Machine power

PTO power/PTO equiv power

► Assume that an implement requires 525 lb-
ft of torque to turn under load. Drive shaft
speed is 540 rpm. Calculate the PTO power
required to operate the implement
Drawbar HP
 Problem
►A 9 ft chisel plow is operating at 4 miles per
hour. The soil has average tillage
conditions, the surface is firm, and wheel
slippage is 10%, compute the PTO power
Fluid power
 Problem
►A tractor hydraulic system delivers 15
gal/min at a pressure of 2,400 psi. Calculate
the fluid power available
Electrical Power
► Animpelement uses the tractor’s electrical
system to drive a component. The system
operates at 12 volts and the current flow
through the implement is 30 amperes.
Compute the electrical power.
Total implement power
 Problem
► Using the previous problem compute the
total implement power and rated pto power
of the machine
Machine Performance
Efficiencies
Lesson
 What factors have to be considered
in order to determine if a machine is
performing efficiently or not
performing its tasks efficiently?
► What is the concept of efficiency?
► What is the concept of mechanical efficiency?
► What is the concept of performance
efficiency?
► What is the concept of field capacity?
Theoretical field capacity? Effective field
capacity?
 Why is machine efficiency so
important in today’s agricultural
industry?
 Learning Objectives

► Define efficiency, performance efficiency,

mechanical efficiency, and field efficiency.
► Identify theoretical field capacity and
effective field capacity and the relationship
between them.
► Identify how efficiencies are determined and
how efficiencies are used to size and select
machinery and equipment.
 Terms

► Effective field capacity ► Output

(EFC) ► Performance
► Efficiency ► Performance
► Field capacity efficiency
► Field efficiency ► Theoretical field
► Input capacity (TFC)
► Mechanical efficiency
 What is the difference between
efficiency, mechanical efficiency,
performance efficiency, and field
efficiency?
► Efficiency is the ratio of a machine’s output over
its input.
► Efficiency is calculated by dividing the output by
the input.
► Output and input have the same units, so it is
common to express efficiency as a percentage.
► Performance of agricultural machines is
measured by the rate an operation can be
completed, and/or the quality of an operation.
 Performance Efficiency
► Performance efficiency describes the
quality of work done by a machine.

► An example of performance efficiency would

be harvesting efficiency such as the amount
of crop left in the field due to poor machine
performance.
Combine Harvesting Efficiency
 Mechanical Efficiency
► Mechanical efficiency evaluates energy
conversion and energy converters.
► Mechanical efficiency answers the question,
how well does the machine convert energy
from one form to another?
► Examples include the conversion of chemical
energy to heat energy to mechanical energy
in an internal combustion engine and the
conversion of electrical energy by an electric
motor to mechanical energy.
 Field Efficiency
► Field efficiency is the comparison of the
time a machine actually spends doing what
it was designed to do compared to the total
time the machine was in operation.
Farm Implements are Capable of
Working Many Acres per Hour
 What is meant by theoretical field
capacity and effective field capacity?
► Theoretical field capacity (TFC) is the
acres per hour a machine covers when
operating at a given speed through its
effective width.

► Effective field capacity (EFC) is the

actual rate of acres per hour a machine can
cover.
 Theoretical Field Capacity
► Theoretical field capacity (TFC) is the
acres per hour a machine covers when
operating at a given speed through its
effective width.
► Theoretical field capacity for a machine is
calculated using the Unit Factor Method.

TFC (Acres) Speed (Miles) 5,280 Feet 1 Acre

= x Width (Feet) x x
Hour Hour 1 Mile 43,560 sq.ft.
 Effective Field Capacity
► Effective field capacity (EFC) is the
actual rate of acres per hour a machine can
cover.
► Simply observe the machine in operation
doing what it was designed to do for one
hour or fraction of an hour.
 Effective Field Capacity

► Determine the acreage that the machine

actually covered.
► This represents the effective field capacity.
► The percentage field efficiency is calculated
by dividing effective field capacity by the
theoretical field capacity and multiplying by
100.
 What are machine efficiencies and
how are they used to size and select
machinery and equipment?
► Efficiencies provide a measure of machine
performance.
► Power sources rate the mechanical
efficiency of the energy conversion process.
► Field machines are evaluated by their field
capacity and field efficiency.
► Performance efficiency measures how well
machines do their job.
 Machine Efficiencies
► Efficiency
is the ratio of the output over the input
for a machine.

► Inputsare often difficult to

measure.

► Therefore, output plus

losses by the machine may
be used as an estimate of
input.
 Machine Efficiencies
► Itmay be difficult to measure exactly how
much corn enters a combine (input), but we
can easily measure the actual corn
harvested (output).

► We can also measure the corn lost in

harvest by the machine (harvest loss), due
to the dropped ears and downed stocks
(preharvest loss).
 Machine Efficiencies

► Recognizing that the difference between

input and output is the loss, the expression
is: input – output = losses.

► Solvingfor input sets up the equation as:

input = output + losses.
 Machine Efficiencies
► Efficiency is an important consideration in
the evaluation of power losses, the selection
of agricultural machinery and equipment,
and machine operations.

► The equation allows us to determine

efficiency even when inputs cannot be
measured accurately.
Proper Sizing and Selection of
Machinery and Equipment
 Machine Efficiencies
► Substituting
the output + losses for inputs
means the equation will read as:

output
% efficiency = × 100
output + losses
 Machine Efficiencies
► The expression describes performance
efficiency where outputs and losses can be
measured and inputs cannot be measured
directly.

► The rate at which a field machine does work

is expressed as a unit area per unit time,
and labeled as field capacity.
 Field Capacity
► Field capacity is a function
of speed, effective
machine width, and
unproductive time.
► Careful layout of fields and
thoughtful patterns of
machine operation can
improve the effective field
capacity and also the field
efficiency.
 Machine Efficiencies
► Non-productive time (losses) such as non-
working turns and idle travel across field
ends and the interior of the field should be
minimized.

► Measurements or estimates of machine

capacities are used to schedule field
operations, power units, and labor, and to
estimate machine operating costs.