The design and technological scheme of a small-sized forage harvester with a capture width of 1.35 m equipped with a device oriented along the length of the stems was developed in this study. As a result of theoretical studies, the process of the movement of mass into the chamber of the mowing rotor due to centrifugal forces was revealed. The speed of mass movement and the average size of crushed particles with the mowing rotor were determined. The oriented feeding process of stems in the chamber of the chopping rotor is mathematically described in this paper. An analytical expression is obtained for determining the average size of crushed particles by the forage harvester, that is, a mathematical model of the processes of mowing, oriented feeding, and the chopping of stem fodder by the forage harvester. Laboratory and field tests of a forage harvester equipped with a device oriented along the length of the stems were conducted. The combine harvester’s productivity was 6.14 t/h when mowing alfalfa. Special experiments were conducted to determine the average size of crushed particles after the mowing rotor. The average size of crushed particles with the mowing rotor was 147.4 mm, while the theoretical value was 144 mm. The difference between these values was only 2.31%. A special experiment was conducted on the combine without an orienting device to compare the quality indicators. The mass fractions of crushed particles of up to 50 mm in length when the combine was operating with and without an orienting device were 79.3 and 46.7, respectively. Accordingly, the average length of crushed particles was 33.79 mm and that without an orienting device was 77.07 mm. The theoretical value of the average length of crushed particles was 34.9 mm (i.e., the difference between the theoretical and actual value of the average size of the crushed particles was only 3.25%). All this proves that when the combine harvester was operated with an orienting device, there was a significant increase in the quality indicators of the chopped feed, and the reliability of the theoretical studies and the resulting mathematical model were determined.

Currently, in countries with warm climatic conditions, the average height of corn stalks during silage harvesting reaches 2.5 m. However, trailed forage harvesters are designed for mowing stalks not more than 1.5 m. That is why there is a demand to develop a compact forage harvester that can mow and shred tall stalks. This research proposes a two-level mowing method for tall stalks. According to the obtained analytical expressions, the technological distance between the vertical axes of the mowing rotors is determined to be 700 mm. A forage harvester is developed, equipped with a device that orientates itself by the length of stalks at the entrance to the shredding chamber and two mowing rotors designed for mowing tall stalks. Analytical expressions are obtained, which determine the required power for the mass transportation processes by the screw working device and the mass supply by the orienting drum into the chamber of the radial-knife blade shredding rotor. The required powers of the screw conveyor and the orienting drum are determined based on the obtained expressions; they are, respectively, equal to 0.42 kW and 0.11 kW. As a result of the conducted laboratory field tests, the required powers for mowing and for the general processes of mowing, shredding, and transporting the mass through the deflector are determined. The power balance of the harvester units is compiled. It is established that 75% of the consumed power is used for effective work, while 25% is for used for idling the harvester. During the mowing and shredding of corn stalks with a height of 2.9 m, the harvester’s productivity reaches 16.3 tons per hour, with a required power of 12.5 kW. During the tests, the harvester functioned without losses and without any violation of the technological process. The test proves the performance of the design and technological scheme and the accuracy of the obtained analytical expression determining the technological distance between the vertical axes of mowing rotors.

It is known that in Kazakhstan, 70 ... 80 percent of peasant farms have no more than 100 head of cattle and 500 head of sheep. To fatten these farms and to prepare a complete ration with combined feed in dairy farms, a distributer-mixer with a box with a capacity of 3 ... 5 m3 is needed. Since the equipment of these distributer-mixer machines with stalk and grain crushers ensures that it chops fodder itself and loads them onto a hay rye and grain warehouse of a mobile fodder shop, in the process of preparing a full ration of a combined feed, the number of operations will be reduced by 1.67 times, and the operating costs of the unit will be reduced by 1.5 times. In addition, if the stalk fodder is crushed by zootechnical requirements, i.e. 30 to 50 mm, then the uniformity of the mixing process increases. Here you can mix with the addition of nutrient feed in the preparation of the combined feed, that is, the use of a mobile fodder shop in the household allows you to carry out the process of preparing a combined feed using new and inexpensive technologies, i.e. the use of a mobile fodder shop equipped with special crushers is a technological innovation. At present, the “Scientific Production Center of Agroengineering” on small farms is developing a mobile fodder shop for the preparation and distribution of compound feeds with a capacity of 5.0 m3, equipped with crushers for stalk and croup. In addition, in order to simplify the drive to the crusher and to make the design simple, the crusher of the stalk and grain are equipped with one bucket, that is, this is a technical novelty of the mobile fodder shop. Stalk and grain crushers of mobile fodder shops were made and tested. During the tests, the productivity of the stalk chopper is 2.5 ... 3.0 t/h, the power consumption is 6.2...7.0 kW, and the productivity of the grain crusher is 750 - 900 kg/h, and it was found that the power consumption in the performance range will be between 5.1 ... 7.2 kW. It was proved that the size of the crushed stalk and grain meets zootechnical requirements.

A hypothesis was proposed that continuous dual-circuit mixing can be achieved by equipping a feed mixer-distributor with two leveling–mixing finger shafts, which, after lifting the feed mass to a certain height, collect it in the central part of the hopper and divide it into two flows directed toward the end walls of the hopper. In this case, continuous dual-circuit mixing is performed during each rotation of the leveling–mixing shaft. A structural and technological scheme, engineering documentation, and an experimental prototype of the feed mixer-distributor were developed. The machine consists of a 3.0 m³ hopper, two horizontal augers, two leveling–mixing finger shafts, a loading conveyor, and a drive mechanism. Theoretical investigations were conducted, and analytical expressions were obtained to determine the circumferential velocity of the fingers of the leveling–mixing device, which should ensure the movement of the feed mixture without scattering and provide the release of the feed mass from the finger surface at a finger rotation angle of 30°. Calculations based on the obtained analytical expressions showed that the critical circumferential velocity of the fingers was 0.8 m/s, while the rotational speed of the finger shaft was 19 min^-1. An analytical expression was also obtained to determine the velocity of feed mixture movement along the finger surface. Based on the calculations, the optimal value of this velocity was found to be 0.7 m/s. This value corresponds to the rational velocity of feed mixture transportation toward the end walls of the hopper. Laboratory experiments were carried out using the feed mixer-distributor at a leveling–mixing finger shaft rotational speed of n = 20 min^-1. The optimal mixing time required to achieve the target mixture uniformity was 5.5 min, which is 15.4% lower than that of existing machines. Comparative experiments also showed that incorporating the leveling–mixing device into the feed mixer-distributor reduced the power consumption of the mixing process by 34%.

The high energy consumption of conventional mixers equipped with active mixing elements necessitates the development of more efficient technologies for mixing bulk materials and feed mixtures. This study proposes a gravity-based mixing method based on the rotation of an inclined cylindrical chamber without the use of active mixing elements. During rotation, the mixture components move toward both end walls of the chamber and simultaneously perform circular motion along the inner cylindrical surface, which intensifies the mixing process and reduces energy consumption. A structural and technological design of the gravity mixer was developed, and an experimental prototype was manufactured. Analytical relationships were obtained to determine the critical rotational speed of the chamber, particle movement velocity, and the power required for the mixing process. Laboratory experiments showed that the average particle movement velocity was 1.21 m/s and the average friction coefficient was 0.40. Under optimal operating conditions, the mixture uniformity reached 95.7% after 4 min of mixing. The mixer productivity was 0.95 t/h, while the specific energy consumption was 0.5 kWh/t, which is 2.5 times lower than that of conventional mixers equipped with active mixing elements. The obtained results confirm the potential of the proposed gravity-based mixing method for preparing feed and organomineral mixtures in small-scale farming systems.

The high energy consumption of conventional mixers equipped with active mixing elements necessitates the development of more efficient technologies for mixing bulk materials and feed mixtures. This study presents a gravity-driven mixing approach based on the rotation of an inclined cylindrical chamber, eliminating the need for active mixing elements. During chamber rotation, the mixture components move toward both end walls while simultaneously undergoing a circular motion along the inner cylindrical surface. This movement intensifies the mixing process and reduces energy consumption, thereby providing an energy-efficient gravity-based mixing approach that operates without active mixing elements. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the key physical and mechanical properties of the sapropel, organic fertilizer, and compound feed (formulation K-60-1). The measured values were as follows: velocity on an inclined steel surface, 0.65–1.21 m/s; coefficient of friction, 0.40–0.91; bulk density, 453–1166 kg/m³; and angle of repose, 36–39°. The experimental results confirmed the validity and adequacy of the developed analytical relationships. A structural and technological design of the gravity mixer was developed, and an experimental prototype was manufactured. Analytical relationships were obtained to determine the critical rotational speed of the chamber, particle movement velocity, and the power required for the mixing process. Under optimal operating conditions, the mixture uniformity reached 95.7% after 4 min of mixing. The mixer productivity was 0.95 t/h, while the specific energy consumption was 0.5 kWh/t, which is 2.5 times lower than that of conventional mixers equipped with active mixing elements. The obtained results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed gravity-based mixing method for the preparation of feed and organomineral mixtures under the operating conditions of small-scale farms.