Remote Structural Load Measurements on a Plot Combine Harvester Chassis
Andreas Dengg and Franz Wohlmair
WINTERSTEIGER
May 14, 2026
During a remote testing campaign in Brazil, WINTERSTEIGER used Dewesoft’s rugged KRYPTON data acquisition system to capture real-world structural loads on its Quantum Pro plot combine harvester. Built to perform in extreme heat, humidity, and vibration, the system delivered high-quality acceleration and strain data throughout the harvest. The results now strengthen the company’s load assessments and support future product innovation.
Introduction
The Austrian company, WINTERSTEIGER, conducted a remote measurement campaign using Dewesoft equipment on a Quantum Pro plot combine harvester operating in Brazil. The goal was to collect real-world load data under challenging environmental conditions – using the Dewesoft Krypton measurement system. The results reinforce existing knowledge while providing new insights into operational loads. The company will use all findings as the basis for strength assessments, future product developments, and continuous product improvements.
WINTERSTEIGER is an international machinery and plant engineering group based in Ried im Innkreis, Austria. The company is active in the development, production, and distribution of machinery and equipment for plant breeding and research, ski service, and the wood and metal industries.
The WINTERSTEIGER Group comprises the following divisions:
Division Seedmech: Harvesting Technology, Sowing & Laboratory technology, and
Data management)
Division Sports: Rent & Service, Bike Services, and Retail
Division Solutions: Flooring, Furniture, Boards, Lightweight Construction &
Insulation, Saw Blades, Sawmill Technology, and Automation & Plants
Division Metals: Strip Feeding Lines and Part Leveling Machines
Division Dry & Protect: Drying, germ reduction, and odor reduction for all types of
work and protective clothing, sports equipment, and even indoor air.
The plot combine harvester WINTERSTEIGER Quantum Pro
Plot combine harvesters like the Quantum Pro can harvest and recover grain from standing crops, performing multiple operations:
cutting,
threshing,
cleaning, and analyzing in a single pass.
They are designed for harvesting small-seed breeding and experimental fields.
The modular Quantum family offers a versatile range of harvesters for seed breeding and field trials. Suitable for a wide variety of crops, including corn and soybeans, the lineup is built to meet the demands of modern agricultural research. In Brazil in particular, the Quantum Pro stands out as the most powerful machine in the WINTERSTEIGER Quantum range, offering the header width, grain tank capacity, and stability needed to handle high-yielding corn and soybean varieties.
The harvester’s structural design provides a strong foundation to address challenges in row-crop research. It is particularly suitable for all types of yield trials and for pre-propagation. In practice, it has proven itself under the most challenging conditions, including moist grain, undergrowth, laid grain, and slopes.
The challenge
Harvesting machines in Brazil are exposed to unique environmental conditions. High ambient temperatures, elevated humidity, and intensive harvesting periods. These and other factors lead to increased mechanical stress, requiring robust technical solutions.
We as WINTERSTEIGER set ourselves the goal of validating and further refining load assumptions for the Quantum Pro under these conditions.
Because of the extreme environmental conditions and high mechanical stress involved, real-world validation was essential. WINTERSTEIGER Seedmech, the company’s harvesting technology division, therefore carried out an in-field test in Brazil with a harvester operating under actual end-user conditions.
Data acquisition hardware and sensors
The field measurement campaign was designed and executed in accordance with international standards for machinery safety, structural testing, and data integrity.
The measurement setup followed relevant guidelines from two international ISO standards:
ISO 4254 (agricultural machinery safety)
ISO 10816 / ISO 2631 (vibration measurement and evaluation)
This ensures that all procedures meet recognized engineering and safety requirements.
Eight acceleration sensors were installed mainly on important locations of the chassis and grain header.
Three additional points on the chassis were monitored with strain gauges.
Due to the adverse operating conditions, especially near the ground, a rigid protection concept was necessary for the sensors. Depending on the measuring point, this included various coverings, electrical shielding, and even sheet metal parts to protect against mechanical influences.
The zero calibration and validation of the first strain gauge measurements were carried out at WINTERSTEIGER using known wheel loads and a finite element model (FEM) of the entire Quantum Pro. During the assembly process, the entire chassis was rotated so that the strain gauges could be installed correctly and without preload.
The Dewesoft Krypton setup
In order to collect all data, the Dewesoft Krypton system was installed in the cabin of the Quantum Pro.
The Dewesoft KRYPTON is a small, rugged, and modular, distributable EtherCAT data-acquisition system for field measurement in extreme, harsh environments. The robust modules operate without a fan over a temperature range from -40°C to +85°C.
KRYPTON DAQ modules use a 100 Mbit datalink based on the EtherCAT protocol, which means units connect via a single cable for data, power, and synchronization. The EtherCAT data interface enables easy distribution of data-acquisition systems, allowing simple channel distribution over larger vehicles and significantly shorter sensor cables. This feature reduces issues such as noise and signal quality during data acquisition, especially in very harsh environments.
The KRYPTON MULTI is a multi-channel I/O module available in two sizes — single-width and double-width — depending on the type and number of input amplifiers. KRYPTON multi-channel devices utilize a 24-bit Sigma-delta ADC and offer a sampling rate of up to 20 kS/s per channel.
The setup was as follows:
KRYPTON-CPU - a small, portable, and rugged IP67 data logger and data processing computer for data recording and analysis in extremely harsh environments.
KRYPTON - a rugged and distributed EtherCAT data acquisition system for field measurement in extreme and harsh environments
1x KRYPTON-8xACC
1x KRYPTON-3xSTG
1x KRYPTONi-1xCAN
ECAT-GPS-JUNCTION for GNSS positioning
An additional battery was installed for the independent power supply of the KRYPTO DAQ system, controlled by a relay and monitored by a gateway module with mobile phone and WLAN communication.
The system could be started manually, via the ignition, or by independent GPS motion detection.
When the engine was running, the system was powered by the on-board supply.
Data acquisition software and data management
DewesoftX data-acquisition and signal-processing software comes with all Dewesoft data-acquisition hardware. The software can handle signal measurement, data recording, signal processing, and data visualization for numerous test & measurement applications across all markets.
The raw data was stored automatically, locally at regular intervals on an external solid-state drive (SSD) with a capacity of 2 TB.
Data and results
The measurement setup included eight accelerometers, three strain gauges, GPS, and selected CAN data. We recorded approximately 85 hours of measurement data, of which approximately 43 hours were during active operation.
The raw data transmitted from Brazil was processed at WINTERSTEIGER's headquarters in Ried im Innkreis using DewesoftX, then further processed in Python. The data was filtered using Python scripts and evaluated batch-wise for load collective investigations. The FEM of the entire Quantum Pro was then used to assess the stresses under the measured conditions.
As a result, among other findings, the evaluation revealed slightly higher acceleration values on the front part of the chassis. However, this circumstance confirms expectations regarding the use of the combine harvester in this demanding environment. Other, already known extreme load cases were confirmed to be valid, so the measurement campaign in Brazil provided extensive insights into the operational stability of the overall structure.
Conclusion
The remote measurement campaign with Dewesoft equipment provided WINTERSTEIGER’s structural engineers with valuable new insights into the structural loads acting on the Quantum Pro plot combine harvester under real field conditions in Brazil.
The updated load data will feed directly into future product development and validation, strengthening the basis for engineering decisions and ongoing product improvement. At the same time, the project confirmed the effectiveness of remote measurement and data analysis in challenging operating environments.
Once the KRYPTON DAQ system is back on site, WINTERSTEIGER plans to expand this approach with similar measurement setups in the field and at its own facilities.
These campaigns will support the evaluation of harvesting machines, seed drills, and other equipment, helping the company better understand real-world use cases and drive future development. The data from this project will also be reviewed using additional evaluation methods to unlock further insights.