Development of Cassava Root Cluster Conveyor and Root Cutting Machine Connected to the Three Point Free Link Attachment of Farm Tractor

Abstract

In harvesting cassava, the process of transporting and cutting tubers from root clusters has no labor-saving machine. The objective of this research was to develop a conveyor and cutting machine attached to a tractor for use in the harvesting process of cassava root clusters in the field. Cassava variety Kasetsart50 was used for machine testing. The average width of cassava tubers with stumps was 56.5 cm, the average diameter of the stumps was 5.9 cm, the maximum distance of the tuber attached to the stump was 6 cm and the minimum height from the bottom of the root cluster to the handheld position was 10 cm. Results from the laboratory performance test, which machine was run by attaching the conveyor and cutting section to the three-point hitch of a tractor, showed that the steel mesh conveyor plate at a conveying inclination angle of 20 degrees had a conveying efficiency of 97%, with a maximum conveying capacity of 1,870 kg/hr. The blade diameter of 5.6 cm at a rotational speed of 800 rpm had the highest cutting efficiency of 72.9%. The lowest adulterated root cluster was 27.1%, the percentage of loss was 0.04%, and the cutting capacity was 660 kg/hr or 263 root clusters/hr. Results from the machine performance test in the field showed that the average conveying efficiency was 95.3% or a conveying rate of 2,634 kg/hr. The average fuel consumption was 2.42 l/hr. The average cutting efficiency was 85.4%. The average adulterated cassava root cluster fraction was 12.9%. The average loss was 1.65%. The cutting capacity was 481 kg/hr or 276 root clusters/hr. The cassava root cluster conveyor and root cutting machine connected to the three-point free link attachment of the farm tractor can operate efficiently.