# The Development of a Forage Harvester Ensuring Two-Level Moving of Tall Stalk Forage
## 3 Materials and Methods of Research
An important design factor is the distance between the vertical axes of the moving rotors. An optimal distance must be maintained to ensure the upper portion of tall stalks is reliably moved by the upper rotor. If the distance between rotor axes is too small, the stalks may miss the upper rotor, resulting in substantial harvesting losses. Conversely, an excessively large distance between the vertical axes increases the overall mass and cost of the machine. Therefore, theoretical studies were planned to determine the optimal value of this distance. Following this, a structural and technological schematic, along with detailed engineering drawings, was developed for the manufacture of the forage harvester. This provided a graphical explanation of the proposed two-level moving model and initiated the design process of a dual-rotor forage harvester intended to perform two-level moving of tall-stemmed crop plants. The validity of the proposed design model will be verified through laboratory and field tests assessing the moving of tall-stemmed plants. Moreover, the aforementioned distance ensures the optimal implementation of the two-level mowing process. Hence, we propose the term \"technological distance\" for the distance between the vertical axes of the two moving rotors. Another disadvantage of these trailed harvesters is that their average length of shredded particles does not meet zootechnical requirements. To improve the quality of shredded forages, we propose orienting stalks to be fed into the shredding chamber. The results of theoretical and experimental studies have shown the efficiency of the orienting device [21]. Mowing tall stalks with trailed combines is a challenging task. For this reason, we propose a design and technological scheme of a harvester that ensures the two-level mowing of tall stalks (Figure 2). The harvester is attached to a tractor, the drive gear train (11) is connected by a universal joint to the PTO of the tractor, and a cart is attached behind the harvester to load the shredded mass. When the harvester is working, the front bar of the upper moving rotor inclines the corn stalks, and at a certain inclination the stalks are shredded by the rotating knives of the upper moving rotor. The upper part of the stalks is moved, and the moved upper part of the stalks is engaged by the knives, partially shredded, and fed through the upper channel to the screw chamber. As the machine moves, the lower part of the stalks is moved by the lower rotor and also fed into the screw chamber. Further, the moved and pre-shredded mass is fed by the screw to the orienting drum. The blades of the orienting drum move the mass to the center and the drum compresses it, i.e., the fed mass is oriented along its length in the horizontal and vertical planes. The length-oriented stalks are cut, falling between the rotor knives and the contra-cutting plate. The shredded mass is then discharged by the shredding rotor blades into the deflector and then into the vehicle body. Grant funding was provided by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, No. 286/23-25, dated 3 August 2023 (Grant No. AP19676816 Development of Compact Forage Harvester Equipped with a Device Orienting on The Length of Stalks). The first prototype of the forage harvester equipped with two moving rotors and an orienting device was developed and manufactured according to the developed design and technological scheme (Figure 3). Figure 3: General view of a forage harvester, providing two-level moving of high-growing stalks. Figure 2: Design and technological scheme of forage harvester that ensures two-level moving of tall stalks. 1—frame; 2—wheel; 3—upper moving rotor; 4—lower moving rotor; 5—front bar; 6—auger; 7—orienting drum; 8—blades; 9—cutting blade; 10—contra-cutting blade; 11, 12—gear train; 13—deflector. The technological distance between the vertical axes of the rotors is determined. The location of the upper moving rotor is determined by two parameters.