Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms
Abstract This paper describes the design, functional testing, and user feedback for a tractor specialized for small farms in low-resource settings, particularly India. The presented tractor is unique in its ability to compete with draft animals’ physical dimensions, pulling performance, and sale pr...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ASME International
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139753 |
| _version_ | 1811096047361982464 |
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| author | Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F Winter V, Amos G |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Global Engineering and Research Laboratory |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Global Engineering and Research Laboratory Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F Winter V, Amos G |
| author_sort | Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Abstract
This paper describes the design, functional testing, and user feedback for a tractor specialized for small farms in low-resource settings, particularly India. The presented tractor is unique in its ability to compete with draft animals’ physical dimensions, pulling performance, and sale price, while retaining key tractor advantages such as compatibility with modern tools, low maintenance costs, and reduced drudgery. This tractor features motorcycle-like controls and seating, inline drive wheels, stabilization via an outrigger arm or a specially developed, novel balance board attachment, and the ability to attach implements ahead or behind the rear axle. The design was created to address unmet farmer requirements identified during interviews with Indian farming stakeholders. A prototype of the tractor demonstrated the completion of key farming operations in a Massachusetts farm where expert user feedback was obtained. In-person interviews on the tractor’s usefulness were then conducted with 24 small and marginal Indian farmers in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. The tractor was described to the farmers with help of pictures, videos, and local experts. Farmers generally reported that the prototype tractor would meet their needs and suggested being willing to purchase the vehicle for 123,000 INR, about 22% higher than the price target for which the tractor was designed. The interviewed farmers reported an average likelihood of 4.8/5 that they would use the vehicle for planting, inter-cultivation, and spraying, and an average likelihood of 3.8/5 that they would use the tractor for primary or secondary tillage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:37:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/139753 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:37:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | ASME International |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1397532023-02-14T20:38:56Z Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F Winter V, Amos G Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Global Engineering and Research Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Abstract This paper describes the design, functional testing, and user feedback for a tractor specialized for small farms in low-resource settings, particularly India. The presented tractor is unique in its ability to compete with draft animals’ physical dimensions, pulling performance, and sale price, while retaining key tractor advantages such as compatibility with modern tools, low maintenance costs, and reduced drudgery. This tractor features motorcycle-like controls and seating, inline drive wheels, stabilization via an outrigger arm or a specially developed, novel balance board attachment, and the ability to attach implements ahead or behind the rear axle. The design was created to address unmet farmer requirements identified during interviews with Indian farming stakeholders. A prototype of the tractor demonstrated the completion of key farming operations in a Massachusetts farm where expert user feedback was obtained. In-person interviews on the tractor’s usefulness were then conducted with 24 small and marginal Indian farmers in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. The tractor was described to the farmers with help of pictures, videos, and local experts. Farmers generally reported that the prototype tractor would meet their needs and suggested being willing to purchase the vehicle for 123,000 INR, about 22% higher than the price target for which the tractor was designed. The interviewed farmers reported an average likelihood of 4.8/5 that they would use the vehicle for planting, inter-cultivation, and spraying, and an average likelihood of 3.8/5 that they would use the tractor for primary or secondary tillage. 2022-01-26T19:21:28Z 2022-01-26T19:21:28Z 2021 2022-01-26T19:18:12Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139753 Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F and Winter V, Amos G. 2021. "Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms." Journal of Mechanical Design, 143 (1). en 10.1115/1.4047001 Journal of Mechanical Design Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf ASME International ASME |
| spellingShingle | Diaz Lankenau, Guillermo F Winter V, Amos G Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title | Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title_full | Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title_short | Investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all-wheel-drive motorcycles on small farms |
| title_sort | investigation of viability to replace draft animals with all wheel drive motorcycles on small farms |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139753 |
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