EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF OPERATION INDICATORS OF BEET TOPS HARVESTING MACHINE FOR SUGAR BEET TOPS CONTINUOUS CUTTING

Field experimental studies of a new beet tops harvesting machine, which is front mounted on a wheeled tractor aggregating tractor, are carried out, carrying out a continuous non-sensing cut of the green massif of sugar beet tops. At the same time, a new laboratory-field installation was developed, which consists of a rotor type front mounted rotary type machine with a horizontal axis of rotation, a transverse screw for collecting the cutted leaves from all width, and a loading mechanism in the form of a paddlewheel and a loading nozzle. During the field experiments, the tractor moving with a specified speed regime fixed by track measuring wheel, the total cutting height was set in a predetermined interval by means of two pneumatic sensing wheels with adjustment mechanisms. The rotational speed of the rotary cutter, with arched knives mounted on the drive horizontal drum, was varied with the help of replacement asterisks. In the prepared area of sugar beet field, the beet tops was cut at various parameters of the harvesting process, which was then estimated by the size of the remaining tops remnants left on root crops heads and in the aisles. According to the developed program and methodology, statistical processing of the results of experimental studies with the help of a personal computer was subsequently carried out, which allowed obtaining graphical dependencies of the indicated tops residues on the root crops heads, which made it possible to establish performance of new harvesting machine for continuous cutting of sugar beet tops. The established dependencies made it possible to choose rational constructive and technological parameters for harvesting tops by front mounted harvesting machine.