Tractor Usage Research Articles

Appraisal of farm tractor accidents occurrence and prevention in Nigeria

PurposeAgriculture remains the largest sector of Nigerian economy, generating employment for about 70 per cent of the population. With the ever‐increasing market demand for agricultural products, mechanisation of most farm operations is gradually on the increase. This new development has brought about an increase in the cases of accidents through the use of farm tractors.Design/methodology/approachThis study was carried out in the south‐western part of Nigeria to investigate the safety measurement, effectiveness, and its contributions to farm tractor usage in the State. The study identified various causes of farm tractor accidents, consequences and different classes of farm tractor‐related accidents. The effectiveness of each accident prevention method and frequency of use were investigated and put into consideration in the data analysis.FindingsIt was revealed through the analysis that the use of safety protective wear gave the highest contribution (24.05 per cent) to total accident prevention on farms while the use of orientation training and seminars gave the least contribution (8.30 per cent) with the lowest frequency of use than the other methods.Practical implicationsThe results of this study serve as baseline information for tractor manufacturers regarding the inclusion of certain parts in new or proposed tractor designs with particular peculiarity to Nigerian farmers.Originality/valueThis paper gives an estimation of the magnitude of farm tractor accidents in relation to the Nigerian farming situation and proposes remedial actions.

Whole-body vibration: Evaluation of emission and exposure levels arising from agricultural tractors

A study was conducted to quantify whole-body vibration (WBV) emission and estimated exposure levels found upon a range of modern, state-of-the-art agricultural tractors, when operated in controlled conditions (traversing ISO ride vibration test tracks and performing selected agricultural operations) and whilst performing identical tasks during ‘on-farm’ use. The potential consequences of operator WBV exposure limitations, as prescribed by the European Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive:2002 (PA(V)D), upon tractor usage patterns were considered. Tractor WBV emission levels were found to be very dependent upon the nature of field operation performed, but largely independent of vehicle suspension system capability (due to the dominance of horizontal vibration). However, this trend was reversed during on-road transport. Few examples (∼9%) of tractor field operations approached or exceeded the PA(V)D Exposure Limit Value (ELV) during 8 h operation, but this figure increased (to 27%) during longer working days. However virtually all (∼95%) ‘on-farm’ vehicles exceeded the Exposure Action Value (EAV) during an 8-h day. The PA(V)D is not likely to restrict the operation of large, state-of-the-art tractors during an 8-h day, but will become a limitation if the working day lengthens significantly. Further ‘on-farm’ WBV data collection is required to enable creation of a robust, generic WBV emission database for agricultural tractor operations, to enable estimation of likely WBV exposure by employers.

Investigation and Situation of Timber Harvesting Mechanization of Turkey and the Usage of Tractors in Timber Extraction

In this study is to summarize usage of tractors in timber extraction and major problems of mechanized timber harvesting in Turkey. Timber harvesting in Turkey is still carried out by manual methods due to economical, social and environmental constraints. Almost 80% of harvesting activities are mechanized in many developed countries while this value is only 5% in Turkey. Overall ratio of mechanization is relatively low. Approximately percentage of man power, animal power, machine power and skyline harvesting are 72, 15, 8 and 5%, respectively. Turkish General Directorate of Forestry's mechanical park total amount is 457 in 2004. Mechanical park amount has been reduced to 19 tractors (4x4 and assembled shovel), 169 skidding winches, 6 tractors with equipment of snow cleaner, 46 forklifts, 26 loaders, 32 skylines, 65 agricultural tractors, 88 trucks, 4 agricultural tractors with shovel, 2 barking machines as of 2004. Approximate percentages of skidders, trucks, 4x2 tractors, forklifts, skylines, loaders, 4x4 tractors and barking machines are 36.9, 19.3, 16.4, 10, 7, 5.7, 4.2 and 0.5% in 2004. 4x2 and 4x4 tractors total amount has been reached to 41.7% in 1982, but this percentage has been reduced to 20.6% in 2004. Total machine park amount has been reduced 41.4% between years 1998-2004 in Turkey. In spite of existence of substantial number of harvesters, the amount of modern harvesting processor in Turkey is not sufficient. Different type and marked machine hasn't taken into consideration to improve mechanization and a poor standardization in harvesting is another problem in Turkey.

IT—Information Technology and The Human Interface: Annual Usage of Tractors in North-West Turkey

The annual usage of tractors according to farming type, mechanization indicator, number of fields and land size were determined through a survey conducted with 185 farmers, who owned a total of 253 tractors, in Thrace region of Turkey. The annual tractor usages for two farming types of dry only and dry/irrigated were 482 and 467 h, respectively. The specific annual tractor usage (per unit area) was 20·6 h ha−1 for dry farming and 26·1 h ha−1 for dry/irrigated farming, respectively.The correlation coefficient between the mean mechanization indicator in kW ha−1 and the specific annual usage in h ha−1 was 0·87. The correlation coefficient between the average farm size and specific annual usage was calculated as −0·86.

Developing habitat management systems for gramineous stemborers in South Africa

The stemborers Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) are important pests of maize and sorghum in South Africa. A habitat management system for these pests is being developed in the Northern Province of South Africa. This management system is similar to the one used in eastern Africa, where host and non-host plants of stemborers are used to repel moths away from the main crop and attract them to highly attractive trap plants. To identify possible trap crops, a survey of wild host plants of stemborers was undertaken in the Northern Province of South Africa and several new host plants were recorded. As a possible trap crop for stemborers, various Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) varieties were evaluated for oviposition preference by Ch. partellus moths and subsequent larval survival on those varieties. Few larvae survived longer than 15 days after inoculation onto Napier grass plants. A survey was conducted of farming practices that would affect the adoption of habitat management strategies. The high usage of tractors for ploughing may have a negative effect on adoption of perennial intercrops in a habitat management system. The common practice of free grazing animals also reduced the fodder value and benefit of trap crops. The value of Napier grass does not only lie in its use as trap crop but also as a measure to limit soil erosion and as animal feed.

Prohibition of factor market exchanges and technological choice in Chinese agriculture

This article constructs a model of technological choice in an economy where market exchanges in land and labour are prohibited. Empirical data on demand for tractors, tractor usage and chemical fertilisers in China are employed to test several hypotheses derived from the theoretical model. The theory implies that the impact of relative factor scarcity on the pattern of technological choice in such an economy is similar to that in a market economy as postulated by the Hicks‐Ruttan‐Hayami‐Binswanger hypothesis of induced technological change. The empirical evidence is found to be consistent with the implications of the model.

Economic aspects of tractor contracting operations in western Nigeria

The annual tractor usage is one of the most important concerns in any farm mechanization project because it is usually the most important way of holding down mechanization costs. The structure and volume of annual tractor usage were examined together with factors affecting the level of usage. Total annual usage of tractors was low because of seasonality of work, the partial nature of farm mechanization, frequency of tractor and implement breakdowns, which are not repaired on time due to lack of spare parts. Inadequate supplies of supporting facilities such as mechanics, repair shops, tractor operators and fuel also held down the level of use. Outside of Oyo and Oshun divisions of the State, tractors were used predominantly for transporting because of the thick vegetation and the dominance of tree crop growing in these areas.