Evaluating the Operational Efficiency of a Combined Tillage Cultivator

Introduction. At present, the use of combined machines and aggregates makes it possible to significantly reduce the time for tillage, while ensuring the required quality. Combining operations in these machines also reduces the impact of adverse weather conditions on the performance of technological processes. The use of combined machines makes it possible to fully load large tractors, especially on the land plot of a small area, where working with wide web units is difficult. The combination of technological operations is most advantageous for intensive farming in fields free of weeds. Therefore, the development of technologies and means of mechanization, which allow preparing soil with high quality and the least energy and material costs, is an important task. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of a combined cultivator for surface tillage and improve the quality of its work. Materials and Methods. Based on numerous studies and requirements for tillage machines with elastic struts, a combined cultivator for surface tillage has been developed. To assess the efficiency and study the cultivator performance, a multifactorial experiment of the first order was conducted. Traction resistance of the cultivator section and soil crumbling (fraction size from 0 to 25 mm) were taken as optimization parameters. Results. The use of an experimental cultivator, in comparison with serial ones, allows reducing the tractive resistance by 10–15%, and improving the quality of soil crumbling by 5–6%. Discussion and Conclusion. The conducted experimental studies have proved the developed combined cultivator to be effective. The use of this cultivator leads to a reduction in energy consumption and improvement of the quality of tillage.