Hydraulic Transmission of Agricultural Machine Appropriate for Treating Extreme Steep Farmland Terrains

Abstract

The paper presents the conception and design of the hydraulic transmission for agricultural machine appropriate for the treatment of extreme steep farmland. The small IC diesel engine powers a hydraulic pump that feeds the drive system as well as all working accessories. Hydraulic transmission systems perfectly satisfy the basic condition about the lowest weight but initially, they require totally new management. This paper outlines a simple but effective management system consisting of basic valves, electric sensors, and switches, which fits perfectly this specialized machine. The management enables the use of the potential energy for powering the accessories. When climbing up and downhill, the power is automatically distributed to the driving wheels or a winch, depending on the situation on the terrain. Significant working situations of the machine are predicted and analyzed. The appropriate function diagrams, hydraulic schemas and analytical calculations are presented. To raise the efficiency of the machine the close and the open hydraulic circuits are treated and analyzed. The machine is prototyped and partially tested. The results confirmed a big fuel saving of about 30 percent as predicted.

Keywords

• agricultural machine
• fuel saving
• hydraulic transmission
• steep terrain