STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE RELIABILITY COEFFICIENT OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY ON THE DIRECT OPERATING COSTS OF AN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE

Abstract

In this scientific work authors conduct a study of the influence of the reliability coefficient of agricultural machinery on the direct operating costs for processing a unit of field area with a machine unit from the fleet of an agricultural enterprise. In the process of research, various factors affecting the total cost of field work are considered, in particular, attention is focused on such expenditure items as fuel expenses, drivers' wages, fuel and lubricants, depreciation of fixed assets, maintenance and repairs. Also, special attention is paid in the work to the influence of the reliability of the agricultural machine on the productivity of the machine unit, because this indicator significantly affects almost all other technical and economic parameters. The study confirms that the more reliable the agricultural machine, the higher its productivity. This is because there are fewer breakdowns and, as a result, less repairs and maintenance, resulting in longer uptime and significantly lower direct operating costs. Five machine units were studied, each of which contains the same power tool – a John Deere 7820 tractor and 5 models of different six-body modern plows of foreign production. As a result of research, we came to the conclusion that the overall impact of the reliability of agricultural machinery on the operating costs of an agricultural enterprise is difficult to overestimate, the increase in the cost of cultivation when the coefficient of reliability of agricultural machinery falls from 0.98 (new system) to 0.7 (worn system) in the conditions of our study is 45.2–71.3%. The average value for the 5 studied MUs was 63.24%. The most moderate and, on the contrary, the most rapid increase in the cost of processing within the framework of the study was observed in machine units with plows Vari Diamant 9 Lemken and Maschio UNICO L Plow, respectively. This is explained, first of all, by the book value and, as a result, the price of repair and purchase of new parts for these agricultural machines. Of the five models presented, it is the Vari Diamant 9 Lemken and the Maschio UNICO L Plow that have the lowest and highest book values at $14,000 and $33,270, respectively. It was also established that a decrease in the reliability coefficient of agricultural machinery by 0.12 units, other things being equal, will give excellent financial results relative to the increase in cost at different levels of initial system reliability: +27.7% of the cost when the coefficient is reduced from 0.98 to 0.86, and +22.6% when from 0.82 to 0.7. That is, there is a more dynamic increase in the cost of agricultural work as a result of a drop in the reliability coefficient of agricultural machinery in a system that is in better technical condition. As can be understood from the results of this study, the economic efficiency of an agricultural enterprise depends to a large extent on the reliability of its equipment and means of production, in particular, agricultural machines as part of machine units. A low level of reliability of an agricultural machine, caused, for example, by a high level of wear or improper maintenance, can lead to an emergency shutdown of the entire machine unit, which leads to unforeseen delays in the performance of agricultural work and significant financial and, sometimes even, reputational losses for the enterprise.