Investigating the Effect of Tillage Patterns, Operating Speeds, and Plough Types on the Performance of Mini Hand Tractors in Border Wetlands

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short Article- En

Authors

• D. Santoso ¹
• D. Murdianto ²
• A. Malik ³
• S. Egra ¹

¹ Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Borneo Tarakan, Indonesia

² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Borneo Tarakan, Indonesia

³ Department of Automobile Engineering at the School of Automobile, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering in Manipal University Jaipur, India

https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.2025.95434.1430

Abstract

The performance of mini hand tractors is crucial for improving productivity and operational efficiency in wetland rice farming. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of plough type, tillage pattern, and operating speed on mini hand tractor performance in the border region of Tarakan, Indonesia. Field experiments were conducted from September 2024 to January 2025 using a factorial design (3×5×2) and quantitative descriptive analysis supported by SPSS Statistics 26 for numerical comparison. Performance indicators included wheel slip (%), field efficiency (%), fuel consumption (L h⁻¹), and engine temperature (°C). Results showed that the rotary plough operating under the central tillage pattern at low speed (1 m s⁻¹) achieved the highest field efficiency (78%) and the lowest fuel consumption (1.306 L h⁻¹). In contrast, the disc plough with the central border pattern at high speed (2.3 m s⁻¹) produced the highest wheel slip (48%) and lowest efficiency (22%), indicating substantial performance losses due to excessive soil–wheel friction. Engine temperature increased proportionally with tractor speed, reaching up to 70 °C during high-speed operations. These findings demonstrate that optimising plough type and tillage pattern selection can enhance tractor efficiency by up to 56%, reduce fuel use by 0.8 L h⁻¹, and improve operational stability in wetland conditions. The study provides practical recommendations for selecting and operating mini hand tractors to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in wetland mechanisation systems across Southeast Asian border regions.

Keywords

• Border region
• Mini hand tractor
• Performance evaluation
• Tillage system
• Wetlands

Main Subjects

• The relationship between machine and soil

Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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