Development and testing of a double-row adjustable disc ridger

Abstract

Ridging has been discovered as a mechanized alternative to mounding and flat-land forms in root and tuber crop production. While manual ridging is possible, evidence reveals that manual ridging is laborious, time-consuming; hence, the need to mechanise the ridging process. A double-row disc ridger was developed and tested. The approaches of functional analysis (FA) and computer-aided design (CAD) were used. The implement was fabricated from locally available materials and tools, making it an adaptable, resilient and affordable technology for small-scale farmers. The prototype was tested at varied tractor speed ranging from 1.67 – 2.5 m/s (6 – 9 km/h) and disc angle from 40^o - 45^o to determine the draught force, fuel consumption, wheel-slip, depth and width of cut. Preliminary results indicate that optimum performance was achieved at disc and tilt angle of 42.5^o and 25^o and tractor speed of 2.23 m/s. The ridger recorded a field capacity of 1.45 ha/h and average fuel consumption of 6.3 l/ha (9.14 l/h). It was observed that increased tractor speed and disc angle resulted in increased draught force from 1.8 – 2.4 kN, increased fuel consumption from 5.2 – 7.04 l/ha (7.81 – 10.45 l/h) and increased depth and width of cut from 30 – 40 cm and 250 – 280 cm, respectively. Further research is necessary to establish the effect of different moisture and soil type on its performance. Wear and durability tests on different agro-ecologies are also recommended.