Harvester Guide Actuator Calculator

How the pivoting material-guide arm works

The moving member is rigid and rotates about one fixed hinge. Gravity, payload position, pressure, hinge resistance and counterbalance torque are evaluated across the entire angle range. Pin-to-pin geometry sets actuator travel and leverage. This is quasi-static; impacts and structural deflection are not modeled.

Measurements for this application

Measure the guide hinge and actuator lever. Enter the operating torque from actual crop or conveyed material contact.

• Record moving member length, payload center of gravity from hinge, start angle, end angle, moving pin distance along member. Measure between pivot or mounting-pin centers.
• Account for payload / supported load, guide-arm weight, gravity acts in motion plane, additional resisting torque. Use the heaviest permitted operating condition.
• Enter the actual motion limits and check the mechanism at both ends and through the full path.

Choosing an actuator for pivoting material-guide arm

The calculator checks the required force, stroke and mounting length before displaying variants. Super Duty actuators take priority, followed by Utility and C-Series where their dimensions and ratings fit. Industrial actuators take priority above 450 lbf of moving load or required actuator force; feedback Micro Pen actuators take priority for the humanoid finger.

Compare exact variants, set travel limits for any unused stroke, and verify the controller, duty cycle, environment and mounting details. Save the design or download its engineering brief to keep your measurements and results together.

What does this calculator solve?

Pivoting material-guide arm is solved along the entered start-to-end path. The animation follows those measurements and the force plot shows the demand through the move. The stated model assumptions define which parts of the real mechanism are included.