Characteristics of Power and Fuel Use of a Tractor-Mounted Integrated Implement for Round Ridge Preparation

초록

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the power and fuel use of a tractor-mounted integrated implement and suggest an efficient operation strategy for rotary-based intensive agriculture. Methods: Rotary works in intensive farming should be different from the strategies for reducing drawbar power in extensive farming. The powers of drawbar (DP) and power take-off (PTO) (PP), which contribute toward total power (TP) as well as fuel consumption (FC), were estimated in the integrated implement operation. Results: FC tended to increase, whereas the specific volumetric fuel consumption (SVFC) decreased as the PTO rotating speed (RPM) and forward speed (SPD) increased. The requirement of DP accounts for 20% of the TP; therefore, the benefit from DP is limited. Consumed TP was only 47% of the maximum power of the tractor (55 kW) because a heavy category II tractor was used against rearward overturn. As SPD increased, the areal fuel consumption (FCA) tended to decrease because the field capacity increased. Conclusion: Therefore, the quality of seedbed and mulching work should be considered in the intensive farming operation rather than the efficiency of DP. FC of the integrated implement would be efficient when employing a smaller category I tractor under secure stability. Given the characteristics of rotary operation and its tillage quality, an SPD of 4 km/h would be proper in rotary-based intensive farming with the integrated implementation. © 2022, The Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery.

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