Electrical tractive equipment design for small & marginal farm mechanization

To mechanize small and marginal farms in India, innovative solutions were investigated. Electric or Hybrid Electric drives with necessary flexibility in the structural construction found to be a solution for low cost of ownership, which are primary factor affecting mechanisation levels in small & marginal size farms. Based on ASABE standards the estimation of tractive power demand under various soil conditions in agricultural operations, it was found that proposed Electrically Driven Innovative Tractive Equipment could offer upto 81% reduction in fuel cost for Indian formers, who had been provided with subsidized electricity for agricultural activities. Using in tandem with suitably designed implements, such innovative tractive devices could also be low priced, due to simple mechanism designs. While considering the versatile applications in small & marginal farms having narrow crop row plantations, the proposed equipment design eliminates the drawbacks of conventional tractor, and better mechanisation level could be achieved meeting minimum scale of economic operations in Small and Marginal Farms. This equipment offers the automation possibility for the small & marginal farms in an economic & safer way.