Tractor Fleet Research Articles

An International conference in All-Russian Research Institute of repair and maintenance of machine and tractor fleet (ГОСНИТИ)

Во Всероссийском научно-исследовательском технологическом институте ремонта и эксплуатации машинно-тракторного парка (ГОСНИТИ) с 13 по 15 декабря 2011 г. состоится VII Международная научно-практическая конференция «Научные проблемы развития ремонта, технического обслуживания машин, восстановления и упрочнения деталей».

Problems of farms' machine and tractor fleet structure optimization under market economy

Рассмотрены проблемы выбора оптимального состава МТП в рыночных условиях производства, связанного с необходимостью рационального использования имеющихся производственных ресурсов, определения объемов производства и формирования МТП из множества представленных на рынке тракторов и сельхозмашин.

Simple Forecasting Models for Farm Tractor Demand in Italy, France and the United States

Abstract Simple forcasting models are presented for farm tractor demand in Italy, France and the United States. The models tested are both univariate (ARIMA) and multivariate. The multivariate ones are constructed according to a demand function for annual tractor purchases and not according to a demand function for the tractor stock (or tractor fleet). The main independent variables for the multivariate model of the tractor demand (Yt) are the real agricultural added value or income of the previous year (X1,t-1), the real price index of tractors (X2,t), the tractor stock of the previous year (X3,t-1) and the tractor demand of the previous year (Yt-1). The models studied for tractor demand in Italy, France and the United States show that the univariate (ARIMA) models have a lower statistical validity than multivariate ones only for France. The multivariate models present a remarkable capacity for explanation even though in the case of Italy and France the tractor price index is not significant while the net farm income is not significant for the United States. Tractor demand, obviously, increases with the increase in the added farm value or income of the farmers in real terms, and lessens with the growth of the real price index of tractors and with the growth of the stock. The models studied and used for the forecasts, however, have limitations because of the high standard errors of the estimate which determines the large confidence interval of the forecasts, especially in the increase of the forecast horizon. The forecast for tractor demand is quantifiable for the short period with acceptable errors (less than 10% according to the standard error of the estimate) but becomes aleatory at medium term (due to the increase in forecast errors with the growth in the forecast horizon), as with all human forecasts.

Combined Routeing and Scheduling for the Transportation of Containerized Cargo

A tractor-trailer problem, with full load, from the class of combined routeing and scheduling problems is described. Distinctive features of the problem are: movements must be carried out within certain time windows; subsets of movements are linked in the sense that they must be executed in a certain order; and different priorities are attached to different movements. A new bidirectional sequential constructive heuristic is developed for the solution of this problem. The method constructs routes and schedules for the available tractor fleet. The algorithm attempts to minimize the total time for all the movements by minimizing the time taken up by unproductive movements (so-called deadhead) and waiting time between movements. Some practical aspects of the implementation of the approach are discussed.

A Sure Way Toward Improving the Utilization of Agricultural Machines

The MTS played an important historical part in the formation and strengthening of the kolkhoz regime. They ensured material-technical conditions for a highly productive utilization of the fleet of new agricultural machines and were carriers of technical progress. Pursuing a program of a sharp upsurge in agriculture, the CP in recent years carried out a number of serious measures aimed at the further strengthening of the MTS and increasing their role in the development of collective farms. The tractor fleet of the MTS was increased, as compared with its prewar number, almost twice and the volume of work carried out by the MTS increased 2.8 times.