Development and Testing of Self-propelled Type Rotary Forage Harvester

Abstract

During 2021-2022, a study conducted at the Department of Farm Machinery and Power, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, focused on evaluating and refining a self-propelled rotary forage harvester designed for harvesting fodder crops like oats, guinea grass, berseem, and natural grass, particularly Napier grass during field testing. This harvester, equipped with a rotary disc cutting unit and a depth wheel for precision cutting, aims to minimize plant damage during impact cutting. It demonstrated an effective field capacity of 0.1361 hectares per hour, slightly lower than its theoretical capacity of 0.1749 hectares per hour across four observations. The harvester achieved an average harvesting efficiency of 82.75%, with 15%-wheel slip under load and 18.2% without load. The operational cost for harvesting using this rotary forage harvester was estimated at Rs. 2857.38 per hectare. Fuel consumption averaged 0.95 liters per hour during operation. Real-world harvesting time for one hectare was recorded at 7.34 hours, compared to the theoretical harvest time of 5.71 hours. This study underscores the harvester's capabilities in efficiently handling small fodder crops, highlighting its practical efficiency, fuel economy, and operational characteristics under real-world conditions.