Research in Agricultural Engineering - Online first
Harvester service life impact on sugarcane field losses and product contaminationOriginal Paper
Kanya Kosum
Res. Agr. Eng., X:X | DOI: 10.17221/168/2025-RAE 
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...