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.

Based on the results of the research, advanced soil tillage technologies and equipment have been developed for the cultivation of agricultural crops, aimed at preserving soil fertility and moisture. The objective of this study was to investigate erosion processes, agro-physical and hydrophysical parameters of light chestnut and sierozem soils under the influence of various types of tillage machine components, and to design machinery adapted to local soil conditions. With the participation of the article’s authors, several tools were developed: RCh-2.4 and RCh-4 chisel plows, and OKN-3.6 and OKP-4 combined implements. Field trials were conducted in both irrigated and rainfed agricultural zones of Kazakhstan to assess the impact of different tillage tools, including: the moldboard plow type PLN-4-35; sweep cultivator type KPS-4 for full-width tillage; flat shank cultivators type KPN-4; chisel cultivators type PCh-4 and RCh-2.4; and the combined implement OKN-3.6. The effectiveness of traditional vs. advanced soil tillage technologies was also evaluated.According to the study, the advanced technology resulted in erosion-prone particle content (fraction <1 mm) remaining below the critical threshold of 26%, while soil moisture reserves increased by 17%. In contrast, under the traditional technology, achieving an agronomically optimal soil structure required six passes of machine-tractor aggregates (MTA), whereas only two passes were needed with the advanced technology. The increased number of MTA passes under traditional practices extended the time required for spring fieldwork and led to further soil desiccation. The advanced technology developed in this study can be recommended for use across all soil types in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

В статье рассматриваются основные системы обработки почвы, применяемые в растениеводстве. Приведена классификация агротехнологий по видам механизированной обработки. Проанализированы сущность, преимущества и недостатки четырёх основных технологий: традиционной (с оборотом пласта), минимальной (почвозащитной, ресурсосберегающей – Mini-Till), нулевой (No-Till) и полосовой (Strip-Till). Традиционная технология включает вспашку с оборотом пласта и обеспечивает высокое качество подготовки почвы под посев за счёт её крошения, перемешивания и заделки пожнивных остатков, удобрений и сорной растительности. При использовании Mini-Till верхний плодородный слой почвы сохраняется, рыхление осуществляется лишь на глубину заделки семян, или обработка полностью исключается. Такая технология способствует сохранению структуры почвы и снижению эрозионных рисков. No-Till технология предполагает полный отказ от механической обработки и выполнение четырёх операций: внесение гербицидов до посева, прямой посев специальными сеялками, внесение гербицидов по вегетации и уборка урожая. Она позволяет минимизировать разрушение почвенной структуры и сохранить влагу. Технология Strip-Till основана на полосовом рыхлении с сохранением междурядий. Это позволяет снизить энергозатраты, сохранить влагу и повысить урожайность за счёт рационального распределения ресурсов. Представленный анализ позволяет обосновать целесообразность применения почвозащитных технологий в условиях засушливых регионов.

The majority of peasant farms engaged in animal husbandry (71–82%) contain between 50 and 100 heads of cattle and up to 500 sheep. To improve feeding efficiency in small farms, a mobile mini-feed plant equipped with a dispenser-mixer with a hopper volume of 3.0 m³, roughage and grain feed grinders is proposed. The novelty of this research lies in the development of a mobile unit that integrates feed preparation and distribution, eliminating the need for separate grinding and mixing equipment. Compared to existing feed dispensers-mixers, the use of the mini-feed plant eliminates hay transportation and loading operations, reducing the total number of operations by 40%, lowering operating costs by 1.5 times, and decreasing capital investments by 3 times. Additionally, there is no need for farms to have stationary feed grinders and compound feed units, making the technology more universal. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the design, economic benefits, and technological advancements associated with the mini-feed plant, highlighting its potential application in small-scale livestock operations.

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%.