Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
Module 7. SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF FARM MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
Introduction
Due to several factors that govern the choice and effective management of different farm
machineries, selecting an appropriate model as to size, power rating, flexibility and other
selection parameters is not easy. Also, an equipment that works best one year may not work
well the next because of changes in weather conditions or crop production practices.
Improvements in design may make older equipment obsolete. Because of these factors, the goal
of the good machinery manager should be to have a system that is flexible enough to adapt to a
range of weather and crop conditions while minimizing long-run costs and production risks.
Objectives
3. Enable students to be familiarized with the different farm machineries and their
advantages and limitations
4. Help students gain knowledge in the proper selection and effective management of
applicable farm machineries and equipment
Learning Content
I. POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED IN SELECTING A FARM MACHINERY
a. Machine Performance
Each piece of machinery must perform reliably under a variety of field conditions or it
is a poor investment regardless of its cost. Tillage implements should prepare a
satisfactory seedbed while conserving moisture, destroying early weed growth and
minimizing erosion potential. Planters and seeders should provide consistent seed
placement and population as well as properly apply pesticides and fertilizers.
Harvesting equipment must harvest clean, undamaged grain while minimizing field
losses. The performance of a machine often depends on the skill of the operator, or
on weather and soil conditions. Nevertheless, differences among machines can be
evaluated through field trials, research reports and personal experience.
b. Machinery Costs
Once a particular type of tillage, planting, weed control, or harvesting machine has
been selected, the question of how to minimize machinery costs must be answered.
Machinery that is too large for a particular farming situation will cause machinery
ownership costs to be unnecessarily high over the long run; machinery that is too
small may result in lower crop yields or reduced quality
c. Ownership Costs
Machinery ownership costs include charges for depreciation, interest on investment,
property taxes, insurance and machinery housing. These costs increase in direct
proportion to machinery investment and size.
d. Operating Costs
Operating costs include fuel, lubricants and repairs. Operating costs per acre change
very little as machinery size is increased or decreased. Using larger machinery
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
consumes more fuel and lubricants per hour, but this is essentially offset by the fact
that more acres are covered per hour. Much the same is true of repair costs. Thus,
operating costs are of minor importance when deciding what size machinery is best
suited to a certain farming operation
e. Labor Cost
As machinery capacity increases, the number of hours required to complete field
operations over a given area naturally declines
f. Estimating the Field Capacity of Farm Machines
If hourly or part-time hired labor operates machinery, it is appropriate to use the wage
rate paid, plus the cost of any other benefits which may be provided, as the labor
cost. If the farmer-owner or a hired worker who is paid a fixed wage operates
machinery, then it is proper to value labor at its opportunity cost, or the estimated
return it could earn if it were used elsewhere in the farm business, such as in livestock
enterprises.
g. Timeliness Costs
In many cases, crop yields and quality are affected by the dates of planting and
harvesting. This represents a “hidden” cost associated with farm machinery, but an
important one nevertheless. The value of these yield losses is commonly referred to
as “timeliness costs.”
h. Total Machinery Costs
Illustrates the effect that changes in machinery size have on each type of cost in a
typical situation. For very small machinery (relative to crop acres), a slight increase
in machinery size can lower timeliness and labor costs significantly, enough to more
than offset the higher fixed costs. However, as machinery size continues to increase,
the timeliness cost savings diminish, and eventually total costs begin to rise. One
objective of machinery selection, then, is to select machinery in the size range where
total machinery costs are lowest.
II. FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE SIZE OF MACHINERY NEEDED
a. Number of Crop Acres (or hectares)
As more crop acres are farmed, larger-scale machinery is needed to ensure that
planting and harvesting are completed in a timely fashion. An alternative is to
acquire a second unit of some machines, if an additional tractor and operator are
available.
b. Labor Supply
The number of acres that can be completed each day is the most critical measure
of machinery capacity, more than machine width or acres completed per hour.
Increasing the labor supply by hiring extra operators or by working longer hours
during critical periods may be a relatively inexpensive way of stretching machinery
capacity. In addition, the cost of additional labor only needs to be incurred in those
years in which it is actually used, while the cost of investing in larger machinery
becomes “locked in” as soon as the investment is made. On the other hand, extra
labor may not always be available when needed, and working long hours over
several days can present a safety hazard.
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
c. Tillage Practices
The number of field days needed before planting is completed depends partly on
the number of separate operations completed on each acre. Reducing the number
of tillage practices performed or performing more than one practice in the same
trip effectively decreases the amount of machinery capacity needed to complete
field operations on time. Of course, machinery cost savings from reduced tillage
must be compared to possible increased chemical costs and effects on yields
d. Crop Mix
Diversification of crops tends to spread out the periods when timely completion of
field operations is critical. For example, yield reductions due to late planting begin
later for soybeans than for corn. Harvesting can also be completed over a longer
time period. Thus, growing more than one or two crops reduces the machinery
capacity needed for a given number of crop acres. However, it may also require
purchasing additional types of machinery, especially for harvesting.
e. Weather
Weather patterns determine the number of days suitable for fieldwork in a given
time period each year. Although actual weather conditions cannot be predicted far
enough in advance to be used as an aid to machinery selection, past weather
records can be used as a guide. As a rule of thumb, either is suitable for field
work about 60 percent of the time in the spring and about 75 percent of the time
in the fall. This does not take into account time off for holidays, Sundays or other
occasions. Machinery selection should be based on long-run weather patterns
even though it results in excess machinery capacity in some years and insufficient
capacity in other years
f. Risk Management
Fluctuations in the number and occurrence of suitable field days from year-to-year
cause timeliness costs to vary even when the machinery set, number of crop acres
and labor supply do not change. Investing in larger machinery can reduce the
variability of net machinery costs by ensuring that crops are planted and harvested
on time even in years in which there are few good working days. Machinery fixed
costs would be higher with larger machinery, but they would not fluctuate as long
as the machinery set did not change. Farmers with high field cash flow needs,
such as land mortgage payments, may be willing to pay more (in higher fixed
machinery costs) than other operators for the insurance” of not suffering
substantial yield losses due to late planting and harvesting in certain years.
g. Planting and harvesting dates
Long-term studies indicate that crop yields typically start to decline significantly
when planting occurs after the recommended period, as shown in figure. However
the exact dates will vary from year to year. One reason for the decline in yield for
late-planting is that “heat units” are available during the growing season gets
reduced. How early to start planting requires considerable judgment. Ideal
conditions would be a soil temperature of 50°F (10°C) or above at planting depth
and a favorable five- day weather forecast. If soil conditions and temperatures are
favorable, starting to plant should be advantageous. Timeliness losses at harvest
are due primarily to more dropped ears, and field shattering. Some harvesting
losses occur because combining speed is too high or the machine is poorly
adjusted.
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
Figure 1. Estimated corn yield as percent of maximum, by planting date
III. MACHINE SIZE (HOW LARGE SHOULD MACHINERY BE?)
To select and match tractors and implements, one must need information about the
capacity of the tractor and implement as well as the load that is likely to be imposed
on the power unit. Draft requirements will vary with implement design, soil type, and
speed of operation and depth of operation. Therefore, in any matching situation
there is an inherent danger in specifying a machine's capacity or power requirement
unless actual field efficiencies and draft requirements have been measured. Accept
specifications, therefore, with some caution.
1. EFFECTIVE FIELD CAPACITY
The effective field capacity is the actual output achieved by a machine. It is a
function of the proportion of the machine width utilized, the travel speed and the
amount of time lost in the field during the operation.
% Field efficiency = theoretical time x 100
operating time
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
2. DETERMINING THE SIZE OF MACHINE REQUIRED
Width = area (ha) x 10 (constant) time (hr) x speed
(km/hr) x field efficiency
Example:
Establish the width of chisel plough that will allow the completion of 400 hectares
in 8 days working 10 hours per day at 8 kilometers per hour, assuming a field
efficiency of 80% (from Table 1)
Width = 400 x 10 x 100
(8 x 10) x 8 x 80
= 7.8 meters
With this simplistic approach, the effects of any input (hours/day, speed or field
efficiency) can be evaluated. Care should be taken not to overestimate either the
time available to complete the task or field efficiency
3. TRACTOR CAPACITIES
It is important to remember that drawbar power is the product of pull and speed;
where an infinite number of pull / speed combinations could be used to give the
same power. Wheel tractors are designed to operate at higher speeds (greater than
8.0 km/h) and lower drawbar loads. If low forward speeds (under 5.5 km/h) and
large pulls are to be consistently used, track layers should be considered.
4. ESTIMATING POWER REQUIREMENTS
Estimation of draft
Estimation of likely draft requirements can be taken from the table provided.
However, these values will vary according to soil type, soil moisture, depth of
working, ground speed and manufacturer
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
A figure for total draft can be calculated by simply multiplying implement width by
draft per unit width. Considering the example using the chisel plough, then:
Total draft = width (m) x draft / meter (kN/m)
= 7.8 x 5
= 39 kN ( approx. 3900 kgf)
If a scarifier was used to replace the chisel plough, the draft per unit width would
decrease to 4.5 kN/m and the resultant total draft would be 35 kN (3500 kgf).
Remember this is draft or pull, not drawbar power.
One kilonewton, 1 kN, is equivalent to 102.0 kgf, or about 100 kg of load under
Earth gravity. 1 kN = 102 kg × 9.81 m/s2.
Estimation of drawbar power
Drawbar power can be related to draft and speed, by using the formula below. Any
one drawbar power level may be attained by a combination of pull and speed. That
is, a large pull at a low speed could produce the same drawbar power as a small
pull at high speed
Drawbar power = pull (kN) x speed* (km/hr)
3.6 (constant
*Speed has been determined by the initial assumption when working out the
required implement width.
Note: Kilowatts (kW) x 1.34 = Horsepower (hp) Horsepower
(hp) x 0.746 = Kilowatts (kW)
Using the same chisel plough as in the previous example, the power
requirements become:
Drawbar power = 39 x 8
3.6
= 87 kW (116hp)
Agri 222 Basic Farm Machineries and Mechanization
At this point, it would pay to work through all of the tillage operations and determine
the requirements for each, after closely considering the time available and field
efficiency. The largest power requirement would be then used in determining
engine power.
Estimating engine power
Once drawbar power has been calculated, a decision needs to be made about what
type of tractor is to be used. The decision between two wheel drive and four wheel
drive is much simpler as it is determined by the minimum available size of a 4WD
and the maximum size of a 2WD (that is approximately 150 kW or 200 hp).
From Table 2, it is now possible to determine the size of tractor required
Summary
Self-assessment Questions
Answers to Self-assessment Questions:
References
Belonio, A. 2010. Agricultural Machinery and Equipment. Department of Agricultural
Engineering and Environmental Management: Central Philippine University Press.
Belonio, A. 2010. Agricultural Power, Machinery and Allied Subjects.
Department of Agricultural Engineering and Environmental Management:
Central Philippine University Press.
Parker, R. 2011. Science of Agriculture Mechanization. Mississippi: Mississippi
Department of Education.
