Self-propelled fruit harvesters (SPFHs) are agricultural machines designed to facilitate\nfruit picking and other tasks requiring operators to stay close to the foliage or to the upper part\nof the canopy. They generally consist of a chassis with a variable height working platform that\ncan be equipped with lateral extending platforms. The positioning of additional masses (operators,\nfruit bins) and the maximum height of the platform (up to three meters above the ground) strongly\naffect machine stability. Since there are no specific studies on the lateral stability of SPFHs, this study\naimed to develop a specific test procedure to fill this gap. A survey of the Italian market found 20 firms\nmanufacturing 110 different models of vehicles. Observation and monitoring of SPFHs under real\noperational conditions revealed the variables mostly likely to affect lateral stability: the position and\nmass of the operators and the fruit bin on the platform. Two SPFHs were tested in the laboratory to\ndetermine their centre of gravity and lateral stability in four different settings reproducing operational\nconditions. The test setting was found to affect the stability angle. Lastly, the study identified two\nspecific settings reproducing real operational conditions most likely to affect the lateral stability of\nSPFHs: these should be used as standard, reproducible settings to enable a comparison of results.
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