Time-Motion Analysis of Forage Harvest: A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract. Forage harvest is a time and energy intensive process requiring the coordination of multiple pieces of equipment. Detailed characterizations of the time spent in each work state for each piece of equipment would increase the understanding of process inefficiencies and aid in development of optimization tools. Geospatial and controller area network (CAN) machine data were recorded on forage harvesters and transport equipment, during two types of harvest operations, to quantify utilization of harvesters and transports as well as transport productivity. The data collection and processing method was successful in identifying work states for forage harvesters and transports. The results indicated that overall utilization of the harvester for harvesting was 61% and dependent on transport availability. The portion of total operational time spent in the idle work state (idle utilization) was 10% to 20% for transports and 18% to 23% for harvesters. A new metric for transport productivity was developed and found to be highly dependent on transport capacity ranging from 125 to 49 Mg km h-1 for semi-trucks and smaller transports, respectively. The proposed data collection methods and productivity metrics could be used to optimize the forage harvest process to reduce idle time and maintain crop quality. Keywords: Controller area network, Cycle analysis, Forage harvester, Global positioning system.