Incubating Grassroots Innovation -

A Case Study on Motorcycle Driven Ploughing Machine

 Motorcycle Driven Plough

Mansukhbhai
Jagani
Amreli
Scouted by
Mahesh Parmar,
SRISTI

A simple multipurpose toolbar which attaches to vehicles

like Enfield Bullet Motorcycle at rear end of the vehicle by
replacing the back wheel
 Need gap that led to innovation
 Introduction of summer groundnut crop in the
region increases the demand of draft power, forced
the farmers to search for economical alternatives

 Increasing frequency of drought, decreased supply

of fodder, restrictive usage of bullocks, high
maintenance cost of draft animals

 Tractors found uneconomical for later stage (when

the soil has considerably softened) for ploughing
and inter-culturing, weeding due to high weight and
fuel consumption
 The Product : Key Competitive Advantages

The device was developed by an Indian artisan cum

farmer and has already proved its utility.

Ideal for a wide range of agricultural operations like field

preparation, Sowing, Interculturing , Spraying etc

It is simple, easily repaired and requires low

maintenance, in contrast to tractors

No continuous variable cost, in contrast to bullocks

Comparable price to bullocks

Attachable to “ ENFIELD” and some other motorcycles.

 Salient Features and advantages

Ideally suited to farmers with small and medium size land.

Stronger and 3 times faster than bullocks

Far cheaper than tractors

Simple , cheap and low maintenance

Can plough an acre of land in an hour consuming only about

0.5 liters of diesel.

Multipurpose device can be used for agriculture operation ,

transportation and also used as regular motorcycle.

Novel & Patented in India & USA

Some facts about the products:

Price (Without motorcycle) : Rs. 25000 (About 625 USD)

(With motorcycle) : Rs. 85000 (About 2125 USD)
( Note: 1USD=40 INR)

Innovator has sold 100 units till date

Awarded by NIF

Adopted by farmers in India and inquiries received from all

over the globe.

Huge export potential in the developed & developing

countries like Africa , North America etc
Comparative benchmarking
Parameters A pair of Motorcycle EICHER
Bullock plough (Santi) tractor
Technical Features (eicher 242
di)
Power ( HP) A Pair is equal to 2 6.5 24
HP
Gear Systems No 1 – 2 – 3 & reverse Sliding mesh gear
8 forward
2 reverse
Max. Traveling 3 kmph 45 kmph 35 kmph
Speed
Availability of No No Yes
PTO
Availability of No Mechanical Double Cylinder
Hydraulics Lift 1000 kg capacity
Fuel consumption Cost of fodder is 0.5 lit / hr 2 lit/hr
(Average) equal to Rs. 200 per
day
 Comparative benchmarking
Parameters Bullock
Performance / Coverage
Haulage capacity 500 kg
Start up time 3 hrs
Operations performed Cultivation, ploughing,
inter-culturing and
harvesting
Average Area Covered / 0.75 acre
hr( for ploughing)
Limitations  Need to maintain bullock
in slack time also
 it requires one full time
care taker
 requires rest at regular
intervals
 No credit facility
Capital cost (Rs.) 15000
Maintenance & repair Rs. 75000
per year
Cont…
Motorcycle plough (Santi) EICHER tractor
(EICHER 242 DI)
750 kg and with trolley 3 4 – 5 tons
tons
15-30 mins 15-30 mins
Cultivation , ploughing , All agricultural operation with
inter-culturing and higher speed and non farm
harvesting , spraying , operations like transportation etc
transportation
1 acre 5 acre
 Requirement of Diesel  Not affordable by small
motorcycle farmers,
 cannot undertake deep  High operation cost
ploughing / digging of  heavy weight leads to
hardening of soil where it runs
groundnut and its frame leads to breaking of
 No credit facility stems and flowers
 Easy and subsidized credit
facility.
65,000(B) + 22,500 2,00,000
Rs. 1000 Rs. 20,000
Technology Benchmarking –
Use of Draft Animal
( Two Bullocks)
Productivity (labourer)
= 5 hectare / day
Time taken to tilt 17 hectare =
3.5 days
Amount spent / labourer
= $ 1.25/day
Total amount = $ 4.17 /-
Amount spent on fodder /day
= $ 2.5 / bullock
= $8.75 ( $ 2.5 x 3.5)
Total amount ($4.17 + $8.75)
= $12.92
Cost / hectare = $0.77
Operation & maintenance cost comparison
Motorcycle Plough
Cost of Diesel required for
17hectare is 10 litres @
$0.5/litre
= $5.00
Labour Requirement for 17
hectare for operating and
maintenance is $ 2.50/17
hectare @ 2 labourers =
$2.5x2 = $5.00
Total cost / 17 hectare
= $ 10.00
Cost / hectare = $0.6
Tractor
Cost of Diesel required for
17hectare is 8 litres @
$0.50/litre
= $4.00
Labour Requirement for 17
hectare for operating and
maintenance is $2.50/ 17
hectare @ 2 labourers = $2.5 x
2 = $5.00
Maint. + Over. 20%
Total cost / 17 hectare
= $10.90
Cost / hectare = $ 0.68
 SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE BULLET – SANTI

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Potential usage
Cost effective Less turning radius among various level Easy to copy
of farmers
Employment
Gets stuck at times Adoption not at
User friendly opportunities at
in wet clay larger level
various levels
Revolution in
Low level of the agricultural sector New technological
Less maintenance
lower chain area if adopted at mass options
scale
Reduction in cost
High speed sowing Reverse system not Obsolescence over
through further
options possible a period of time
design
Non stake of
Small capacity Hydraulic system
enterprises and
trailer carriages not built
entrepreneurs
Variable crop Switch over time to
interculturing convert motorcycle
option into plough
P1 – First prototype by Innovator (1994)

Basic frame

Extension rod
(tyre adjustment)
P2 - 2nd Model by the innovator with added features ( 2000)

Manual control for Mechanical

adjustment of plough arrangement of lever
depth for lifting the plough
P3 – Involvement of formal science - design inputs from NID
Advantages: (Prototype 3)

Better in ergonomic and aesthetic consideration

Limitations of design
•Requires high investment & Not suitable for local
production
•Provision for additional requirements of farmers
are missing ( like provision for carrying equipments
while transportation from home to farm)
•Plough needs to be redesigned , which is not
acceptable by the farmers.
•Low users friendliness.
Value addition by GIAN - TePP projects ( Apr 02 – Nov 04)

Crude Prototype Improved Version

Speed Reduction by Chain A new gear-box with reverse
Drive and no Reverse Speed gear option is incorporated and
Arrangement minimized the power loss due
to direct shaft attached to gears
No reverse gear facility A new gear-box with reverse
gear option is incorporated
IPR Protection

US6854404B India Status-Applied for

2
Filing Dt: 22/07/02
Aplln. No: 659/MUM/2002

USA Status: Granted

Filing Dt: Feb 22, 2002
Granting Dt: Feb15 2005
Patent No: US6854404B2
Market Research through exhibition – Participation in global level Auto Expo
Expanding the Applications

Field cultivation Sowing by labor Sowing by Seed Drill

Interculturing Spraying

Transportation
Potential market
New Business opportunities – Non farm applications

towards mechanized Salt farming

Conventional practice

•Haulages purpose at airports & industries

•Grass cutting application
•Application in army Video
Thank
you…