Development and Experiment of Lifting Platform for Orchards in Hilly Area

Abstract:

At present, pruning of fruit trees on hills is mainly completed by climbing on trees or ladder, which could cause injury due to poor landform. In order to avoid such kind of risks, it is important to develop a lifting platform for orchards in hilly area. In this paper its structure and working mechanism were introduced. This lifting platform, as a machine, is comprised of power device, elevating mechanism, leveling mechanism, slewing mechanism, supporting mechanism and hydraulic control system, and is driven by a small four-wheel tractor. Its hydraulic system can control hydraulic cylinders to extend and retract so as to lift, lower, rotate or keep platform at horizontal position. By analyzing the machine’s kinematic model, the mode of hydrostatic triangle leveling was determined. In order to simplify the machine’s structure, a cantilever beam was used as a supporting mechanism. After carried out the performance test for the machine, the results show that the machine has the following features: stable working performance, the maximum load up to 150 kg, the lifting height 1.5 m, the rotating speed 1 r/min, the lifting velocity 0.1 m/s, and leveling error in lifting process no more than 2° (no matter on horizontal plane or on slopes). So the machine can be suitable for sloped terrain, and the design requirements are well satisfied.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 865)
• Pages: 111-117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.865.111
• Online since: June 2017
• Authors: Gui Ju Fan*, Yong Zhen Wang, Xiao Hui Zhang
• Keywords: Hydraulic, Level, Lift, Orchards, Platform, Rotate

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