Using the Kaplan–Meier Estimator to Assess the Reliability of Agricultural Machinery

Abstract

Kaplan–Meier analyses can be used in many disciplines, e.g., agricultural engineering. Agricultural machinery and vehicles can be regarded as objects that ‘die’ because, like living creatures, they failed, although after repair they can be used until scrapped. This article presents an example of using the Kaplan–Meier estimator to plot the reliability function curves of five different models of Zetor farm tractors. The research shows that the median operating time for one of the tested models, which is about 200 engine-operating hours, is 20% lower than for the entire population of analyzed Zetor tractors. This means that the quality of the model, which is very popular in Poland, differs significantly from the other models of this manufacturer. The method cannot be validated, due to a lack of similar functions for other brands of tractors. Progressive automation and digitization of agriculture can contribute to improving the reliability of agriculture work. The user can focus on the correct performance of agrotechnical treatments, and modern control systems will signal in real time, about identified or approaching costly failures.