Design and Testing of a Crawler Chassis for Brush-Roller Cotton Harvesters

In China’s Yangtze River and Yellow River basin cotton-growing regions, the complex terrain, scattered planting areas, and poor adaptability of the existing machinery have led to a mechanized cotton harvesting rate of less than 10%. To address this issue, we designed a crawler chassis for a brush-roller cotton harvester. It is specifically tailored to meet the 76 cm row spacing agronomic requirement. We also conducted a theoretical analysis of the power transmission system for the crawler chassis. Initially, we considered the terrain characteristics of China’s inland cotton-growing regions and the current cotton agronomy practices. Based on these, we selected and designed the power system and chassis; then, a finite element static analysis was carried out on the chassis frame to ensure safety during operation; finally, field tests on the harvester’s operability, stability, and speed were carried out. The results show that the inverted trapezoidal crawler walking device, combined with a hydraulic continuously variable transmission and rear-drive design, enhances the crawler’s passability. The crawler parameters included a ground contact length of 1650 mm, a maximum ground clearance of 270 mm, a maximum operating speed of 6.1 km/h, and an actual turning radius of 2300 mm. The maximum deformation of the frame was 2.198 mm, the deformation of the walking chassis was 1.0716 mm, the maximum equivalent stress was 216.96 MPa, and the average equivalent stress of the entire frame was 5.6356 MPa, which complies with the physical properties of the selected material, Q235. The designed cotton harvester crawler chassis features stable straight-line and steering performance. The vehicle’s speed can be adjusted based on the complexity of the terrain, with timely steering responses, minimal compaction on cotton, and reduced soil damage, meeting the requirements for mechanized harvesting in China’s inland small plots.