Farm Machinery, Tools, Implements and Workshop Practices
What this domain covers
This domain tests hand tools, animal-drawn and tractor implements, power sources, workshop operations, sprayer calibration and machine maintenance.
Core rules and concepts
- Hand tools: khurpi, spade, hoe, sickle, dao, crowbar, pickaxe. Animal-drawn: country plough, mouldboard plough, harrow.
- Tractor and power tiller implements: mouldboard plough, disc harrow, cultivator, rotavator, leveller, seed drill, transplanter, puddler, thresher and chaff cutter.
- Power sources: human, animal, mechanical, electrical and renewable (solar pumps).
- Workshop operations: measuring (steel rule, vernier caliper, micrometer), marking (scriber, try square), cutting (hacksaw, chisel, file), drilling, tapping, welding and soldering, all done with the job held in a bench vice.
- Maintenance: clean after use, sharpen blades, lubricate moving parts, prevent rust and store under cover.
Worked example
A knapsack sprayer holds 16 litres and the recommended spray volume is 500 litres per hectare. Tankfuls needed = 500 / 16 = 31.25, so 32 tankfuls cover one hectare. If one tank takes 12 minutes, total time is 32 x 12 = 384 minutes, about 6.4 hours. The reasoning shows that calibration converts a recommendation into the actual number of tank loads and labour hours.
Traps that cost marks
- Using a blunt implement, which increases draft and injury risk.
- Mixing units, for example treating millimetres and centimetres as equal.
- Using the wrong nozzle or pressure, which changes the spray volume and dose.
- Storing fertilizer or pesticide in a sprayer tank meant for water only.
- Working on machinery without eye protection and proper lifting support.