ABSTRACT Sugarcane is one of Brazil's leading crops, and the transshipment harvesting operation represents a significant portion of operating costs. Among the primary machines used in harvesting is the tractor-transshipment set, with considerable energy demands. This study focused on evaluating the gear selection effect in an agricultural tractor on operational performance and costs during the sugarcane transshipment operation. The treatments consisted of four operational work gears at different engine speeds: r1 – 1150 rpm, r2 – 1230 rpm, r3 – 1360 rpm, and r4 – 1500 rpm on the engine. The analyzed variables were volumetric and specific fuel consumption, operational efficiency, and operational cost. The variables were adapted from ASABE (2011) methodology, and the data were submitted to parametric statistics and regression analysis. The rotation engine selection in tractors directly affected fuel consumption with positive angular coefficients and r2 between 0.92-0.96. Fuel consumption reduces by 37.5%, adopting 1150 rpm compared to 1500 rpm rotation. The highest rotation (1500 rpm - r4) increased the volumetric and productive fuel consumption, enabling savings up to reduced fuel cost by 1.08 US$ ha -1 . Thus, training sugarcane transshipment operators is essential to optimize the production process efficiency and reduce costs.

ABSTRACT The quality of the basal cut of sugarcane during harvest can affect the longevity of the crop, and the cutting tool is one of the main causes of damage during harvesting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of two cutting tools: an impact cutting system (ICS) using knives and a continuous cutting system (CCS) using saws. Laboratory tests were carried out to obtain the stalk damage index at different device travel speeds and to determine the invisible losses caused by each cutting system. The results showed that both cutting systems presented acceptable levels for the stalk damage index; however, the CCS obtained better cut quality, corresponding with decreased general damage. The invisible losses caused by the cutting tools in relation to the total harvested mass were 0.52% and 0.54% for the CCS and ICS, respectively. The highest invisible losses were obtained at speeds of 2, 3, and 4 km h-1 for the ICS, showing a statistical difference in relation to the CCS. No statistical difference was noted for both the systems at 5 and 6 km h-1.