Concept of a Foldable Transmission Chain Used Inside Tobacco Leaves Harvesting Machine

Italy is the first tobacco producing Country in the European Union with high quality standards of the product. A foldable facilitating arm suitable for the black tobacco “Kentucky” leaves harvesting has been studied in this paper together with the articulated chain placed inside. This chain underwent to a patented modification to make it consistent with the characteristics of the foldable facilitating arm. Experimental tests during a tobacco leaves harvesting campaign were carried out to evaluate both the performance of the modified articulated roller chain and the harvesting chain as a whole, which consisted of the aforesaid facilitating arm made connected to a four-wheel drive tractor and to a trailer, which supported a steel structure suitable to arrange the harvested leaves. Throughout the work phases, the forward speed of the tractor was Va = 0.46 m s−1 (1.66 km h−1), whereas the running velocity of the chain Vc = 0.45 m s−1. In these operative conditions the work capacity of the harvesting chain employed was 0.48 ha h−1 and its harvesting capacity 765 leaves h−1. During the tests carried out, the articulated chain inside the facilitating arm operated constantly without discrepancy.