Farm Machinery, Tools and Implements
This domain checks your ability to match an implement to an operation and to calibrate a machine, plus basic workshop and PTO safety.
Core rules
- Primary tillage opens the soil: mouldboard plough, disc plough, chisel plough. Secondary tillage refines the seedbed: disc harrow, cultivator, rotavator, leveller.
- Sowing and planting: seed drill, seed-cum-fertilizer drill, planter, transplanter. Harvesting and threshing: reaper, thresher, combine harvester. Plant protection: knapsack sprayer, duster, power sprayer.
- Hand tools: khurpi, spade, sickle, crowbar, hoe, rake - matched to weeding, digging, cutting and lifting.
- Tractor basics: engine power at the flywheel, drawbar power at the hitch, PTO speed normally 540 rpm, three-point linkage for mounted implements. Match implement width and power to avoid overloading.
- Calibration ensures the correct seed or chemical rate: measure a known area, collect the output, then scale up to one hectare.
- Safety: keep PTO shafts guarded, stop the engine before clearing a choke, wear close-fitting clothes, and never leave a raised implement unsupported.
Worked example
A seed drill of 2 m width is run 20 m; seed collected is 0.8 kg. Find the seed rate per hectare. Reasoning: covered area = 2 m × 20 m = 40 m². Seed per square metre = 0.8 ÷ 40 = 0.02 kg. Per hectare = 0.02 × 10,000 = 200 kg/ha. Repeat the run at a different spot to confirm and adjust the meter if it differs.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling a rotavator a primary tillage implement.
- Forgetting the drill width when calculating area covered.
- Confusing engine horsepower with drawbar horsepower.
- Cleaning a running thresher or sprayer nozzle with the power on.