INTRODUCTION

Farm power is the source of energy in which is an essential input in agriculture for
timely field operation for increasing productivity and production.
Machinery are equipments used in caring out farm practices such as tractor which
is the source of farm power, riggers, plough, harrows, etc.
Sustainable agricultural mechanization can also contribute significantly to the
development of value chains and food systems as it has the potential to render
postharvest, processing and marketing activities and functions more efficient,
effective and environmentally friendly.

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FARM POWER AND MECHINERY
The major source of farm power is tractors and the machineries are plough,
harrows and riggers
TRACTOR: Tractor is a self-propelled power unit having wheels or tracks for
operating agricultural implements and machines including trailers it can also be
defined as an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive
effort ( or torque ) at slow speed , for the purpose of hauling a trailer or machinery
used in agriculture. Tractor engine is used as a prime mover for active tools and
stationary farm machinery through power take-off shaft (PTO) or belt pulley.
Wheel tractor: Tractors, having three of four pneumatic wheels are called wheel
tractors. Four- wheel tractors are most popular everywhere
. (ii) Crawler tractor: This is also called track type tractor or chain type tractor. In
such tractors, there is endless chain or track in place of pneumatic wheels.
Walking tractor (Power tiller): Power tiller is a walking type tractor. This tractor is
usually fitted with two wheels only. The direction of travel and its controls for field
operation is performed by the operator, walking behind the tractor. On the basis of
purpose,
wheeled tractor is classified into three groups: (a) General purpose tractor: It is
used for major farm operations; such as ploughing, harrowing, sowing, harvesting
and transporting work. Such tractors have (i) low ground clearance (ii) increased
engine power (iii) good adhesion and (iv) wide tyres.

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TRACTOR COMPONENTS
A tractor is made of following main components:
(1) I. C. engine,
(2) Clutch
(3) Transmission gears
(4) Differential unit
(5) Final drive
(6) Rear wheels
(7) Front wheels
(8) Steering mechanism
(9) Hydraulic control and hitch system
(10) Brakes
(11) Power take-off unit
(12) Tractor pulley
(13) Control panel.
Every tractor is fitted with an I. C. engine, the engine may be carburettor type or
diesel type but nowadays almost all the tractors are diesel tractors.

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THE FUNCTIONS OF THE COMPONENT PARTS
1. I.C engine: Internal combustion of suitable horse power is used as a prime
mover in a tractor. Engines ranging from 8 to 200 hp are used in agricultural
tractors. In India , four wheel tractors for agricultural operations are fitted with 25-
80 hp. Walking type tractors are fitted with 8-12 hp engines
2. Clutch: Clutch is a device, used to connect and disconnect the tractor engine
from the transmission gears and drive wheels. Clutch transmits power by means of
friction between driving members and driven members Necessity of clutch in a
tractor 1. Engine needs cranking by any suitable device. For easy cranking, the
engine is disconnected from the rest of the transmission unit by the clutch. After
starting the starting the engine, the clutch is engaged to transmit the power from
engine to gear box 2. In order to change the gears, the gear box must be kept free
from engine power, otherwise the gear teeth will be damaged and engagement of
gears will be difficult. This work is done by clutch
3. When the belt pulley of the tractor works in the field it needs to be stopped with
out stopping the engine. This is done by a clutch
3. power transmission system of a tractor): Transmission is a speed reducing
mechanism, equipped with several gears. It may be called a sequence of gears and
shafts, through which the engine power is transmitted to the tractor wheels. The
system consists of various devices, which cause forward and backward movement
of tractor to suit different field conditions. The complete path of power from
engine to wheel is called power train Functions of power transmission system.
4. . Steering mechanism: The system, governing the angular movement of front
wheels of a tractor is called steering system. This system minimizes the efforts of
the operator in turning the front wheels with the application of leverages.
5. Power take off :It is a part of tractor transmission system. It consists of a shaft, a
shield and a cover. The shaft is externally splined to transmit tortional power to
another machine. A rigid guard fitted on a tractor covers the power-take-off shaft
as a safety device. The guard is called power take off shield. As per ASAE
standards PTO speed is 540+ 10 rpm when operating under load. In order to
operate 1000 rpm PTO drive machine, a new standard has been developed.

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FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE SELECTION OF TRACTOR
Selection of tractor depends upon following factors:
(1) Land holding : Under a single cropping pattern, it is normally recommended to
consider 1 hp for every 1 hectares of land, In other words, one tractor of 20-25 hp
is suitable for 20 hectares farm.
(2) Cropping pattern : Generally less than 1.0 hectare/hp have been recommended
where adequate irrigation facilities are available and more than one crop is taken.
So a 30-35 hp tractor is suitable for 25 hectares farm.
(3) Soil condition: A tractor with less wheel base, higher ground clearance and low
overall weight may work successfully in lighter soil but it will not be able to give
sufficient depth in black cotton soil.
(4) Climatic condition: For very hot zone and desert area, air cooled engines are
preferred over water-cooled engines. Similarly for higher altitude, air cooled
engines are preferred because water is liable to be frozen at higher altitude.
(5) Repairing facilities: It should be ensured that the tractor to be purchased has a
dealer at near by place with all the technical skills for repair and maintenance of
machine.
(6) Running cost: Tractors with less specific fuel consumption should be preferred
over others so that running cost may be less.

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 IMPLEMENTS
HARROWS: is a tillage implement which help in breaking up and smoothing out
the surface of the soil . it this way distinct in its effect from the plough, which is
used for deeper tillage .harrowing is often carried out on field to follow the rough
finish left operations. The purpose of harrowing is generally to break up
clods(lumps of soil) and to provide a finer finish. Disc harrow consist if many
carbon steel and sometimes the longer lasting boron disc, which have many
concavities and disc blade sizes and spacing which is arranged into two
sections(offset disc harrow) or four sections(tandem disc harrow) when view from
above the four sections would appears likes X which has been flattened to be so
that they are not parallel with the overall direction of the implement.
PLOUGH: a plough is a tool or machine used in farming for initial cultivation of
the soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting to loosen or turn the soil. The
primary purpose of ploughing is to turn over the upper layer of the soil, bringing
fresh nutrient to the surface, while burying the weed and the remains of previous
crops and allowing them to decompose. As plough is drawn through the soil it
creates long trenches of fertile soil called furrow. In modern use plough field is
typically left to dry out, and then harrowed before planting.
RIDGER: this is the tertiary tillage implement, the beam are attaches to beam. It is
two ridge ridgers. The arrangement is alternate to each other, which implies that in
between the disc form the furrow, in two ridge rigger the disc one and three will
form one ridge, while the two and four disc will make second ridge. It helps in
turning the soil and preventing weed from growing, it also helps in harvesting of
root crops easily. It improves the soil aeration. Disc ridgers consist of point of
attachment to the tractor, the beam which houses the disc.
BUCKET CONVEYOR: This is an implement that is used to convey or move
inputs like harvested produce and work materials in and out if the farm. It has 3
hitch point whereby it is connected to a tractor.

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SHRUB MASTER: This is an implement that is used for cutting shrubs. It also
has 3 hitch points.

TRACTOR DRIVING
I drove the tractor on Thursday 15th of July 2021.
I learned how to accelerate and control the stirring

Fig1: Myself on the tractor driving practice