Res. Agr. Eng., X:X | DOI: 10.17221/168/2025-RAE

Harvester service life impact on sugarcane field losses and product contaminationOriginal Paper

Kanya Kosum ORCID...¹

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Mechanical sugarcane harvesting generates substantial material losses that are associated with the equipment age. This study evaluated the relationship between the harvester service life and the operational efficiency by analysing field losses and product contamination across machines with varying operational histories (1, 14, 16, and 17 years) in Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand, using a randomised complete block design. The results indicate that the 17-year-old machines exhibited 54% higher total losses (241.93 kg·ha^–1) compared to the newer equipment (156.90 kg·ha⁻¹). The field losses were attributed primarily to base cutting operations (36%) and roller mechanisms (34%), collectively accounting for 70% of the total losses. The contamination analysis revealed sugarcane tops as the predominant impurity source (57% The revenue loss analysis indicates excessive field losses from ageing equipment reducing the farm profitability by 12–18%. The non-linear relationship between the equipment age and performance demonstrates that maintenance practices significantly influence degradation patterns, providing critical insights for optimising mechanical harvesting systems.

Keywords: agricultural machinery; harvesting efficiency; equipment maintenance; sugarcane; mechanical degradation; revenue losses

Received: October 3, 2025; Accepted: February 5, 2026; Prepublished online: April 20, 2026