Theoretical prerequisites for improving the efficiency of tractor operation in agriculture

Agricultural production is characterize by the seasonality of mechanized work in the cultivation of crops. In addition, the amount of wear on aggregates and equipment systems is determined, on the one hand, by natural and climatic conditions (the presence of slopes and obstacles; humidity, dustiness and air temperature) and, on the other, by the nomenclature of operations performed in the planned period, organizational, production and technical conditions in a particular farm. It should also be note that tractor units and systems are interconnect with each other and interdependent on each other, i.e. the amount of wear of some parts affects the wear of others. Based on the above, in our opinion, one of the promising ways to improve the efficiency of tractors is to develop measures to optimize the resource consumption of tractor units and systems, taking into account the variety of changing factors of tractor operation in the cultivation of crops. This requires a comprehensive parameter that takes into account not only the wear of the part, but also the degree of its impact on the wear of the unit as a whole and gives us the opportunity to develop measures to optimize it. Such an indicator is the level of resource consumption of the unit, the system and tractors as a whole. With known patterns of changes in the level of resource consumption for various types of agricultural operations, it becomes possible to plan the range of work for each tractor for the planned period, taking into account the optimal resource consumption of their units and systems. This article examines the theoretical prerequisites for justifying the level of resource consumption and reveals its potential for solving the problem of increasing the efficiency of tractor operation in the agro-industrial complex.