Farming Tools, Implements And Equipment

Must Have List of Farming Tools,

Implements And Equipment

Farmer needs to undertake a number of activities on a routine basis. The activities take a troll on the time and money of the farmer. Fortunately as mankind has evolved,  more and more systematic methods of farming have evolved. These depend on a number of tools, implements and equipment. We shall discuss only some of the more important ones.

Tools and equipment are terms that are often used interchangeably without knowing the actual difference between tools and equipment, but in fact, they have different definitions.

TOOLS:

What is meant is a simple type of equipment which is used manually by the farmer. The tools are all hand held and operated manually.

Tools examples:

1. Fork Hoe: this tool is to be used for loosening, lifting and turning over soil by gardeners or farmers.
2. Spade and shovel: this tool is to be used to break any lumps in soil. The tool is angled forward for digging and scooping.
3. Sickle: this tool is used for harvesting. It has a curved blade and wooden handle.
4. Cutlass: this tool is a flat metal long blade with a wooden handle with one sharp edge for clearing of bushes, cutting of tree branches, etc.
5. Water can

IMPLEMENTS:

Are meant as appendages to mechanized machinery and add more value to that piece of machinery. Implements when added allow the machine to be used for different type of usages. Implements would be pulled or pushed by the machinery to be able to perform its designated purpose. The implements need to be pulled manually, by bullocks or by tractors and made accordingly. Now a days tractors are used extensively though there are places where by necessity oxens or manual method has to be used.

Implements examples:

1. Cultivator: This implements is used for removing weeds, preparing soil for planting.
   

   cultivator

   The use of this implement allows soil to be aerated and also water can penetrate down to roots.

2. Harrow: This implements is used after ploughing operations. It will smooth out the field surfaces.
3. Plough: This implement lus used for turning over the upper layer of the soil so that fresh nutrients are brought up, buried weeds and remains of previous crops.

MACHINERY:

Used by farmers by definition is a mechanized equipment which can run on electric or diesel or petrol or hydraulic. Machinery is to apply force and control movement for an intended action. Most of farm machinery is still operated by human but there is a gradual introduction of machinery which is smart and can run according to program pre fed into its computer. A common machinery used extensively on farms is TRACTOR.

Examples of Machines:

1. Tractor: Probably the most used and most important machinery in a farm. It is used for pulling or pushing agricultural for planting, tilling, ploughing, harrowing etc.
2. Harvester: Mechanical harvesting is the order of the day these days due to problems of farm laborers. Larger amount of crop can be harvested quickly and most efficiently.
3. Knapsack Sprayer: this machine could be manual, electric or petrol driven. It is used to apply soluble pesticides to plants. A much used piece of equipment.

Tractor

Wikipedia has the following description for tractors.

tractor

A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver at a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction.

The most common use of the term “tractor” is for the vehicles used on farms. The farm tractor is used for pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or trailers, for plowing, tilling, disking, harrowing, planting, and similar tasks. The word tractor was taken from Latin, being the agent noun of trahere “to pull”. The first recorded use of the word meaning “an engine or vehicle for pulling wagons or ploughs” occurred in 1896, from the earlier term “traction engine”.

Tractors can be generally classified by number of axles or wheels, with main categories of two-wheel tractors (single-axle tractors) and four-wheel tractors (two-axle tractors).

2-wheel tractors:  it is a single axle tractor, self powered and self propelled. It can both pull and power various farm implements such as trailer, cultivator, harrow, plough, seeders, harvesters.  When pulling some implement, operator can ride on the tractor.

Sprayers:

Manual Backpack Sprayer

Sprayers are used to apply soluble or dry chemicals suitable for fighting pests, virus and infections in the plants. There are a number of sprayers distinguished by their design – manual, electric and petrol driven. The nozzles of sprayers also come in different designs to provide for desired droplet size and spread geometry.

During the process of spraying certain losses occur which could cause dangers to environment. Although sprayers are designed to apply the right doses of chemicals to the target area, the spray tends also to spread further than intended because of air currents. The spray on the plants also either deposits on the leaves or runs down thru the earth to water bodies and contaminates water therein though seepage, leeching and drainage.

Depending on the volume of spray per square area, the sprayers are generalized into three categories:

1. High Volume will spray more than 150 l/ha. Used for pesticides, fungicides, herbicides applications by khanpsack sprayer, motorized spray, tractor mounted sprayers.
2. Low Volume for 10-150 l/ha. Used for insecticides, fungicides applications by motorized knapsack sprayers, aircraft mounted sprayers.
3. Ultra Low Volume for 1-5 l/ha. Used for well controlled insecticides applications by high r.p.m.  spinning disc in motorized knapsack sprayers. The limiting of insecticide solution reduces any contamination to water bodies and is economic in usage.

About nkp

Hi ; I have had opportunity to travel widely and have keen watched whatever farming practices the local farmers were engaged in. Back home been growing gerberas mostly in polyhouses, but outside in kitchen garden as well. i love these hardy perennials. good for business too if done in a routine orderly scientific manner. Also engaged in farming of wheat and organic vegetables on a small scale for me and family. My service profile has been that of an electronic and telecom engineer and now am engaged in web site creation and blogging.