The use of mechanized harvesting in sugar cane brings up some concerns related to cut quality and raw material losses. In order to minimize this problem, harvester producers have developed devices that help the operator to control the cutting height. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of a semi-automatic cutting control device at the base, fitted onto a chopped sugar cane harvester. The variability of the cutting height, removed stems' base and mineral impurities were analyzed. Under the studied conditions, the height of the base cut, with or without the use of the control device is not under statistical control, and the process can not meet the cutting height specification determined by the sugar mill. The use of the control device can be helpful to maintain a lower cutting height, but it is influenced by crop conditions and did not show any advantage regarding mineral impurities; however, it showed lower frequency of removed stems' bases. There are differences in stems' base height and mineral impurities when considering the period of working hours.
mechanization; harvest; quality control
