Design and Test of a Single-Row Harvesting and Cutting Integrated Handheld Garlic Harvester

The current situation in which garlic cultivation is non-homogeneous and modular cannot be adapted to combine harvester operations. In this paper, a single-row harvesting and cutting integrated handheld garlic harvester is designed, and the structure and working principle of the machine are described. By analyzing the mechanics of the machine mechanism, mechanics of the machine harvesting process, and design principle of the machine chassis, the key factors affecting the garlic harvesting machine wounding rate, leakage rate, and net harvesting rate were determined. According to the force and parametric analyses of the test results, it was determined that the machine had the best harvesting effect with a conveying speed of 0.6 m/s, prop speed of 125.6 r/min, digging angle of 15°~25°, forward speed of 0.8 m/s, clamping point height of 62.15 mm, and rollover threshold value of 0.89. Compared with the traditional garlic harvester, the garlic injury rate was 57.1% lower, the garlic leakage rate was 25% lower, and the net harvest rate was 4.0% higher, which meets the requirements of the garlic harvesting operation.