Off-Road Equipment Management TSM 262: Spring 2016 LECTURE 15: Hay and Forage Harvesting I Off-Road Equipment Engineering Dept of Agricultural and Biological Engineering achansen@illinois.edu

Homework, Lab and Technical Sessions

Hay & Forage Harvesting: Objectives Students should be able to: Understand the differences between silage and hay making Identify and explain the processes involved in hay and forage harvesting Understand what type of equipment can be used for this type of harvesting

Hay & Forage Harvesting Silage - forage converted into livestock feed through fermentation Cut forage at 70-80% moisture Allow to field dry to 50-60% moisture Cut into short lengths for compact storage Preserve by fermentation in an airtight chamber

Haylage Low-moisture (40-50%) hay silage normally stored in oxygen limiting storage unit Chopped fine so that it will pack down and exclude air Hay also converted into livestock feed through fermentation

Hay & Forage harvesting Hay - green forage crop harvested for livestock feed Stored at low moisture levels (15-23%) One of least expensive sources of protein Low bulk density: does not flow readily

Forage Classification Source: Hunt-Farm Power & Machinery Management, p168

Functional Processes Chop FORAGE Windrow Wilt Transport Store CUT Condition Deflect HAY Swath Wilt Rake Dry Bale Tran. Store

Terminology - Forage Deflect – bend crop forward and away from cutter to help align the plant stem horizontally after cut Cut - cut forage either with a rotary cutter or a sickle bar Condition - crush, crack or abrade stems so they dry at the same rate as leaves Windrow - place cut forage in narrow strip for slower drying rate Wilt - allow to dry in field Chop - cut into short lengths Transport - convey forage into wagon for transport to silo and then dump or blow into silo Store

Pull-type Forage Harvesters

Pull-type Forage Harvesters

Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF0Bho9PDwE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3v0hQvAWmQ&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LcECrSha9o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2XVOCzKjKg

Terminology - Hay Typically completed in two/three passes through the field Deflect – bend crop forward and away from cutter to help align the plant stem horizontally after cut Cut - cut hay with a rotary cutter or a sickle bar Condition - crush, crack or abrade stems so they dry at the same rate as leaves Swath - spread cut hay over a wider strip than a windrow to accelerate drying Wilt - allow hay to dry to required moisture level Rake - turn hay over Dry - allow hay to continue to dry Bale - concentrate hay in rectangular or round bales Transport - transfer bales out of baling unit to wagon or leave on field Store

Hay Equipment-Cut and Condition Pull-type mower-conditioner Two cutting modes Sickle bar (reciprocating) Disc (rotary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoBJ581uE1c

Hay Equipment-Cut and Condition Self-propelled mower-conditioner Cutting heads Sickle bar (reciprocating) Disc (rotary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4SIGnhZMXo

Hay Equipment – Rake

Hay Equipment - Balers

Functional Processes Chop FORAGE Windrow Wilt Transport Store Cut Condition HAY Swath Wilt Rake Dry Bale Tran. Store

Cutting Mechanisms Sickle bar/cutting with countershear Knife sections and ledger plate replaceable Knife edges smooth or serrated Cutterbar floats over ground

Cutting Mechanisms (cont.) Cutterbar and associated reel mounted on separate framework connected to machine by spring-loaded four-bar linkage Reel

Cutterbar should have proper tilt, register, and alignment tilt = rotate cutterbar to raise or lower guard points register = cutterbar symmetry to guard spacing alignment = cutterbar p/2 to travel direction

Sickle mechanism Convert rotary motion into reciprocating motion Slider-crank Spatial-crank Commonly used, compact size and easy to integrate to drive train

Pickup Reels Purpose - push crop over cutterbar for cleaner and more efficient cutting In down or tangled crops, reel can lift forage before cutting Used on mower-conditioners, forage harvesters and combines

Pickup Reel Mechanisms Three main types of control for reel teeth Concentric spider control Planetary gear control Cam control

Pickup Reel with Cam Control

Impact cutting (horizontal axis) Lacerating effect of knives provides conditioning Upright crops-flail mower recovers 5-10% less of crop than sickle bar mower Flail mower good at recovering severely lodged crop

Impact cutting (vertical axis) Drum type - drive above cutting blades Disk type - drive below cutting blades Blades can be counter-rotating or rotating in same direction Blades designed to overlap Blade tip follows cycloidal path over ground

Functional Processes Chop FORAGE Windrow Wilt Transport Store Cut Condition HAY Swath Wilt Rake Dry Bale Tran. Store

Conditioning Cross-section of alfalfa stem Roll Conditioning Conditioned Flail Conditioning Unconditioned