Design and Testing of a Self-Propelled Fork-Tooth Harvester for Medicinal Plant Rhizomes

To address the challenges of manually excavating deep-rooted medicinal herbs in the cold and arid regions of northwest China, such as low efficiency, high costs, and difficulties with mechanized methods, a self-propelled fork-tooth digger was developed for use in hilly and mountainous terrains. Key components, including the fork-tooth excavation device, hydraulic control system, and reverse trapezoidal crawler chassis, were designed and analyzed. A multi-body dynamics model (MBD) and discrete element model (DEM) for Astragalus and soil were developed, employing a DEM-MBD coupling method to simulate the harvesting process. Field trials demonstrated an excavation efficiency of 98.2%, a stem damage rate of 1.8%, a loss rate of 3.0%, and a maximum digging depth of 600 mm, all meeting existing industry standards. The results confirmed the design’s effectiveness in meeting the mechanization needs for harvesting rhizome medicinal herbs.