelling (RSM) to evaluate the coefficients of a set of regression equations able to account for the Type-I and Type-II stability of the whole vehicle (tractor + implement with known dimensions and mass). The regression equations can give reliable punctual numeric estimations of the minimum value of the Roll Stability Index (RSI) and can verify the existence of a Type-I equilibrium without the need of using the simulator or knowing any detail about the model implemented in it. The same equations can also be used to generate many intuitive graphs ("equilibrium maps") useful to verify quickly the possible overturning of the vehicle. A case-study concerning a 4-wheel drive articulated tractor is then presented to show the potential of the approach and how using its tools. The tractor has been studied in three scenarios, differing on where the implement has to be connected to the tractor (1: frontally; 2: frontally-laterally; 3: in the back). After performing a series of simulations, a set of polynomial models (with 6 independent variables) has been created and verified. Then, these models were used, together with the related equilibrium maps, to predict the stability of 8 implements for scenario 1, 7 implements for scenario 2, and 3 implements for scenario 3, evidencing in particular the danger of using a lateral shredder with a mass greater than 245 kg. The proposed approach and its main outcomes (i.e., the regression equations and the equilibrium maps) can give an effective contribution to the preventive safety of the tractor driver, so it could be useful to integrate it in the homologation procedures for every agricultural vehicle and to include the resulting documentation within the tractor logbook.

Various types of paddy weeders, for dry as well as wetland conditions, have been developed and used in India. The commonly used wetland paddy weeders under Indian conditions are rotary power weeder, cono-weeder, and Ambika weeder; whereas, hoe-type weeders are mostly used under dry-land conditions. The common and effective type of weeder is two-row power-operated rotary type of 0.0793 ha.h-1 field capacity. The average cost of operation and weeding efficiency of existing paddy weeder is 1,169.59 ` .ha-1 and 79.92%, respectively. A review undertaken on different types of paddy weeders developed by researchers in India indicated that most of the developed weeders are designed for the use in inter-row cultivation, and limited research has been conducted for intra-row weeding. Thus, research should focus on developing inter-cum-intra-row weeders which could increase weeding efficiency and crop yield.

Weeds are unwanted and undesirable plant that interfere with the utilization of land and water resources and adversely affect crop production. After preliminary study, it was found out that power tiller could be adopted for weeding. Therefore, the study aimed at improving its performance through modification of some major component such as: weeding blades and depth gauge. Three sets of pairs of blade gang of four, six and eight were made from 3 mm mild steel sheet metal.

Introduction Introduce the Problem Increasing world population makes clear the importance of nutrition and cereals for human life, as most of the food, is essential. Cereal production in world is 2.5 billion tons, which the maximum amount (approximately 690 million tons) is allocated to wheat, and it is the first in importance in the annual production and cultivation (Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO], 2008). One of the most important steps in the production of cereals, especially wheat, is harvesting, which requires a significant amount of energy and is associated the loss. Although the mean of combine losses is about 4-5% in advanced countries, unfortunately in Iran is about 20% and higher (Moghaddam, 2008). The loss of combine harvester is divided to natural loss (pre harvest loss), platform cutting loss (head loss), threshing loss, cleaning loss and the loss of body (Srivastava, Goering, & Rohrbach, 2006). One way to reduce the loss, since the process of harvesting by mac...

‫تن‬ ‫الجرار‬ ‫ظف‬ ‫وتشحيمه‬ ‫وغسله‬ ‫موسم‬ ‫غير‬ ‫في‬ ‫التخزين‬ ‫قبل‬ ‫ه‬ . 1-Clean, wash and lubricate the tractor before off-season storage. -‫األوزان‬ ‫افصل‬ ‫االضافية‬ ‫الجرار‬ ‫جسم‬ ‫عن‬ . Detach the weights from the tractor body. ‫انزع‬ ‫أن‬ ‫بعد‬ ‫المروحة‬ ‫سير‬ ‫حرارته‬ ‫تخفض‬ . Loosen the fan-belt after it has cooled. ‫الجرار‬ ‫من‬ ‫البطارية‬ ‫فك‬ . ‫وجاف‬ ‫بارد‬ ‫مكان‬ ‫في‬ ‫واحفظها‬ ‫البطارية‬ ‫اشحن‬ . Remove the battery from the tractor. Charge the battery and store it in a dry, cool place. ‫والخلفية‬ ‫األمامية‬ ‫المحاور‬ ‫أسفل‬ ‫الكتل‬ ‫بوضع‬ ‫ألعلى‬ ‫الجرار‬ ‫ارفع‬ ‫األربعة‬ ‫اإلطارات‬ ‫جميع‬ ‫رفع‬ ‫يتم‬ ‫بحيث‬ Jack the tractor up and place blocks under the front and rear axles so that all 4 tires are off the ground. ‫الش‬ ‫والحرارة‬ ‫المباشرة‬ ‫الشمس‬ ‫أشعة‬ ‫عن‬ ‫ًا‬ ‫بعيد‬ ‫اإلطارات‬ ‫احفظ‬ ‫ديدة‬ . Keep the tires out of direct sunlight and extreme heat.

Harvesting is one of the most important field operations in sunflower production. Seed damage and low separation efficiency are the top concerns of harvesting sunflower. In this study, a threshing cylinder with rubber teeth and a concave for harvesting sunflower were designed and evaluated. The variable parameters were threshing cylinder speed (TCS), threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC) of sunflower head. Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at three cylinder speed levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), two threshing spaces (8 and 10 cm) and two moisture content of sunflower head based on the crop condition (20% and 45% wet basis). An ANN model was developed to predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave. Results showed that the sunflower seeds had no damage during the threshing process and the presented model could predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave with a regression coefficient R2=0.95. Based o...

A methodological approach for evaluating a priori the stability of agricultural vehicles equipped with different mounted implements and operating on sloping hillsides is shown here. It uses a Matlab simulator in its first phase and, subsequently, the Response Surface Modelling (RSM) to evaluate the coefficients of a set of regression equations able to account for the Type-I and Type-II stability of the whole vehicle (tractor + implement with known dimensions and mass). The regression equations can give reliable punctual numeric estimations of the minimum value of the Roll Stability Index (RSI) and can verify the existence of a Type-I equilibrium without the need of using the simulator or knowing any detail about the model implemented in it. The same equations can also be used to generate many intuitive graphs ("equilibrium maps") useful to verify quickly the possible overturning of the vehicle. A case-study concerning a 4-wheel drive articulated tractor is then presented to show the potential of the approach and how using its tools. The tractor has been studied in three scenarios, differing on where the implement has to be connected to the tractor (1: frontally; 2: frontally-laterally; 3: in the back). After performing a series of simulations, a set of polynomial models (with 6 independent variables) has been created and verified. Then, these models were used, together with the related equilibrium maps, to predict the stability of 8 implements for scenario 1, 7 implements for scenario 2, and 3 implements for scenario 3, evidencing in particular the danger of using a lateral shredder with a mass greater than 245 kg. The proposed approach and its main outcomes (i.e., the regression equations and the equilibrium maps) can give an effective contribution to the preventive safety of the tractor driver, so it could be useful to integrate it in the homologation procedures for every agricultural vehicle and to include the resulting documentation within the tractor logbook.

In China, field management mechanization of corn, tobacco and sugarcane with high stalks is an important technical problem in agricultural mechanization development. According to the characteristics of high stalk crops planted in different row spacing in the plain area of Henan province, this paper designed a full hydraulic driving field high frame operation vehicle, included power system, engine placement and M type three-wheeled high frame structure. It also adopted a closed hydraulic system fully driven by three hydraulic motors, hydraulic power steering system and hydraulic track adjustment system. Its maximum clearance height is 1,800 mm. Speed ranges from 0-17 km/h with the hydraulic control. The back wheel track adjustment ranges from 2,000-2,400 mm. It can solve the problems of the high cost price in complex transmission system of the most domestic off highroad vehicles that the track cannot be changed. In this paper, a field high frame operation vehicle for the high stalk c...

Trailers may increase the risk of tractor overturn during wood transportation in dangerous conditions. In this work, tests were carried to simulate a trailer rollover using three two wheel tractors and a crawler tractor and three trailers (two single-axle and one two-axle), all of their combinations moving downhill along the path on a short dirt road. The trailers were always loaded with the same load of logs cut at a length of about 1.5 m and put transversely to the longitudinal axis of the trailer. During each test, the following parameters were measured: the lateral dragging of the rear wheels/crawler of the tractor, the ground detachment of the rear upstream wheel/crawler and both the longitudinal and transversal strains (released over the tractor hooking system) produced by the trailer overturn. The study highlighted that the bi-axle trailer structure with a turntable steering had the best performances compared to the single-axle in terms of safety during trailer overturning. I...

Vehicle lateral stability is evaluated using the static overturning angle. The correct value of this parameter depends on the calculation method. The aim of this study was to compare the latest standard with previously published methodology, to propose two alternative methodologies (Models 1 and 2) and to analyze the influence of various levels of rear wheel ballast weights and overall tire widths on the stability of universal and subcompact tractors. The results showed a significant regression effect of the rear wheel ballast weight on static overturning angle. The influence of the rear wheel ballast weight was higher in the subcompact tractor than in the universal tractor due to a larger distance between the height of the center of gravity and the center of the rear axle. Comparing the latest standard with the previously published methodology, the highest difference values were 13.82% and 7.30%. Both models are based on the previously published methodology and differ from each oth...

Considerable research has been conducted on tractor overturning stability and dynamics on sloping ground, much of the work was connected to establishing safe operating slopes and the introduction of the roll over protective structures ROPS and their associated legislature. Gilfilan1,2) has reported work on the

Field crop residues have become an urgent problem for the Egyptian farmer. Total cultivated area with this crop in Egypt, 189,000 hectare and the estimated quantity of haulm potatoes is about 1,575 Tg with an average of 8.3 Mg/hectare of haulm potato. Varied techniques were used for cutting waste of field crop, and the mechanical shredder residue for handling and use of these wastes were analyzed in order to reduce the size of the waste molecules to fit the various aspects of its uses. To optimize the operating parameters of the performance of farm residues it was used the cutting machine and it was established the minimum cost, power and energy requirements for produce animal feed raw materials from potato haulme. The performance of the machine units was measured under the following parameters four levels of drum speed of 25.13, 30.14, 35.17 and 40.19 m/s (1,000, 1,200, 1,400, and 1,600 rpm), three feed rates of 600, 800, 1000 kg/h, two number of knives on the cutting cylinder from...

The frame structure of the trailer may influence both the traction and the tractor-trailer stability, especially along sloped paths. The aim of this research was to analyze a trailer overturning and the strains on the connected tractors (wheeled, or crawled) during log transportation (loose or tied) along a hillside. Two two-axle trailers were used: tandem and turntable steering. Three types of measurements were carried out during the field tests: (i) the detachment from the ground of the rear upstream wheels (or crawler); (ii) the transversal and longitudinal strains occurring when the trailer overturned (and released the hooking system of the tractor); (iii) the lateral deviation of the rear wheels (or crawler) of the tractor. The study highlighted that the two-axle trailer with turntable steering combined with the crawl tractor gave better results in terms of safety during trailer overturning. In addition, independent of the type of trailer, a tied load was found to be more dange...

A threshing machine was fabricated and tested to suit the shape and proprieties of sunflower crop. It consisted of a threshing, power drive and power transmission units. Three levels of drum speeds (, 9.01 , 3 0 8 14.7 m/s), three levels of cylinder concave clearance (2, 3, 4cm), three positions of threshing drum [(2 Rows 8 teeth), (3 Rows 12 teeth) and (6 Rows 24 teeth)] and three levels of sunflower moisture contents (10, 14, 19 %) were studied. Test results indicated that the best operating conditions were at a speed of 14.7 m/s, clearance of 4 cm and seeds moisture of 10% (d.b).

According to the European Community (EC) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Codes, narrow-track agricultural tractors have to pass a lateral stability and a non-continuous rolling test. This second test requires the knowledge of the centre of gravity (CG) height. Generally the CG height is determined by a dynamic procedure making the tractor oscillate on a platform, and measuring its period for different lengths of suspension. The dynamic procedure is rather complex and the precision of the measurements was not sufficient to fully comply with the Codes. As a consequence an alternative method was tested, using the platform in a static way: the CG height was calculated from the equilibrium equations, with a higher precision than with the dynamic method, and with less operative difficulties. The present research, considering more than 100 tractors, indicated that difficulties remain in containing the measuring errors within inside the limit of AE3 mm requested by the Codes.

One of the problems facing the combine holders in Iran for years has been the thresher cylinder with one piece passing through shaft. The problem has arisen ever since domestic make buckled shaft has been used. Buckle is too much to recover by simple machining. As such, disassembling the cylinder is a breath taking, time consuming and expensive task to do. On the other hand, manual welding in factory to join the thin plates to rather thick tubing cause undercutting. This research was performed to cope with both problems by designing a suitable threshing cylinder for Iran namely the 3 piece cylinder. A tube was installed to carry the plates. The plates unlike similar cylinders are not welded to the tube but bolted to specially designed flanges. The flanges are welded to the tubing instead, which eliminates the undercutting phenomena. The two piece shafts on the sides, the long and the short are joined to the tubing by simple flanges and studs. Putting down the cylinder is as easy as unscrewing 12 bolts and screws. Bolting the plates to the flanges makes the mechanism indispensable. Any damaged plate can be removed for repair or replacement. The similar three piece cylinders are rather disposable type because the flanges are welded the plates. The cylinder was designed successfully. Auto Cad software was used for the design. The vibration consideration and calculations indicated a critical speed way beyond the operating speed to avoid resonance.

One of the problems facing the combine holders in Iran for years has been the thresher cylinder with one piece passing through shaft. The problem has arisen ever since domestic make buckled shaft has been used. Buckle is too much to recover by simple machining. As such, disassembling the cylinder is a breath taking, time consuming and expensive task to

The theoretical calculations carried out by the authors made it possible to establish the stability conditions for a tricycle tractor on the slope of the field. The research methodology was based on a theoretical solution of a static problem and the establishment of stability of a tricycle tractor depending on its layout and the angle of the field to the horizon. The layout of the tricycle tractor, which has one steerable wheel in front and two wheels in the rear, is considered. The conditions of the steady state of the tractor for the selected scheme are determined. The stability of the tractor will be ensured when the vertical line lowered down from its center of gravity crosses the surface inside the supporting quadrilateral. The surface of the supporting quadrilateral is formed as a result of connecting the outer points of the wheels. The dependence of the influence of the rim width and the wheel radius on the maximum angle of inclination of the tractor with one front wheel is e...

A methodological approach for evaluating a priori the stability of agricultural vehicles equipped with different mounted implements and operating on sloping hillsides is shown here. It uses a Matlab simulator in its first phase and, subsequently, the Response Surface Modelling (RSM) to evaluate the coefficients of a set of regression equations able to account for the Type-I and Type-II stability of the whole vehicle (tractor + implement with known dimensions and mass). The regression equations can give reliable punctual numeric estimations of the minimum value of the Roll Stability Index (RSI) and can verify the existence of a Type-I equilibrium without the need of using the simulator or knowing any detail about the model implemented in it. The same equations can also be used to generate many intuitive graphs (“equilibrium maps”) useful to verify quickly the possible overturning of the vehicle. A case-study concerning a 4-wheel drive articulated tractor is then presented to show the...

ABSTRACT Progress in sensors, controllers and mechatronics devices and the development of (semi-) autonomous systems that can travel safely on uneven terrain and perform many operations has encouraged research interest in the use of robotics for agriculture and forestry in hilly and mountainous terrains. Here, the main mobile configurations that are likely to be used for robotic platforms as implement-carriers (3-wheeled, conventional/articulated 4-wheeled, tracked) were reviewed and discussed in terms of their suitability for agricultural operations and their stability. A numerical index accounting for the lateral stability of a vehicle, the roll stability index, was used to indicate the in-field working capacity of these platforms during side-slope operations. Assuming the same overall dimensions for all the configurations, the 3-wheel configuration, although very simple and agile, was seen as being the least stable, while a tracked vehicle was the most stable, although it had some important drawbacks when used in an agricultural context. This drawbacks included increased soil erosion and landslides caused by its tracks especially in the areas involving turning manoeuvres. The articulated system was found to be the most suitable for uneven and side-slope terrains because of its optimal steering capacity, agility and good stability. It was found to reach a critical stability angle close to the 4-wheel vehicle.

Regarding to considerable production of rice crop in Iran, study and investigation about optimization of different stages of this product processing seems necessary. The threshing of rice is a process which must be accomplished desirability. Approach: In this study, the effective factors effects on threshing loss, damaged grain percent and Material Other than Grain (MOG) to grain ratio, were investigated on a head feed threshing unit. Independent variables were included speed drum in five levels, variety in two levels and moisture content of crop in two levels. Experiments were arranged as a split-split plot fitted into randomized complete block with four replications. Results: Results showed moisture content of crop, variety and speed drum factors had significant effects on threshing loss, damaged grains percent and MOG to grain ratio. The means of threshing loss and damaged grains percent were excessive when the tests were doing with dry crop. The most of means of threshing loss and damaged grains percent were allocated to Hashemi and Khazar varieties, respectively. The most of MOG to grain ratio means obtained when the tests were accomplished with Hashemy variety at wet condition of crop. Conclusions/Recommendations: The optimum of drum speed was obtained 650 rpm. It is better that threshing of paddy has been conducted in wet condition. Increasing of drum speed increased the MOG to grain ratio significantly.

Harvesting is one of the most important field operations in sunflower production. Seed damage and low separation efficiency are the top concerns of harvesting sunflower. In this study, a threshing cylinder with rubber teeth and a concave for harvesting sunflower were designed and evaluated. The variable parameters were threshing cylinder speed (TCS), threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC) of sunflower head. Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at three cylinder speed levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), two threshing spaces (8 and 10 cm) and two moisture content of sunflower head based on the crop condition (20% and 45% wet basis). An ANN model was developed to predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave. Results showed that the sunflower seeds had no damage during the threshing process and the presented model could predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave with a regression coefficient R 2 =0.95. Based on the ANN model, with a decrease in MC and TS, and an increase in TCS, the separation efficiency was increased. Furthermore, optimal parameters for the threshing unit which were suggested by Design Expert software to maximize the separation efficiency were 18% w.b, 450 rpm and 10.5 cm for MC, TSC, and TS, respectively and in this condition separation efficiency was determined to be 94.92%.

Sunflower planting is mostly carried out for two particular purposes; oil production and direct consumption. Harvesting is one of the biggest problems in two types of sunflower cultivation. The difficulty of harvesting and the shortage of scientific research have led us to mechanized harvesting of this kind of crops experimentally in the first place. In this research, head losses and grain losses for the inner section of combine were investigated during mechanized harvesting of oily sunflower and a regression model was used based on the experimental tests for head losses and grain losses in the inner section of the combine.

Harvesting is one of the most important field operations in sunflower production. Seed damage and low separation efficiency are the top concerns of harvesting sunflower. In this study, a threshing cylinder with rubber teeth and a concave for harvesting sunflower were designed and evaluated. The variable parameters were threshing cylinder speed (TCS), threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC) of sunflower head. Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at three cylinder speed levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), two threshing spaces (8 and 10 cm) and two moisture content of sunflower head based on the crop condition (20% and 45% wet basis). An ANN model was developed to predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave. Results showed that the sunflower seeds had no damage during the threshing process and the presented model could predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave with a regression coefficient R 2 =0.95. Based on the ANN model, with a decrease in MC and TS, and an increase in TCS, the separation efficiency was increased. Furthermore, optimal parameters for the threshing unit which were suggested by Design Expert software to maximize the separation efficiency were 18% w.b, 450 rpm and 10.5 cm for MC, TSC, and TS, respectively and in this condition separation efficiency was determined to be 94.92%.

En una economía de producción con empresas dotadas de una tecnología de Leontief, restricciones de stocks y preferencias sobre los beneficios distribuidos y stocks finales se determina la existencia de un equilibrio walrasiano. Se trata de relacionar los resultados con los modelos lineales usuales. Luego se transforma al modelo en uno no-walrasiano suponiendo que el salario es fijo y que el mercado de trabajo se ajusta por racionamiento proporcional. Por medio de la hipótesis de decisión dual de Clower se obtienen los conceptos de plan de producción efectivo, demandas efectivas de bienes, e ingresos efectivos y se demuestra la existencia de un equilibrio no-walrasiano.

Keywords :-: This paper presents the review on grain cleaning machine. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian Economy. Agriculture is basically an energy conversion indus try. This paper gives the grain cleaning methodology followed in rural areas by farmers. In the developing world, powered grain cleaners exist, but they are impractical in rural regions because of electricity are expensive or unavailability. Thus there is a necessity of machine which is easy to operate and without using electric power and using easily available resources machine is designed and developed for small grain growers.

Agro-economic analysis of machinery use in consonance with the agro-ecologic situation is essential for planning a mechanization strategy in agriculture. Hence such a study was undertaken to assess the agro -economic  factors for three different rice transplanting machines used in Kerala India. The information generated can be used as a guideline for farmers and policy makers in similar agro-ecologic situations.

GPS systems and load cells are used widely in modern agriculture such as citrus yield monitoring. Traditionally farmers measure crop yield for whole field or for large sections. With the available modern technologies, high tech instrumentation and computer software it is possible to measure yield more specifically. Yield mapping is considered as the first step in precision agriculture and its purpose is to determine variability in the field. A citrus yield monitoring system usually records GPS and load cell data every second or less. This results huge number of data points in a harvesting season. After data are collected, they are sent to laboratories for interpretation in order to be converted to yield table which is then used in GIS software to create yield map. These yield maps reveal the harvested mass per unit area. Yield variability in citrus groves as shown in the yield map depends not only on agricultural and biological variables (such as soil nutrition and property) but also driver’s and machine’s performance. Farm machinery indexes play important roles in agricultural mechanization and technical managements especially during the busy pick periods when timing becomes an issue. Shortening machine operation time while keeping work quality is desired to produce optimum output. This can be done with predicting machine performances.
The purpose of this project was to eliminate the procedure of sending raw yield monitoring output data to laboratory by designing a standalone computer application that can be used on the farm and is capable of calculating yield table, field efficiency, machine capacity and field machine index and observing driver’s performance using one button click.

The purpose of this study is to develop a mechanical harvesting machine to effectively work in high density citrus groves. Specific objectives include:

1. To design and develop and test a modified shaking mechanism for the available Blueberry harvesting machine.

2. To develop and install a yield monitoring system for the modified machine and collect yield data.

3. To determine machine performance parameters (i.e., Field efficiency, field machine index, etc ) by collecting and processing yield data.

One of the problems facing the combine holders in Iran for years has been the thresher cylinder with one piece passing through shaft. The problem has arisen ever since domestic make buckled shaft has been used. Buckle is too much to recover by simple machining. As such, disassembling the cylinder is a breath taking, time consuming and expensive task to do. On the other hand, manual welding in factory to join the thin plates to rather thick tubing cause undercutting. This research was performed to cope with both problems by designing a suitable threshing cylinder for Iran namely the 3 piece cylinder. A tube was installed to carry the plates. The plates unlike similar cylinders are not welded to the tube but bolted to specially designed flanges. The flanges are welded to the tubing instead, which eliminates the undercutting phenomena. The two piece shafts on the sides, the long and the short are joined to the tubing by simple flanges and studs. Putting down the cylinder is as easy as un-screwing 12 bolts and screws. Bolting the plates to the flanges makes the mechanism indispensable. Any damaged plate can be removed for repair or replacement. The similar three piece cylinders are rather disposable type because the flanges are welded the plates. The cylinder was designed successfully. Auto Cad software was used for the design. The vibration consideration and calculations indicated a critical speed way beyond the operating speed to avoid resonance.

Sensor based VRT liquid fertilizer application is a suitable way to apply the nutrients for soil management of various crops. Time and resources can be saved using this technology but due to the special characteristics of cereal and tree crops like paddy and oil palm, dedicated designs of VRT liquid fertilizer applicators are needed to fulfill the nutritional requirement of respective crops. The proposed design of VRT liquid fertilizer applicator involves soil fertility sensors, speed sensor, flow control valves, flow sensors and pressure sensor. Design considers the variable fertilizer flow compensation with change in forward speed of machine between 2.5-3.5 km/h. Also this design offers the transfer of data from electronic controller to the external computer for record and performance testing of machine by computing the lag times of flow control valves and application error of machine. Originally, the design is for tree crop; however, with a slight modification in controller’s program, this will also be suitable for cereal crops like paddy. To apply the fertilizer, three DC pumps of 6.89 bar pressure and 5 L/min flow rate were used in simulation with the flow lines of 6 mm internal diameter. Flow simulation revealed that the system was able to achieve the 0.06 L/s at 13.73 m/s velocity at nozzles 1 and 2 (full cone nozzles) while nozzles 3 and 4(flat fan nozzles) were delivering the same flow rate but at a little high velocity of 13.94 m/s. A comparatively uniform distribution of fertilizer application may be achieved using flat fan nozzles.

The threshing section on combine harvester or thresher machine affects grain and stalk separation performance. The
present study is conducted with view to optimize important operational and crop parameters influencing the threshing of sorghum.
In this research, the effects of cylinder speed with four levels (13, 17, 21 and 25 m s-1), concave clearance (5, 10 and 15 mm) and
feed rate (420, 500 and 590 kg h-1) were investigated on un-separated seed percentage, damaged seed percentage and
germination. Result of ANOVA showed that cylinder speed had a significant effect on unseparated seed percentage and
damaged seed percentage (P<0.01). Concave clearance created a significant effect on damaged seed percentage. Though the
feed rate did not have significant effect on all adjectives, the unseparated seed percentage increased with increasing of feed rate.
The thresher efficiency and damaged seed increased with increase of cylinder speed. The increase of Concave clearance from
5 to 10 mm caused that unseparated seed weight percentage increased from 0.69% to 0.78%, and damaged seed rate decreased
from 13.01% to 11.01%. Generally, the best performance for sorghum threshing was given at the 21 m s-1 cylinder speed, 10
mm Concave clearance and 590 kg h-1 feed rate.

A methodological approach for evaluating a priori the stability of agricultural vehicles equipped with different mounted implements and operating on sloping hillsides is shown here. It uses a Matlab simulator in its first phase and, subsequently, the Response Surface Modelling (RSM) to evaluate the coefficients of a set of regression equations able to account for the Type-I and Type-II stability of the whole vehicle (tractor + implement with known dimensions and mass).
The regression equations can give reliable punctual numeric estimations of the minimum value of the Roll Stability Index (RSI) and can verify the existence of a Type-I equilibrium without the need of using the simulator or knowing any detail about the model implemented in it. The same equations can also be used to generate many intuitive graphs (“equilibrium maps”) useful to verify quickly the possible overturning of the vehicle.
A case-study concerning a 4-wheel drive articulated tractor is then presented to show the potential of the approach and how using its tools. The tractor has been studied in three scenarios, differing on where the implement has to be connected to the tractor (1: frontally; 2: frontally-laterally; 3: in the back). After performing a series of simulations, a set of polynomial models (with 6 independent variables) has been created and verified. Then, these models were used, together with the related equilibrium maps, to predict the stability of 8 implements for scenario 1, 7 implements for scenario 2, and 3 implements for scenario 3, evidencing in particular the danger of using a lateral shredder with a mass greater than 245 kg.
The proposed approach and its main outcomes (i.e., the regression equations and the equilibrium maps) can give an effective contribution to the preventive safety of the tractor driver, so it could be useful to integrate it in the homologation procedures for every agricultural vehicle and to include the resulting documentation within the tractor logbook.

Effects of forward speed, cylinder rotation and clearance between combine's cylinder and concave on wheat kernel breakage and seed germination were studied through analysis of variance. Three levels of adjustments for each of the variables, namely 1.2, 1.8 and 2.5 km h -1 for forward speed, 800, 900, 1000 rpm for cylinder rotation and 15, 20 and 25 mm for the clearance between cylinder and concave were constituted the variables. Results indicated an increase in kernel breakage and a decrease in seed germination due to decrease in forward speed, increase in cylinder rotation and decrease in clearance between cylinder and concave. The interaction between forward speed and cylinder rotation indicated a least kernel breakage of 5.47% along with the most seed germination of 96.61% arising from a forward speed of 1.8 km h -1 together with cylinder rotation of 800 rpm. Also, an interaction between cylinder rotation and concave clearance indicated a least kernel breakage of 5.38% at 900 rpm and 25 mm, respectively. A maximum seed germination of 96.58% was observed for the same above figures of cylinder rotation and clearance between cylinder and concave. Interactions between other combinations were non-significant. The most suitable adjustments for 955 model John Deere combine in the studied area would be 800 and/or 900 rpm, 1.8 km h -1 and 25 mm for cylinder rotation, forward speed and cylinder concave clearance, respectively.

The present investigation was conducted in October, 2007 at the Rice Mechanization Center, Meet El-Deeba, Kafr El-Sheikh governorate. The modified prototype was fabricated at a small workshop in Kafr El-Sheikh city. The experimental results revealed that the seed cotton extractor (prototype) performance after modification was better than that before. Seed cotton waste was minimized by 14 % and 32.58 % for the prototype before and after modification, respectively. Also, cotton trash content was reduced by 8.87 and 35.75 % for the prototype before and after modification, respectively. Its productivity was increased by 92.19 % and 109.15 % before and after modification, respectively. Also, the prototype productivity was increased by 28.24 % when the feed rate was increased from 0.60 to 0.75 Mg/h. At all the investigated feed rates, the modified prototype had higher values of cleaning efficiency. The increment in cleaning efficiency was of 21.22 % by raising feed rate from 0.60 to 0.75Mg/h. The prototype energy requirements were minimized by 42.59 and 47.02 % before and after modification, respectively. Cotton moisture content was reduced by 31.80 % when the drying air temperature increased by 11.63 %. Total cost requirements for the modified prototype were slightly smaller by 0.66 %. Whereas, criterion function cost was smaller for the modified prototype by 16.77 % than before modification as seed cotton losses were effectively minimized after modification. The characteristics of cotton fiber quality were highly enhanced and strongly influenced by the investigated variables for the modified prototype than before modification.

The safety of agricultural tractors' drivers is a very actual topic, especially when tractors operate on side slopes, such as in terraced vineyards. This work approaches the stability problem of articulated tractors' stability by modelling, simulating and quantifying the safety of the driver with respect to both roll and pitch overturns. First of all, an articulated tractor has been modelled and simplified, after that a stability index has been defined and calculated in several simulated slope conditions when the tractor travels along a circular trajectory then, the obtained results have been compared with respect to a conventional tractor. This work is a preliminary study for a tilting test platform for real vehicles, capable to reproduce real field conditions (slope, obstacles, roughness). Finally, some directives on how exploiting the obtained results for real-time safety devices have been formulated.

This paper introduces a new innovation for narrow-track orchard and vineyard tractors, which enables roll-over protective structures (ROPS) heights, to be reduced whilst providing a better protective mechanism and increasing the operator clearance zone in a lateral direction. The history of the system and the first tests to compare the tractor with and without anchor mechanism are presented. The system utilises an automatically deployable telescopic structure that releases pyrotechnic squibs to initiate the chemical reaction upon trigger. The deployment of the anchors on the sides of the tractor and their latching by the pins is completed before the tractor touches the ground. In laboratory tests, the two anchors consistently deployed in less than 160 ms and latched securely. The system behaviours were determined by means of simulations and field upset tests. The tests were performed with a radio-controlled full-size tractor and video technology was used to validate the deployment time and overturning speeds.

This paper introduces a new innovation for narrow-track orchard and vineyard tractors, which enables roll-over protective structures (ROPS) heights, to be reduced whilst providing a better protective mechanism and increasing the operator clearance zone in a lateral direction. The history of the system and the first tests to compare the tractor with and without anchor mechanism are presented. The system utilises an automatically deployable telescopic structure that releases pyrotechnic squibs to initiate the chemical reaction upon trigger. The deployment of the anchors on the sides of the tractor and their latching by the pins is completed before the tractor touches the ground. In laboratory tests, the two anchors consistently deployed in less than 160 ms and latched securely. The system behaviours were determined by means of simulations and field upset tests. The tests were performed with a radio-controlled full-size tractor and video technology was used to validate the deployment time and overturning speeds.