Pedal powered tractor...

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Pedal powered tractor...
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Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6610
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 15 2:50 pm Post subject:

Ty Gwyn wrote:

Considering it weigh`s just over 2 3/4 cwt without the driver,any drag of the tines is going to resist its movement,

Notice it was parked on top of bark shreds,

You`d better start getting some steak`s down your neck Slim to build up them muscles before you contemplate giving that a go,lol.

Looks like these bad boys have plenty of oomph for cultivation

https://youtu.be/Oy3LqlTq4e4

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 15 3:33 pm Post subject:

Ty Gwyn wrote:

Regular cyclists have the muscles.
This is taken from a thread on the Cycle tourist club forum posted this morning.
A Big Dummy is a make of cargo bicycle, no electric assist, just pedal power.

Quote:

Cycling back from my local animal supplies dealer. Just under 50kg of corn and a bale of hemp for bedding for the chickens. A few other bits too.

On JUST starting my ascent up a hill (so no major load) my chain came apart. I only found 1 half of the Quick Link and it looks intact. Sadly the other half did a Mary Celeste so I'm at a loss as to what happened. Luckily I had a spare link on board so I could pedal on home.

With the 50 odd kilograms I averaged 11mph sometimes easily 20mph and a max of 29mph. I'm pretty chuffed with my Big Dummy...b

EDIT: Yes I know. Shameless bragging. Did I say it was raining too.

Just as a farmer in the past could scythe all day or walk all day behind a horse, they weren't considered fit just normal.
Modern farming is too reliant on diesel driven horses even the organic ones.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6610
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 15 4:59 pm Post subject:
I'm really starting to like this guy's setup: https://youtu.be/fVQxlnaFr0s Almost as fast as I used to do it on an International 274!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15936

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 15 7:46 am Post subject:
I notice they are always shown on really easy to work soil. I don't think they would be any good at all on most field soil, and not sure they would even cope with the stones in our garden, let alone clay. Think I will stick to my raised beds that I can just about dig by hand in one or two goes.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 15 8:16 am Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

I notice they are always shown on really easy to work soil. I don't think they would be any good at all on most field soil, and not sure they would even cope with the stones in our garden, let alone clay. Think I will stick to my raised beds that I can just about dig by hand in one or two goes.

I think a lot of people think land is land when they're talking about it being more efficient to crop plant crops rather than animals. I'll stick to walking across our land though.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6610
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 15 9:37 am Post subject:

It would suit just fine for the only types of soils that I would strive to run a profitable vegetable farming operation on. It's clearly not meant for tillage!

Heck, even if it were only used for secondary cultivation a few weeks after a tractor did the primary cultivation it would still reduce the cultivator diesel usage by a half.

Jeezum, when did I become the positive one around here? I thought I was supposed to be shooting ideas down

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 15 10:08 am Post subject:

Slim wrote:

That was exactly my point.

And I posted a video of a solar powered tractor - stop trying to claim all the glory.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15936

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 8:42 am Post subject:
Sorry to be negative again, but I am not sure that thing would even go up the tracks in our wood. Walking to get to places, or taking a diesel tractor for extraction is the only way. I also can't see it doing much with the flints in some of the fields round here; would probably turn the thing over. Still, might be nice for a bit of light market gardening on good soil.

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 12:01 pm Post subject:
It seems to be missing a PTO ? Where do I attach my saw bench ?

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 4:22 pm Post subject:

@ Falstaff.... nor a radio, gps, a roof, lights etc

I'm no farmer or scientist, but I'm wondering if an analogy can be made to the study into using hamsters to generate electricity......that is, the study came to the conclusion that it is more efficient to burn the hamster food to generate electricity, than to have hamsters running in a dynamo wheel.
A lot of energy must be lost propelling 140kg of tractor along.
I wonder, all things considered, whether a traditional wheel hoe is more effective and efficient.

On a similar theme........bicycle wheel hoe

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 5:49 pm Post subject:

onemanband wrote:

A lot of energy must be lost propelling 140kg of tractor along.

Have you seen the price of gym memberships these days?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 7:27 pm Post subject:

onemanband wrote:

A traditional wheel hoe is more effective IMHO, able to tackle more established weeds but slower & harder on the upper body. I've hoed an acre of fodder beet with a wheel hoe & it hurt. Give me the sit on my ass & pedal hoe anyday.
Does a pedalhoe float?

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6610
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 15 8:31 pm Post subject:
The point of a cultivator is to not let the weeds get big and established! MistressRose, I don't think it'd be well suited for plowing out my driveway when we get big dumps of heavy snow either, but I don't think that's what it was designed for.

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Thu Dec 10, 15 2:58 pm Post subject:
That pedal machine my be a thing of beauty and fairly carbon neutral, but I drove one with a massey T20 engine and removed most of the sugar beet I was supposed to be inter row cultivating (weeding). Put back to operate a hoe!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15936

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 15 7:47 am Post subject:
Doesn't sound like your finest hour Gregotyn. These pedal powered 'tractors' don't seem very sensible in many ways as there is so much they can't do.

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