Improving the efficiency of using wheeled machine-tractor units in pre-sowing tillage

Abstract

Increasing the efficiency of using machine-tractor units (MTU) with wheeled powered tools for pre-sowing tillage under the conditions of the Amur Region is a topical issue that requires modern engineering approaches and new technical solutions. The research target is seedbed preparation with disc harrows using a wheeled MTU when a class 1.4 tractor and a BDT-3 disc harrow were used as power sources. As a comparison, a disc harrow with a device for correcting the hitch weight and regulating the vertical load on the working member was used. It was found that the use of the proposed device allowed the following: to increase the tillage depth by 45...60 percent depending on the physical and mechanical soil properties by changing the vertical load on the working tool, improve field surface evenness by increasing the vertical load on the working tool and reducing its vertical vibrations and decrease soil lumpiness. It was found that during operation of the device in order to additionally load the harrow sections, redistribution of mass occurred between the MTU elements: on the front sections of the harrow, it increased from 1080 kg to 2215 kg; on the rear sections - decreased from 643 kg to 536 kg. The capacity per hour of straight time increased by 14.9%, and the fuel consumption per unit of tilled area was reduced by 8.1% compared to the serial MTU; the energy consumption was reduced by 43.83 MJ ha as compared to a serial version. The use of an additional loading-distributing device in MTU designs allowed changing the load on the working tool of the disc harrow by partial using of the hitch weight of the energy source. This enabled to improve seedbed preparation and improve the quality of the pre-sowing harrowing operations.