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>I think with tractors you need some heft so they have sufficient traction to pull the equipment behind them. Good point. Analysis of vehicle and applicable to

by kefka 12y ago

>I think with tractors you need some heft so they have sufficient traction to pull the equipment behind them. Good point. Analysis of vehicle and applicable torque would be a primary issue. > Also with ten small units you have 10x the parts which can break down. Indeed. However, I'm looking at using automotive lines already in production for replacement parts. That way, farmers would only have to go to XYZ local automotive place. It's foolish to not use already well engineered parts in a nationwide distribution. Also, the other big problem is the John Deere issue: proprietariness. If I designed the tractor, this system would be open and easy for the farmer to repair. That would be the next goal. So yes, there would be 10x the parts that could die. It also means that your production is spread across that many machines. One machine down means you still have 90% production capacity. > But maybe there ate mitigating factors and maybe crops like beans could be planted with smaller tractors. Smaller, and autonomous. That's the goal here. There's little reason we couldn't have a fully autonomous tractor. We already have cars that can do the similar on roads. But also, a farmer could delineate different parts of the field for different crops. And then the tractor network could farm them each appropriately.

abakker 12y ago
Remember that if you take a standard automobile and make it perform farm duty, those parts are likely to break, and quickly. For example, just look at the aftermarket for mechanical improvements for Off road vehicles. Jeeps and Trucks are already among the more heavy-duty vehicles on the road, and for true off-road use, many components need to be replaced. Rather than looking at the existing automotive parts, look at some of the aftermarket fabricators, and parts suppliers that are building out parts designed to replace the standard OEM ones. I agree with the premise somewhat, but more parts and more engines especially is a recipe for reduced efficiency. Take for example the power and capability of a large pickup truck, which gets around 14Mpg, but makes ~400HP and 400ft/lbs of torque. It weighs ~8000lbs, and can tow 10,000. It will handle fairly tough daily use with few failures. When towing 10000lbs, they still get around 9-11mpg. on the other end of the spectrum, a Smart Car might get 38 MPG, but it has 70HP and 68Ft/lbs of torque. It weighs 1100 lbs, and can support only 500lbs of total passengers and cargo. It is not capable of towing any load. The returns of towing/power with increasing scale are nonlinear. Large Semi engines will run to 1000000 miles, and produce very large amounts of horsepower and torque.

by kefka 12y ago

abakker 12y ago

Remember that if you take a standard automobile and make it perform farm duty, those parts are likely to break, and quickly. For example, just look at the aftermarket for mechanical improvements for Off road vehicles. Jeeps and Trucks are already among the more heavy-duty vehicles on the road, and for true off-road use, many components need to be replaced. Rather than looking at the existing automotive parts, look at some of the aftermarket fabricators, and parts suppliers that are building out parts designed to replace the standard OEM ones. I agree with the premise somewhat, but more parts and more engines especially is a recipe for reduced efficiency. Take for example the power and capability of a large pickup truck, which gets around 14Mpg, but makes ~400HP and 400ft/lbs of torque. It weighs ~8000lbs, and can tow 10,000. It will handle fairly tough daily use with few failures. When towing 10000lbs, they still get around 9-11mpg. on the other end of the spectrum, a Smart Car might get 38 MPG, but it has 70HP and 68Ft/lbs of torque. It weighs 1100 lbs, and can support only 500lbs of total passengers and cargo. It is not capable of towing any load. The returns of towing/power with increasing scale are nonlinear. Large Semi engines will run to 1000000 miles, and produce very large amounts of horsepower and torque.