PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF COMBINE HARVESTERS

Abstract

The aim of this paper is a comparison of the operating parameters of combine harvesters in a selected farm. The working parameters were measured and evaluated on combine harvesters of the New Holland brand by different concepts of threshing. Field evaluation trials of combine harvester were carried out on private farm field in Central Bohemia region during the season of 2013 and 2014. Working parameters in this case mean the performance and economic indicators of the operation. Performance of the machines was measured per hectare, number of harvested hectares per day, respectively per hour or season. Fuel consumption was measured in litres and converted per hectare. Costs are calculated as fixed and variable and then summarized as total cost for a given machine. Experiments show differences in performance parameters of various threshing system of combine harvester. Tangential concept of NH CS660 had on average hourly performance of 3.1 ha h^-1 the axial concept of NH CR960 had an average hourly performance of 4.6 ha h^-1. Specific fuel consumption by the same throughput rate (6.5 kg s^-1) is higher by using axial system (1.9 l t^-1) than by tangential system (1.2 l t^-1).

 Keywords: combine harvester, costs, fuel consumption, harvesting, performance, threshing.

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.014