2016 Volume 78 Issue 1 Pages 54-63
We have developed a vertical displacement reduction device that consists of two single-acting hydraulic cylinders, an accumulator, and a valve block, among other components. This device is used to replace existing hydraulic cylinders to simultaneously reduce the vertical displacement input from both sides’ wheels. Obstacle driving tests (a riding test for both sides’ wheels and a right-side-wheel riding test) and field tests (in a Kagoshima rice paddy and in a field after a wheat harvest in Hokkaido) were performed. The performance of the proposed device was evaluated by conducting these tests. The following results were obtained: Boom vertical oscillation was reduced by approximately 65% in the riding test for both sides’ wheels and was reduced by approximately 36% in the field after the wheat harvest. However, this device cannot reduce the vertical displacement caused by body roll; an additional device is needed for this.
