Development and Performance Evaluation of Mini Tractor Mounted Clod Crusher

Masters Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Engineering - Mechanical Engineering, Junagadh Agricultural University (College of Agril Engineering & Technology), course: M.Tech Thesis, language: English, abstract: The objectives of this study are to develop a mini tractor mounted clod crusher, to evaluate the performance of the developed machine and to work out economics of the machine. In tillage tools used in India faces problem like, poor soil-tire interface, clod formation, compaction due to heavy traffic and timeliness in operation. Hence, it was planned to fabricate three different types of clod crusher and to evaluate its performance with clod crusher implements. To achieve this objective a prototype implement consisting of three different types of clod crusher cylinders like as square spike, round spike and spiral arrangement of spike were developed costing Rs. 7000/- per each cylinder. The newly developed implement was tested in field condition to evaluate its performance. Their performance results were analyzed in terms of tilling quality of soil and machine parameters. The effects of treatments on soil physical properties like soil bulk density, clod MWD were evaluated. Machine performance parameters like fuel consumption, field efficiency and cost of operation were also studied. Better performance in terms of tilling quality of soil was obtained using clod crusher (square spike) attachment to cultivator. The optimum values of clod MWD, clod crushing field efficiency and fuel consumption were found 13.64 mm, 78.37 % and 7.02 lit/ha respectively. The operating cost were found 882, 1050 and 988 ₹/ha in square spike, round spike and spiral arrangement respectively. Using clod crusher attachment to cultivator a farmer can save more rupees against another implement which is used for seed bed preparation.