Design, fabrication, and assessment of a hydraulic arm with quick coupling system for tractors

Abstract

Food production processes have required increasing productivity, efficiency, and agility in mechanized agricultural operations. This study aimed to design and size a hydraulic arm with the quick coupling of implements for the three-point system of category II tractors. For the project design, a product development methodology was used until obtaining the final variant of the tractor-implement coupling system. The draft and its detailing were developed and, in order to validate the concept, the mechanism prototype was fabricated to test its operation on the field. The accelerations working on the three-point hitch system were measured to optimize the design. The data collected served as a database for a structural analysis of the set by the finite element method. The structural analysis simulations showed Von Mises values between 70 and 140 MPa and displacement values between 0.3 and 1.2 mm. These analyses were performed with the combination of the weight force of the implement and the acting accelerations, which presented results for system validation. It was verified that overloads occur in two regions: the lateral stabilizer bars support and the hook. Under extreme conditions, the stabilizer bars extrapolated the yield value of the material, and failures and plastic deformations may occur in these regions. The prototype test proved the agility and practicality of the system.