JUSTIFICATION OF RAKE ANGLE PARAMETERS REGARDING MOVEMENT AND RAKING OF HAY WITH ROTARY RAKES

In modern conditions of agricultural production, improving the efficiency of hay harvesting technologies is an important task for ensuring quality fodder for livestock. One of the key elements in this process is the use of rotary rakes to move and rake the hay. The efficiency of these machines largely depends on the design parameters, in particular the angle of inclination of the rakes, which affects the quality and speed of technological operations. Increasing the efficiency of harvesting hay and reducing the loss of nutrients has led to the development of a wide range of machines for stirring, raking and turning grass. These machines are classified according to purpose, design features and technological processes. Among them are stirrers, roller rotators, rakes and rake-stirrers, each of which has a specific function in the forage harvesting process. The most common are rotary shakers, which ensure uniform and fast drying of the grass. Rakes and roll rotators, in turn, form rolls for further harvesting. Universal rake-movers can perform several functions, increasing the efficiency of the haymaking process. The work describes the design and principle of operation of the rotor of a shaker-separator with centrifugal working bodies. The main attention is paid to the analysis of the gripping parameters of the rakes and the influence of the angle of inclination of their fingers on the gripping width. Mathematical dependencies are proposed for determining the grip width and rotor radius depending on the angle of inclination of the fingers and the angle of deflection of the rotor. Design requirements to ensure clean raking and minimize losses of cut plants are considered. Also, the required length of the rake fingers is determined and examples of adjusting their position to perform various technological operations are given.