Farm Transportation & low-Draught work tasks on farms Worldwide.

[Graham Edwards]

Probably the most primitive,unsafe,gas-guzzling,inefficient & soil-damaging aspect of farming are the Conventional Farm-tractor & Trailer combinations.They crawl-around the world with people & equipment on the Farm-trailers ,usually-overloaded and they move around at such a slow pace ,often with engines pushing smoke out at maximum engine revs!!!Whilst it is well-known that Tractor-Drivers & dentists suffer most from lower-back-pain & spinal difficulties ,it is THE FOSSIL-FUEL usage[when in Transport-mode & when working with low-draught Ag-implements]that shows such a wastage........The problem was addressed by a W.S.H.Taylor in the 70s & 80s when his UMIST-Masters Thesis[Manchester University]suggested that Ploughing -Dominated Thinking in the Design-Houses of Deere,M.F.etc. was and should be very -different from Farm-Transport-Work[& lower draught-work,such as hay & grass-mowing,topping,muck & fertilizer-spreading,hedge-cutting,spraying ,including LGP-Spraying,Dressing,Harrowing,Discing,Rolling,drilling.hay-raking etc.]and that tractors designed primarily for ploughing SHOULD-NOT be the same as those designed for the main,Time-Consuming Tasks of TRANSPORTATION & LOW-DRAUGHT WORK........................Frankly ,the idea & concept of what he called his TRAnsport-tracTOR[TRANTOR] was an excellent concept which did not become a main competitor to the ploughing tractor manufacturers[in the 80s & 90s because the company he formed was small but RATHER more because the OIL-PRICE was a mere 20$ a barrel...........................The oil-Price in future is likely to go up even from its present high-figure & those countries that are big food-producers who have problems of self-sufficiency in food production,due to RAPID population growth,& those nations Also concerned with CONSERVATION AG.[NO DEEP-Ploughing!!!!!]seem likely to introduce the Taylor-concept as part of their country`s approach to conservation & food-Production Efficiency???? ..................THE FUTURE IN AG IS UNLIKELY TO BE THE SAME AS THE PAST Graham Edwards

[Scott E. Justice]

Agreed. I see in this morning's paper oil hit 80 USD / barrel. Things are changing.
I see the primitive but profitable Chinese two-wheel tractors that are extremely popular in Bangladesh (numbers at 350,000), Sri Lanka (130,000) and now Nepal (10,000), albeit with their full tillage rotovators, as a step in the direction you speak. In full tillage modes they consume approximately 15-20 litres per hectare as compared to the Indian 4-wheel tractors using 9-11 tine spring cultivators that consume 30-40 litres per hectare. They do this as they only till down 2-3 inches. With a reduced till drill that can be easily converted to a strip till drill attachment they consume only 10 litres per hectare. They have other wonderful attachments like reapers and trailers.
As for their role in rural transport, they are even slower than their 4-wheel tractor rivals but with the conditions of roads and extremely high traffic found in the eastern Gangetic plains more speed would likely cause more harm.

Along Trantor lines I saw the Shaan in the market here in Nepal a few years back but it apparently did not take off here. Not sure how it is doing in India. A smaller MARS Farm Equipments' 10 HP Trishul -Trantor like tractor (see attached photo below) is selling in Nepal in small numbers but used mostly in transport. There were few 'sized" tillage attachments offered for it but it was really hindered by its very small engine. What ever happen to Trantor HMT??

[Graham Edwards]

I had the pleasure of giving The Keynote address at the SIAT-ARAI symposium on the History [1946-2009]of Farm tractors & rural transport vehicles viewed from a western perspective.[the paper has 80 photographs to accompany it & some main photos in the text].It can be obtained from ARAI,India or from [e-mail] by electronic transmission.photos separately.Regarding your HMT LTD of INDIA query,the HMTltd. company is a large PSU[Public sector unit]and its tractor division in Pinjore makes Zetor-Designed tractors,Zetor-designed engines,in a large factory that also manufactures Machine-tools.In the Machine-tool company is a large foundry.The company is controlled by the Ministry of Heavy industry that provides ,on a monthly basis[to the public]its financial performance.The tractor company needed a new product to offset its drastic reduction in sales volume and the ministry approved the agreement to make Trantors under licence from TVL of UK.The collaboration continues at a slow pace ,currently,because of the recent intention of the revised Indian-Government to Disinvest some of its ownership/shareholding.The sales of Zetor-designed HMT tractors has been declining for some years as competition & amalgamation[TAFE-EICHER & PTL+M&M]plus the entry of DEERE & NEW HOLLAND has taken its toll.The TVL compny in UK is continuing to work on this project by extending the range of Export-worthy tractors,improving its Indian supply-chain whilst awaiting government plans for PSUs.Thank you for your interest G.