EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review
Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2027 (In Press)

Low-Power Grass Chopping Machine Performance as an Authentic Project for Vocational Engineering Education

Valentino Massie (Politeknik Negeri Manado)
Hani Ruland Massie (Politeknik Negeri Manado)
Franklin Bawano (Politeknik Negeri Manado)
Nody Poluan Sompie (Politeknik Negeri Manado)
Djefry Paulus Hosang (Politeknik Negeri Manado)
Fransiscus Josep Tulung (Politeknik Negeri Manado)



Article Info

Publish Date
24 Sep 2026

Abstract

Background and Objective: Vocational engineering education requires authentic projects that connect design, fabrication, measurement, testing, and evidence-based improvement, yet technical machine studies are rarely organized as reusable educational cases. This study evaluated a compact low-power grass chopping machine and examined its suitability as an authentic project case for vocational engineering education. Methods: An experimental engineering design was conducted from February to August 2026 using a FLASH-250G 1/4-HP motor, one 1.6-mm steel-plate blade, and a compact steel frame. Elephant, odot, and sansibar grass were tested at 1-5 kg loads. Rotational speed, chopping time, and post-chopping mass were recorded, and three test series were averaged for each condition; analysis was descriptive because run-level dispersion data were unavailable. Results: The machine completed all reported conditions at 2,457-2,978 rpm. Chopping time increased from approximately 2-3 minutes at 1 kg to approximately 10 minutes at 5 kg, with descriptive load-time slopes of 116.28-121.41 seconds/kg. Derived batch processing rates were approximately 22.49-29.37 kg/h. Conclusion: The prototype demonstrates functional feasibility under the reported conditions and provides a technically grounded authentic-project structure for vocational engineering learning in design, fabrication, measurement, safety, data interpretation, and redesign. Educational effectiveness was not tested and requires direct student-outcome evidence.

Copyrights © 2027






Journal Info

Abbrev

educatione

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

EDUCATIONE: Journal of Education Research and Review publishes critical, integrative reviews of research literature bearing on education. Such reviews should include conceptualizations, interpretations, and syntheses of literature and scholarly work in a field broadly relevant to education and ...