Design and development of a powered vertical disc plough

Abstract

A PTO operated vertical disc plough with four number of discs of 560 mm diameter was designed and developed for tillage operation in rice harvested fields. The power from tractor PTO to the disc gang was transmitted through a 60degree bevel gear box and chain-sprocket drive. The width of cut was about 820 mm. The performance was evaluated in rice harvested field for different levels of disc to ground velocity ratio and depth of operation for a peripheral disc velocity of 158.3 m/s. The fuel consumption was found to increase with ? and depth of operation. The gross specific fuel consumption was lower for a ? value of 2 while the draft requirement and wheel slippage were found less. The clod size was found smaller with higher percentage of stubble inversion. It was concluded that a large size of equipment, in powered mode, could be used for same size of tractor for better power utilization.