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The obvious solution is automated tractors. The main drive for larger and larger tractors is to maximize the amount of ground covered per time / operator. If th
by VBprogrammer 4y ago
The obvious solution is automated tractors. The main drive for larger and larger tractors is to maximize the amount of ground covered per time / operator. If the tractors can work tirelessly day and night that is somewhat mitigated.
The actual driving part is obviously much more trivial than autonomous driving on roads. However there are a lot of hard to automate adjustments and maintenance items going on with many tractor implements.
- jacquesm 4y agoBig tractors are also more fuel efficient, which is a bit counterintuitive.
- salawat 4y agoNot really. The larger you make a powerplant, the more thermodynamically efficient it can get. This is why things like trains and supertankers make sense where they are available.
- omegabravo 4y agoAs I understand it (and I don't understand it, I'm not source of authority here) the tractors don't need to work day and night, they need to work during the important planting and harvesting seasons. That happens to be the same time that your neighbour wants to do it. Efficiency is key here so that one harvester can work several farms 24/7, for a limited period of time. As you outlined, uptime is critical during these periods. I spent a lot of my time in remote locations, and reliability trumps everything. The cost of a hotshot is significant - however I was far more remote than the farms where. Paying a person to drive the tractor doesn't seem like it's the large cost. It's the machinery you need 1x per year, at the same time everyone else does.