Efficiency of the Cattle Feed Chopper Machine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25077/metal.10.2.1-12.2026

Abstract

Feed efficiency is very important because feed costs can reach up to 80% of total production costs. In addition, farmers face limited feed availability at the moment, with a silage requirement of around 3-5 kg per head of cattle per day. This condition complicates large-scale feed preparation and underscores the need for an effective feed chopper. This study evaluated the performance of a feed chopper developed on the farm by assessing chopping speed, chop quality, chop length percentage, fuel consumption, chopping capacity, noise level, and overall machine efficiency across different elephant grass types and load treatments. The results showed that controlled chopping using dry elephant grass (moisture content 20.3%) at 3600 rpm produced the best performance, with an average chopping capacity of 806.08 kg/hour.

Author Biographies

Rispandi Rispandi, Universitas Andalas

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163

Muhammad Ghazi Al Ghifary, Universitas Andalas

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163

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Published

2026-10-19

How to Cite

Susanti, O., Rispandi, R., & Al Ghifary, M. G. (2026). Efficiency of the Cattle Feed Chopper Machine. METAL: Jurnal Sistem Mekanik Dan Termal, 10(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.25077/metal.10.2.1-12.2026