Technical gazette, Vol. 28 No. 5, 2021.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20200720092823
Efficiency of Alfalfa Hay Mowing Machines under the Dryland Conditions
Rade Stanisavljević
; Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Teodora Drajzera 9, 11040, Belgrade, Serbia
Aleksandar Vuković
; University of Priština, Faculty of Agriculture, Kopaonička bb., 38 228 Lešak
Dragan V. Petrović
; University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11 081 Belgrade - Zemun, Serbia
Rade L. Radojević
; University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11 081 Belgrade - Zemun, Serbia
Saša Barać
; University of Priština, Faculty of Agriculture, Kopaonička bb., 38 228 Lešak
Zoran Mileusnić
; University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11 081 Belgrade - Zemun, Serbia
Vjekoslav Tadić*
orcid.org/0000-0002-2307-9255
; University of J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Faculty of Agrobiotehnical Sciences Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
This paper presents the tests results of three types of hay mowing machines (later in text: mowers), namely a self-propelled oscillatory mower-conditioner and two tractor-mounted mowers with oscillatory and rotary blades, used to mow alfalfa grown under dry land conditions in the region of central Serbia during three seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Although characterized by older design, they are still commonly used at smaller and medium size farms in this region. Therefore, their optimal exploitation parameters are still of large importance for hay quality and production efficiency and sustainability. The exploitation parameters of all three mowers generally increased linearly with higher speeds, having high R2 values (over 0,8), with rare exceptions. The regression coefficients b clearly showed that the self-propelled mower-conditioner achieved maximum increase in production performance (b = 0,3606), compared with the oscillatory (b = 0,1158) and rotary mowers (b = 0,1414). Mower design had a significant (p ≤ 0,001) effect on cutting and chopping losses, production performance, and specific fuel consumption (p ≤ 0,05). The tests confirmed the superiority of the self-propelled mower over the two mowers aggregated with tractors.
Keywords
alfalfa; harvest; hay cutting; hay mowing machines; working performance
Hrčak ID:
261305
URI
Publication date:
15.8.2021.
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