The overturning stability and vibration of upland crop machinery under development are important issues for analysis because farms for upland crops are usually uneven, which may cause work-related fatalities, and vibration affects user comfort and reduces the durability of components. In this study, the overturning stability and vibration of a tractor-mounted radish collector were investigated to ensure safety during radish collection. To analyze lateral stability, the center of gravity (CG) of the tractor-mounted radish collector system was calculated mathematically. Then, a simulation was performed to determine the lateral overturning angles at different folding positions of the radish conveyor belt and load conditions, and the results were validated through tests. Vibration sensors were used to measure the vibration levels and the power spectrum density (PSD) was obtained to check the cyclic apparatuses of the major frequencies. The load conditions, different conveyor speeds, and locations were considered as factors affecting the vibration levels. Considering the physical parameters of the tractor–collector system, the analytical overturning angle was 30.5°. The average overturning angle difference between the simulation and validation was 5°, and the difference between loaded and unloaded conditions was 2°. For 0, 45, and 90° folding positions of the conveyor belt, overturning angles increased and varied from 0.5 to 1°. The vibration level was greater under the unloaded conditions and increased with an increase in the conveyor speed. Vibrations under the loaded condition (0.37~0.48 ms−2) satisfied the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard (except the first conveyor belt). According to the PSD analysis, high magnitude peaks (>25 dB) appeared frequently in all directions, which indicates a high possibility of damage to the first conveyor belt. This study provides useful information for improving the safety and durability of agricultural machinery for uneven and sloped field conditions.

This study was carried out to develop a belt pick-up type one-row soybean cutter, using physical properties and production conditions of soybeans.The prototype soybean cutter consisted of 4 parts: cutting part, conveying part, collecting part, and travelling part. The prototype soybean cutter was designed to cut soybeans planted with a row spacing of 600 mm, and at a height of 30 mm from the bed bottom using a disk saw. Through various trials with different peripheral velocities of the disk saw and forward speed of the cutter, determined ranges of the peripheral velocity of the disk saw cutting soybeans stems were greater than 18.3 ㎧. Spacing between pick-up belts (clearance) was in a range of 60～90 mm so that soybeans could be picked at heights greater than 25 cm, and the size and shape of the pick-up belt were determined the conventional manual harvesting method. The optimal ratio between the forward speed of cutter and the peripheral speed of pick-up belts were from 1 to 1.2 by theoretical analysis. the pick-up belts had a 35° of tilted angle and 90° of twisted angle to pick up soybeans safely from the plant input to the lower end of the belts and convey soybeans to the upper end of belts nearby a container. The soybeans at the rear container were dropped down on the soybean row with an interval.The effective field capacity of the prototype soybean cutter was 0.136 ha/h, reducing the working hour by 92% when compared with the manual cutting.

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