DESIGN AND EXPERIMENT OF A SELF-PROPELLED CRAWLER-POTATO HARVESTER FOR HILLY AND MOUNTAINOUS AREAS

Abstract

A self-propelled crawler and potato harvester was designed, with the terrain characteristics of both hilly and mountainous areas considered, to address the low degree of mechanization, markedly low potato harvesting rate, and high labor intensity of potato harvesting in hilly and mountainous areas. The harvester could complete the tasks of digging potatoes, separating them from the soil, transporting potatoes, and collecting them in a single operation. Finite element analysis was conducted on major parts, such as the digging shovel and the frame, based on the overall structure and working principle of the harvester. A field experiment was then conducted. The results of the finite element analysis showed that the maximum stress of the digging shovel was 37.969MPa, the maximum strain was 1.846 x10-4, and the total deformation was 0.8041mm. These measurements were within a safe range. The field experiment results showed that potato harvesting rate, bruising rate, and damage rate were 98.54%, 1.51%, and 1.31%, respectively that is, higher than the national standards for potato harvesters. The potato harvester exhibited reliable walking performance and harvesting performance, which could provide a reference for research on the mechanization of potato harvesting in hilly and mountainous areas.