Sunflower is the main oil crop in Russia. Sunflower plantings occupy more than 95% of the area under oil crops and annually make 7.07% of the area under grain crops. The urgent problem is the loss of oilseeds behind the header during sunflower harvesting which, according to agro-technical requirements, should not exceed 2.5% of the actual yield. The article presents the average loss of oilseeds behind various sunflower harvesting attachments. The analysis of rationality of their use depending on the area under sunflower plantings is given. The design is offered and the scheme is substantiated of the performance of an auger-reel for sunflower harvesting attachment. The developed auger-reel is equipped with a winding, which allows reducing the acceleration of the sunflower head movement during the harvesting and minimizing the loss of oilseeds behind the header to 0.63%. The results of the production tests of the developed attachment with “Niva” SK-5-M-1 and ACROS 530 combine harvesters are presented. Their comparison with the average losses of oilseeds using different by design attachments is given.

The cost of production of sunflower is determined by the number of operations for its cultivation as well as the manufacturing charges for them. The extraneous matter content of the hopper sunflower heap is the factor that can increase the cost of sunflower production. In connection with that, it is advisable to reach the minimum values of the extraneous matter content in the hopper heap during sunflower harvesting. The article substantiates the design of the sieve with additional holes which is installed as an additional cleaning stage in the combine harvester. Adjustable sieve holes have a shape similar to the longitudinal shape of oilseeds. The area of the sieve hole can be adjusted depending on the type or variety of sunflower, which will significantly reduce the extraneous matter content in the hopper heap. To analyze the sieve performance, a check sample was made which was installed as an additional cleaning stage on the “Niva” SK-5-M-1 and “Vector 410” grain combine harvesters. The analysis is presented of the extraneous matter content in the hopper heap with the use of an additional sieve with a different area of adjustable holes and without it.

Приведена методика исследований физико-механических свойств стеблей и корзинок подсолнечника, описана характеристика условий исследований, перечислены приборы и инструменты, используемые при проведении полевых опытов. Изложены результаты исследования.