Principles of Farm Machinery

Book excerpt: Research and development in farm machinery. Implement types, field capacities, and costs. Mechanical power transmission and power-take-off drives. Hydraulic power transmission and implement controls. Soil tillage and dynamics. Moldboard plows. Disk implements. Hitch systems and hitching tillage implements. Chisel-type and multipowered tillage implements. Crop planting. Row-crop cultivation, flaming, and thinning. Applying fertilizers and granular pesticides. Spraying and dusting. Hay harvesting: cutting, conditioning, and windrowing. Packaging and handling hay. Forage chopping and handling. Grain and seed harvesting. Corn picking and shelling. Cotton harvesting. Root crop harvesting. Fruit and vegetable harvesting and handling. Draft, energy, and power requirements. Typical operating speeds for implements. Coefficients of rolling resistance for pneumatic tires. Graphic symbols for fluid power diagrams. SI units, customary units, and conversion factors.