ANSI/ASAE EP502 DEC1990 (R2012)

Adjusting Forage Harvester Test Data for Varying Crop Moisture

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Agricultural and Biological Engineers

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ANSI/ASAE EP502 DEC1990 (R2012)
Approved August 1992; reaffirmed February 2012 as an American National Standard

Adjusting Forage Harvester Test Data for Varying Crop Moisture

Developed by the ASAE Forage Harvesting and Utilization Committee; approved by the ASAE Power and
Machinery Division Standards Committee; adopted by ASAE December 1990; approved as an American
National Standard August 1992; reaffirmed by ASAE December 1995, December 1996; reaffirmed by ANSI
March 1998; reaffirmed by ASAE December 2001, January 2007; reaffirmed by ANSI January 2007; reaffirmed
by ASABE January 2012; reaffirmed by ANSI February 2012..

Keywords: Forage, Harvester, Test procedure

1 Purpose and Scope

1.1 This Engineering Practice provides empirical equations to adjust forage harvester feed rates and specific
energy measurements to a common crop moisture level of 65% wet basis. Historically, engineers and
researchers have tried to compensate for the significant effect of changing moisture contents by converting
test data to a dry mass basis, or by only comparing data obtained within a few moisture percentage points on a
wet mass basis. The crop moisture compensation equations in this Engineering Practice significantly decrease
data scatter as a function of moisture content when compared to data scatter on a wet or dry mass basis.

1.2 The equations described herein apply to precision-cut forage harvesters as defined in American National
Standard ANSI/ASAE S472, Terminology for Forage Harvesters and Forage Harvesting. This includes both cut
and throw (no separate blower) and cut and blow type forage harvesters. The validity of the equations has not
been established for semi-precision cut and random-cut forage harvesters.

2 Application Practices
2.1 The empirical equations in Section 3 Calculation of Results, for adjusting feed rate and specific energy
for crop and moisture are applicable under the following conditions:

2.1.1 To avoid excessive error accumulation, the equations are best used for adjusting data for varying
moistures where the data was measured in the same field and under the same crop conditions, and the
moisture content varied less than 10 percentage points wet basis. The equations can be used to adjust data
from a single forage harvester or from two or more forage harvesters tested in the same field on a sideby-side
basis.

2.1.2 The correction equations are valid for crop moisture contents greater than 40% wet basis and for
theoretical lengths of cut, TLOC, less than 25 mm.

2.1.3 Considerable error can occur in comparing crop moisture compensated forage harvester data from
different fields because of varying crop conditions (i.e., crop variety and maturity differences, soil and
fertilization differences, etc.). A base or reference forage harvester must be used to identify feed rate and
specific energy differences due to crop conditions from those due to machine design and/or settings.

2.1.4 Past forage harvester field test experiences have shown that a minimum of 7 test repetitions are
required to minimize data scatter for specific energy testing. At least 4 test repetitions are required to establish
a maximum machine feed rate (i.e., capacity) for a given set of crop conditions and machine settings. Moisture
content (see ASAE Standard S358, Moisture Measurement Forages), average feed rate in metric tons per
hour, t/h, and average specific energy in kilowatt hours per metric ton, kWh/t, are to be measured for each test

ANSI/ASAE EP502 DEC1990 (R2012) Copyright American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 1
run. A reference forage harvester of similar design, of similar capacity, and with similar settings shall be tested
in the same field on a side-by-side basis with the test forage harvester(s) to account for changing crop
conditions during the test(s). Forage harvester performance test data shall be reported per Section 5
Forage Harvester Performance Specifications, of ANSI/ASAE Standard S472, Terminology for Forage
Harvesters and Forage Harvesting.

3 Calculation of Results
3.1 General information. The following empirical equations have been shown to reduce feed rate and
specific energy data scatter as a function of crop moisture when compared to feed rate and specific energy on
a wet or dry mass basis (ASAE Paper No. 88-1553, Impact of Crop Moisture on Forage Harvesting Efficiency).
These equations bring all feed rate and specific energy measurements to a common moisture level of 65% wet
basis for maize (corn), grass, or lucerne (alfalfa).

3.2 Feed rate adjusted for crop and moisture. Feed rate adjusted for crop and moisture is the expected
feed rate at 65% moisture (wet basis) for the forage harvester power level, excluding propulsion power,
measured at the original moisture level. It is the measured feed rate times a crop moisture adjustment factor.

Fadj = F fM

where:

Fadj = feed rate adjusted for crop and moisture content, t/h

F = measured feed rate, t/h (wet basis)

fM = adjustment factor for crop moisture content, no units

= 1 0.012 (M-65), for maize (corn)

= 1 0.018 (M-65), for grass, forage cereals

= 1 49 (1/65 1/M), for lucerne (alfalfa)

where:

M = moisture content (wet basis), %

3.3 Capacity adjusted for crop and moisture. This is the maximum feed rate adjusted for crop and
moisture calculated from measured data.

3.4 Specific energy adjusted for crop and moisture. This specific energy is measured forage harvester
power, excluding propulsion power, divided by feed rate adjusted for crop and moisture. It is expressed as
kWh/t (wet basis).

Eadj = P/Fadj

where:

Eadj = specific energy adjusted for crop and moisture content, kWh/t

P = measured power, kW

Fadj = feed rate adjusted for crop and moisture content, t/h

ANSI/ASAE EP502 DEC1990 (R2012) Copyright American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 2
3.5 Specific energy difference adjusted for crop and moisture. This specific energy difference is the
percent difference between a harvester's adjusted specific energy and that of a reference harvester. It is
expressed as ____% more, or ____% less specific energy adjusted for crop and moisture than the reference
forage harvester. An analysis should be done to determine if the specific energy difference is statistically
significant.

[
100 E adj (test machine ) - E adj (reference machine ) ]
E adj (reference machine )
D=

where:

D = difference in specific energy adjusted for crop and moisture, %

Eadj = specific energy adjusted for crop and moisture content, kWh/t

Cited Standards
ANSI/ASAE S472, Terminology for Forage Harvesters and Forage Harvesting

ASAE S358, Moisture MeasurementForages

Reference
1. Linde, G. W. and L. H. Bowen. 1988. Impact of crop moisture on forage harvesting efficiency. ASAE
Paper No. 88-1553. ASAE, St. Joseph, MI 49085.

ANSI/ASAE EP502 DEC1990 (R2012) Copyright American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 3