How to Choose the Right Machinery for Your Farm: A Detailed Guide for Farmers

A farmer’s ability to complete farming tasks on time and produce high-quality crops depends on their ability to choose the appropriate agricultural equipment. A wide range of farm equipment is available to modern farmers for various agricultural methods and activities. Agricultural equipment manufacturers, local or neighboring merchants, and even internet markets sell machinery. Let’s check out how to choose the right machinery for your farm below.

Before investing in any agricultural machinery, a farmer should be certain that the machinery is appropriate. If a farmer requires a harvest for a certain crop, he should choose a harvest based on the type of crop he intends to harvest. Using the correct equipment and cutting down on labour costs, a farmer can make his agricultural business profitable.

Profits are increased, and crops are grown more quickly when farmers use the correct agricultural equipment. Soil and climatic conditions have a significant impact on the efficiency of any agricultural machinery. For this reason, farmers need to think about numerous factors before purchasing agricultural equipment to receive the expected results.

In this article, we provided needed tips for choosing your farm machinery, factors affecting the selection of farm machinery, taking care of heavy machinery used in agriculture such as tractors, tractor and implement selection for different agricultural operations, operating principles of farm machinery, tips for selection of machinery, and selection of modern machines used in agriculture.

How to choose the right machinery for your farm: Steps

Prepare a list of needed machinery

Decide precisely what you need before you rush out and start spending money like there’s no tomorrow. Because of this, you will be better equipped to make wise decisions and will be less likely to waste your hard-earned money on items you may not even need.

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Estimate your budget

Knowing your budget helps you decide what to buy. Before you react to a supplier’s offer or place an order, you should have a crystal clear image of your budget, both in general and for the specific purchase you want to make.

Decide on the method of purchase.

The vast majority of farm vehicles, tools, and other pieces of machinery are available for buy or lease. Larger pieces of agricultural equipment may often be rented on a short-term basis, unlike most smaller implements, which are typically not accessible for purchase via a leasing arrangement.

Leasing is a great option for anyone who would rather not make the investment required to purchase their heavy equipment. This is beneficial from a tax perspective since the renter does not have to pay any taxes on the equipment that is being leased.

Land size

A farmer with a larger land area would benefit from having more machines to complete the harvesting and planting activities. A farmer can also explore purchasing used machinery or buying an additional number of tractors or agricultural machines accessible on a pay-per-use basis. Another option is to rent these machines.

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Type of soil

Before buying agricultural equipment, a farmer must consider the soil. Depending on the kind of soil, the farmer must choose if a heavier or lighter machine would be more appropriate for their farming requirements. For a farm with light soil, for example, farm equipment with a greater ground clearance yet as light as possible would be appropriate. The way a plough operates can change depending on the texture and moisture level of the soil.

Size of the machinery

When determining the amount of the equipment you require, one of the most important factors to consider is the scale of your business. Many farmers choose to reduce their machinery by purchasing small farm machinery that does not need much storage space or fuel. You want to make sure that the size of the apparatus you use is appropriate for the task at hand, neither too big nor too tiny.

Equipment that is too tiny might need an increased number of passes or trips, which could drastically slow you down and lower the value of your machinery. Equipment that is too big, on the other hand, may have running expenses that are greater than what is required, and it may even be impossible to put the equipment in between rows of crops or in other confined spaces on your farm. In addition to physically fitting in the needed areas, it has to have sufficient power to do what you want it to do, such as lifting heavy loads.

Availability of a nearby service or repair centre

Make sure the agricultural equipment manufacturer’s parts or repair centre is close. The contact information for the repairing facility or service centre should already be in a farmer’s hands. This will save them time and prevent interruptions to their most critical agricultural tasks.

Consider the resale value

When considering whether to purchase, evaluate all costs, including operating, owning, and paying employees. These costs should not be more than the value that can be reimbursed by selling the machinery. Even after many years of service, the equipment you purchase should be easy to resell under its original brand name.

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You should avoid purchasing machinery that is difficult to get rid of anytime you decide to do so since it is not in your best interest. As a result, it is strongly suggested that you get your machinery from a manufacturer with a leading position in the industry. This will guarantee that you get excellent service, but it will also increase the machinery’s resale value.

Consider second-hand machinery

When the cost of brand-new machinery exceeds the budget, many farmers decide to purchase used farm machinery instead. This can be done via individual sales and dealer and plough supplier contacts. You can receive the equipment you want at a lower price than retail rates if you purchase it since most used equipment is still in excellent functioning condition.

Comfort

You should make your equipment comfortable if you use it often. Although not everyone places as much importance on having a clean and comfortable cab, having one certainly makes one’s workday more pleasant. The level of comfort within the cab might even affect the security of the driver. Sturdy cages and safety measures provide several distinct benefits.

Air conditioning units can help keep drivers comfortable despite the wildly fluctuating temperatures caused by the changing seasons. Because visibility is also a critical element of operating machines, the cab’s location can also be helpful in this regard.

Attachments

Will you be able to use the attachments on your equipment to do several jobs, or is it designed just for one function? Think of all the tasks that need to be done on the farm, from the regular ones like feeding the animals and ploughing to the more project-based ones like planting, construction, and waste management. If you want to receive the attachments right soon, you should remember to include them in the cost of getting them. Investing in a coupler that enables you to swap between attachments is likely to be wise if you want to use a single piece of machinery for various jobs.

Brand and model name

Do not hastily decide anything about a machine or equipment based only on its outward appearance. Consider purchasing a piece of farm equipment from a well-known and respected brand in the agricultural industry. You won’t have spare parts or maintenance issues. Find the most recent technological models with the greatest characteristics, evaluate them compared to other manufacturers, and choose any piece of machinery that meets your requirements.

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Be sure to check the machine design.

If you want to use the machine easily, you should check all technical data, beginning with its design and continuing through its adjustments, vibrations, areas of wear, and noise levels. To learn the specifics of the characteristics offered by the piece of equipment, you should seek the dealer’s assistance or a company representative.

Test the machinery

Because farm machinery is a solid financial investment, you need to make your selection with additional caution so that you don’t make a mistake. You should give the piece of equipment a try first, and if you’re not satisfied with the results, you should take a second look at it.

Tips for choosing the right tractor

Tractors are one of the most basic farm machinery in India. Here we have provided the list of factors to consider while buying a tractor.

Horsepower

The size of your farm and the range of tasks that need to be completed are important considerations that should guide your selection of the horsepower rating of your tractor. There are now two different sorts of ratings that the manufacturers use to assess the tractor’s power. These ratings are engine horsepower and PTO horsepower.

Engine

Remember that the power of your tractor is entirely dependent on the engine that it contains. The tractor’s horsepower and the types of operations that it can successfully do are both dependent on the engine. When considering the purchase of a tractor, this is one reason why the engine should be a priority.

Old vs new tractor

One of the choices to be taken is investing in a brand-new tractor or settling for an older model. Many people are concerned that old tractors are overpriced and have declining returns. Compared, purchasing a new tractor offers many advantages in size, safety, fuel consumption, configurations, and other factors.

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Utility

Be sure you understand how the tractor will be used before making your initial purchase. Different agricultural activities require the use of certain kinds of machinery. Make a list of the jobs that need to be done, and pick the tractor that best suits those needs rather than upgrading, which might be costly. On farms, different tractors with varying horse horsepower need to have tractor implements connected to them to complete the work that has to be done.

Lift capacity

When buying a tractor, you need to be extremely attentive to the lift capacity since estimating it correctly can be challenging. Several distinct lift capabilities are available for tractors, including full height lift capacity, arm lift capacity, and static lift capacity. Other lift capacities are also available.

In addition, the hydraulic flows and pressures that come standard with each tractor are distinct from one another. Because of this, it is vitally necessary, and it is recommended that you get a loader and tractor from the same manufacturer so that they will be compatible with one another.

Resale value

A tractor you acquire should be simple to sell after many years. You wouldn’t want to get an unsellable tractor. As such, acquire your tractor from a top seller. This ensures excellent servicing and resale value.

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