The directions of effectiveness improvement of grain harvesters

The measures have been developed to improve the efficiency of grain harvesters on the basis of their production tests in the Krasnodar Krai. Agreeing with the futility of the applied combine harvesting of grain crops, the authors propose, at the first stage, to introduce untapped reserves, concerning the strict adherence to the route and rhythm of harvesting processes, the use of spiked cereal new varieties with different ripening periods, the combination of grain harvesting operations with other related operations, the full use of the combine harvesters nominal performance, the energy intensity reduction of processes, the environmental requirements that have not previously been fulfilled for preserving soil fertility by using the conversion full-track systems in harvesting equipment, etc. The actual parameters and operating modes in the group of combine harvesters under study, obtained during testing, have been verified by theoretical calculations (engine power, harvester nominal performance, header operating width, motion speed, specific fuel consumption). The significant difference between theoretical and experimental data has been 1…5 %. The combines performance quality in comparable harvesting conditions has differed for various machine brands. Harvesting grain losses within the agrotechnical requirements, of 1.5 - 2 %, have been obtained for SK-5ME-1, Vector 410, LAVERDA M306, PALESSE GS12, LEXION 560, TORUM 740 combines. Grain crushing for up to 1 % has been obtained only for TORUM 740 and John Deere S 690 rotary combines. A large data spread has been obtained on the specific fuel consumption in the tested combines – from 1.5 to 2.4 kg/t. The purpose of the work is to develop the directions for increasing the efficiency of combine harvesters.