Farm Tools, Machinery and Structures
Tools, implements and structures
Hand tools are powered by the operator: hoe, rake, fork, mattock, trowel, hand sprayer, pruning saw, secateurs, wheelbarrow and watering can. Each has a correct use and a maintenance routine - clean after use, dry, oil metal surfaces, sharpen blades, replace handles, store under cover. A blunt tool causes accidents and poor work.
Implements are drawn or mounted: the mouldboard or disc plough for primary tillage, the disc harrow and cultivator for secondary tillage, plus planter, mower and trailer. Know the tractor systems: engine, transmission, hydraulics, three-point linkage and the power take-off (PTO), which transfers power to driven implements. The PTO should run at its rated speed (commonly 540 rpm) at a specified engine speed - engine rpm and PTO rpm are not the same thing, a frequent trap.
Understand hitching and safety: never stand between tractor and implement, apply the handbrake and lower the linkage before servicing, keep shields on shafts, and match implement size to tractor power. Structures include stores, silos, livestock housing, shade, feed and water troughs, dips and spray races, crushes, fences, greenhouses and shade netting. Judge them by ventilation, drainage, orientation, space per animal and ease of cleaning.
Worked example - boom width: 20 nozzles spaced 0.5 m apart cover a 10 m swath; a 100 m run treats 1,000 m² = 0.1 ha, so ten runs treat one hectare.