:AHv UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Bureau of Agricultural Economics in cooperation with UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION USE OF FARM TRACTORS IN MINNESOTA B T f Truman R. Nodland and A. J. Schwantes, University of Minnesota, and Ross V. Baumann, Bureau of Agricultural Economics Washington, D. C, November 1940 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors wish to acknowledge the help of Frank T. Hady and George A. Pond in planning the study, supervising the gathering of the data, and making suggestions for improving the manu- script. Sherman E. Johnson, C. W. Crickman, B. R. Hurt of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and S. A. Engcne of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station made many helpful criticisms and suggestions. I THE USE OF FARM TRACTORS IN MINNESOTA 1/ By. Truman R. Nodland and A. J. Schwantes, University of wlinnesota, and Ross V. Baumann, Bureau of Agricultural Economics CONTENTS Page Introduction - 1 Purpose and extent of study 2 Power supply on farms studied ........ . . 6 Measuring size and capacity of tractors 6 Number and size ->f tractors • . • <■ « • • . » • • 6 Total drawbar power . . . . ° 7 Age of tractors - Type of fuel used 9 Special equipment and accessories . - 10 Machines used with tract or s . . * • 11 Work performed by tractors 14 ■ Annual hours of use 14 Hours of custom work ,. 15 Type of tractor and annual hours of use 15 Size of tractors and annual hours of use 16 Using tractor to full capacity 17 Operations performed IS Farm hauling * . . . 13 Rates of tractor performance ........ «■ . 22 Distribution of annual drawbar use 23 Tractor .and horse practices and operations 24 Length of work day for tra.ctor and horses 24 Using tractors a maximum number of hours a day 25 Operations, for which tractors or horses are preferred 27 Advantages and disadvantages of tractor operation 29 Reasons for buying a tractor 30 Summary and conclusions ._ 30 . • INTRODUCTION The place of tractors as a source of power on Minnesota farms is in- creasing at the rate of 2 or 3 percent a year. In 1953,40 percent -of the available drawbar power was in the form of tractors. 2/ This proportion of power was provided by 36,288 tractors. 5/ In addition 695,000 horses and mules were used, an average of 4 horses and one— half tractor per: farm. 1/ Assistance in the preparation of these materials was furnished by the personnel of the Worfc Projects Admini strati on, Official Project No. 65—1—71—140 Subproject No. 461, Sponsor, University of Mimes etc Z/ Assuming tractor drawbar horsepower equivalent to 0.6 horse drawbar power. 3_/ Implement and Tra.ctor, Implement Trade Journal Company, Kansas City, August 6, 1938. - 2 - The greatest number of tractors per 100 farms in 1938 were found in Wabasha, Goodhue, Nicollet, Ramsey, T.'atonwan, Lyon, Vilkin, and Kittson Counties (fig. 1). 4/ Ramsey County had a large number of tractors per 100 farms because of the use of garden tractors in the vicinity of the Twin Cities. Few tractors were found in the cut-over areas and in counties with light soils. Much less farm po\b-r-h;:rsepov/er groups, by rress Item or drav.bar- : South: South :South : West :Red River horsepower group :Ei -st « Central : West :Central : Vrlley .Number Number Number Number Number Trcotnrs with tires on fr >nt whe els 38 50 121 87 79 Trrctors with tires on rerr \ rtieo Is by size groups.l/ Group I 14 10 24 9 12 Group II 19 23 48 27 39 Group III 3 5 4 9 Group IV 1 1 3 Totrl Number 34 37 77 40 63 1/ Sec Table 2, f:, tnote 1, for cX*" )lt nation of tract. r size gro jps . The group of tractors of • rated drawb r h-rsL.r . r f between 12.0 r nd 18.49 horsepower c-nt: ined the largest proportion of trr ct<-rs with rubber tires. The use -if rubber tires increases the rmiunt of work bt^incd from a given qurntity of fuel rnd mrkes possible higher speeds. Frequently dcr-d weight is addod to the tractor drive wheels to increase traction. One-third of the rubber-tired tractors had crst-iron or concrete devices attached t the wheels, and one-third used liquid ir. the tires. Frequently, greater tr r ct;i-n if cbtnined in the drr.wbrr work itself, when the resistance tends to pull the rerr end of the tr~.ct r to the ground, as in pi uving. - 11 - Many accessories ere becoming standard equipment on tractors. The belt pulley is common on all types, but the' power lift nnd power take-off are found to a grerter extent on the rll-purposc type. The cll-purposo tractor is designed to perform o larger variety of operations than the other two types. Table 7.- Pr^porti^n of tractors equipped with belt pulley, power take-off and power lift equipment, by types of trcctors Type of tractor Equipment ! All-purpo se : Standard • • Track ; p ercent Percent Percent Belt pulley « 99 98 69 Power take -off : 81 51 56 Power lift : 16 2 13 Fumber of tractors 1/ : 503 186 16 l/ Based on, 705 reports, The p<->wer lift is especially convenient for many row-crop operations, such as corn cultivating and orn planting, for which the standard nnd track-type tractors ere seldom used. The power take-off is more common than the power lift. Wine percent if the tractors ware equipped with lights for night work, although ^nly a limited amount of nightwork was performed. Over one- he If of the tractors with lights wore in the Red River Valley. Only 3 per- cent of the tractors had self starters. Ten tractors out of the 709 were equipped with cabs. Extension rims were used en 14 percent of the tractors equipped ^vith steel wheels. The rims in most cases were 6 inches wide. MACHIFES USED WITH TRACTORS Along with the increased use of tractor power, has one a trend toward more and m re machines that are designed far use with mechanized power exclu- sively. Many ^f these machines can be operated only by means of the power take-off. Because of this and ither features r»f design, they generally can be used more efficiently with tractors than with horses. For seme operations, it is necessary, or at least highly desirable, to have a machine that is made especially for the tractor. This is true for plowing and cultivating. Other operations can be performed satisfactorily with a tractor - using machines designed primarily for horses. Grain binders, earn binders, field cultivators, disk harrows, end nowers, are included in this gr-'-up. When a farmer buys a tractor for the first time, he may use machines designed for horses with it. Replacements are usuallyma.de with specirlly designed tractor machines, if the replacements are to be used exclusively with the tractor. - 12 - About ha.lf of the disk harrows used with the tr'ctors were designed for horses. It is evident that mos.t of thorn were on hand whbn the trcctor was bought. Very few horse-disks wer.o bought rffcor th t tractor obtained* Most cf the disks purch? sod in the 1' st 5 ycrs woro those de- signed for tractors. The seme tendency holds true for other equipment, such rs field cultivrtirs, c->rn cultivators, corn pl{ at r , rs, grr in binders, corn binders, and corn pickers. More gr- in binders designed for horses wore used with tnctfrs thru i nv other machine. In'many instances, these machines designed for horses c; n be bought ;t r considerably lower prioe than these designed f^r tr« cti rs and, as they ctn be used rather efficiently with tractors, ore ">fton bought instead of nrchi-r.es designed for tractor . The field Cultivator requires considerable power rnd tractor power is desirrble for it. Ninety-eight of the 127 machine's in us>j v. .r tri ct _ r machines. About '-no-third of these wero equipped with power lifts. It is evident thrt most formers wb/ own tr-ct'rs consider o cultivator designed for a tractor preferable to :>ne designed 'for h rsos. Only 36 -f the 371 corn cultivators in use with tractors were horse cultivators. '.'. st f the com cultivr tors were less than 5 yocrs old. Two cultivators designed fjr horses h? d been b< ught new after ths last tractor purchase. Only 56 f the 335 tractor machines h^d a p ower lift. Planting c »rn v.ith tractors is not co mm >n on most formsj "*nly 41 farmers used tr.-ctrs for this work, rnd only 25 -wnod tractor planters. About one f t rm in ten operated o mower with mechanical power. Sixty-c ne percent of these machines were designed for the tract >r. Eighty- two percent of the trt ctqr mowers wer.o per' ted by morns if the power take-off. More groin binders were pulled by tractors thi n ony ther implement except plows. Sixty-nine percent of the gr) in binders rulled by tractors were horse machines, one-fourth if these having been bought within the lest 5 years. Some formers wont binders that cor. be operated with either h rse ^r tractor power. Others feel that the additi ::■ 1 cost of the p wcr. tcJce-of f is not justified. Although satisfactory work can bo done v.ith t tractor ;nd v horse-drawn binder, it is necessary to use two men-one ~n the tractor and one on the binder, "lith the power take-off, one man c n handle the outfit satisfactorily under some conditions, although two are preferred, especially where the grain is heavy, tangled, or sf uneven height. Cf rn binders were pulled by tractors on one-fourth •: f the farms. Eighty-five percent of these machines were horse implements. This is explained by the f?ct that many .f these c rn binders were on the forms before the introduction of the trrctor, and they, because of their short period of use each year and consequent long life, h: ve beer, adapted to trrotor operation. - 13 - sn o -H CD O rH cd & B •H A O O CO -p o cd In -P 2 cd CO P O CD cd CO P O ' -p o 'cd P -p p o -d 0) c •H CO Q) T5 CO .0 •H M o CO o CO CV cv H H CV LO CV CV c- co CO •H o H to H CV cv o -P cd > •H P O H •H CO LO CO ■ F-: cv "> o CV CO CV CO- c.O rH CO LO GO to tO CV cv ^ Co- rn LO cv «tf cv co ccb CV CV en co cv to co- co rH c- o cd •H 3 P O o +3 H 0H P o o o CO Ci CV to ' rH C2 cv (V r.2 s. * rH to IV O rH rH i> r O cv cV CV to LO H H CV D~ V 00 C? to H 05 CO CO . 01 cv in ?H XJ G X5 •H T^ JD •H 5-i d •H H r» cd fn o fn O rs rh o - 14 - WORK PERFORMED BY TRACTORS * Annual Hours of Use Many tractors were used about 500 hours during the year, although the average hours r>er tractor varied with the tyoe of tractor ana the typc-of- f i rming area of tho Strto. The tr; ctor usud in the Rod River V&lley had average operations of 779 hours, compered with slightly over 500 hours for tr; ctors in tho South Erst area. Approximately 16 porcent of the tractors in ell nreca were used less thrn 300 hours, and 20 percent more then 700 hours. hVlf of the tractors were used 500 hours or mere. The numbor of hours c tr- otor is used during the yocr depends prrtly upan the number of tillable acres in tho fcrm, the mount of custom wirk done, the number '>f trrctcrs on hrni, f tractors by hours that thoy were operated during tho yerr, by rrers urs of 1 Area fl- : South j S^uth • • S~uth : ft'est : Red RiTer op ere tion Ef St ! Central • West : Central : Valley Percent of tr re tors _ 99 : 2 3 3 100 - 199 ! 9 13 2 3 5 200 - 299 : 19 11 9 5 6 300 - 399 j 14 16 20 13 13 400 - 499 j 15 22 21 16 21 500 - 599 i 20 10 18 25 17 600 - 699 : 10 9 9 14 13 700 - 799 : 4 8 10 6 7 800 - 899 : 3 3 4 5 4 900 - 999 : ! 3 2 7 3 1000 - 1099 : 4 2 2 3 1100 - 1199 i : 1 1 2 1200 an d m re : 2 Annual hf 2 •urs cf tr' i •.ctor use 3 Avert ge 515 536 596 657 779 Maximum 1092 1C28 1561 1591 1741 Minimum 65 41 120 100 40 * 15 - Hours of Custom W ork Custom work represented a small proportion of the total tractor work, although more than 50 percent of the farmers reported some custom Work. Only in the South East end the South Central areas was custom work as much as 10 percent of total tractor work (table 10.) The operators of larger farms usually do less custom work than those who operate small ones. Bolt work constituted a slightly higher percentage of custom work th r n drawbar work, -.'1th .ugh there was little difference between the two. Belt work was also more significant in the. southern areas than in other parts of the State. Tabic 10.- TT umber and proportion of frrmers reporting custom tractor work tnd the proportion that custom work was of total tractor work by areas Item Area s. •uth ! gouth : South : West :R< 3d River East : Central : West : Centra lsr Valley Number of farmers reporting j custom drawbar work ; 57 35 • 22 36 29 Number of farmers reporting. j custom bt.lt work ; 41 46 ' 32 30 27 Percent of pll farmers reporting: custom work ; 56 58 44 52 47 Percert of total tractor work j that was custom drawbar ; 5 4 2 3 3 Percent of total tractor work j thrt wrs custom belt work j 8 ' 9 5 4 3 Percent of total tractor work ; thrt was custom work j 13 15 7 7 6 Type of Tractor and Annual Hours of Use All-purpose tractors wore used about 571 hours annually, and the standard four-wheel type about 437 hours. Drawbar work constituted 85 percent of total hours for the all-purpose trtctors, and 80 percent for the standard tractors. Average annual hours of use varied considerably by areas for both types of tractors, although the proportion that drawbar' work was of total work varied but little for the all-purpose tractors (t-ble 11). . . - 16 - Table 11 .-Average annual hours ff drawbar ar.d belt operations performed by- type of tractor, end the proportion that drawber work was of totrl work, bv nr ji s Kind of operation and Area type of tractor • South: South : South : West : Red River : Erst : Centre 1 : Yfcst : Central : Valley Numb< ^r of hours Drawbar operations: Standard tractors l 234 302 258 303 462 All-purpose tractors : 377 407 473 590 517 Belt operations: j Stmdrrd trrct rs j 85 137 64 86 77 All-purpose tractors : 49 • 80 94 80 68 T~trl operations: : Strndord trrctors : 319 439 322 389 539 All-purpose trrctors j 426 487 567 670 585 Strndr-rd tr-ctors All-purpose tractors Percentage of total operations that were drawbar 73 69 80 78 86 88 84 83 88 88 Size of Tractors nnd Annual Hours of Use Most of the tr-ct rs had c rated drawbar horsepower of less than 18.49. Those in the group of 12 to 18.49 horsepower predominated. The standard tractors of r rrted drewbar h rsepower of mere than 18.49 were used more hours during the year than those of less horsepower (trble 12). The all-purpose tractors of between 12 and 18.49 horsepower averaged 516 hours of drrwbnr work, °nd the group of between 18.5 end 24.99 horsopower 466 hours of drrwbar work. The former group pveraged 96 hours of belt work, compared with 12 7 for the lrtter gr "7 ; 1 : 3 2 : 12 4 : 16 6 Other haying operations : 37 15 : 20 5 : • 6 p ! 12 10 : 15 3 Potato operations : , 9 o . i : • 1 : 55 13 Beet operations : ', J. 1 : : : 4 4 Manure hauling : IS 20 23 18 : 14 11 23 8 . 9 4 I.'Ii s c e llan e ou s drawbar : 37 IS : 88 14 : 31 13 : 81 18 : 59 17 Total 434 426 493 568 684 Belt work Silo filling : 49 13 : 57 12 : 19 5 - i 25 5 : 22 5 Threshing : 32 31 : 48 45 : 37 40 : 35 43 : 45 55 Com shredding : 27 14 : 26 21 : 1 5 : 1 1 : 1 Corn shelling : 2 : 5 2 : 11 5 : 15 3 : 2 Feed grinding : 41 17 : 57 23 : 55 50 : 46 15 : 68 13 v, lood sawing : 18 1 : 55 8 : 52 7 : 51 8 : 55 7 Miscellaneous bolt : 9 2 : 5 1 : 55 8 : 56 15 : 21 6 Total 81 110 93 88 89 Total tractor work : 515 : 536 : 596 : 656 : 773 - 20 - Table 14. — Proportion of farmers reporting on— the— farm hauling with horses, motortruck, tractor, and trailer, and the proportion of the on-the-farm hauling performed by each Ar^a Item South East : South : : Central : South : 3St : c p n'est : sntral : arcent Red River Valley : Percent Percent Percent Percent Farmers reporting hauling with: on- farm Horses .tort ruck Tractor Trailer 97 30 44 14 99 25 16 15 98 16 23 5 94 24 57 24 93 47 16 Proportion of hauling formed with: per — Horsss Motortruck Tractor Trailer I 78 : 3 : 11 : 3 39 5 O 5 90 4 5 1 78 8 10 4 79 18 3 Total : 100 100 . 100 100 100 Motortrucks and trailers were the most important means used by farmers in off-the-farm hauling, (see table 15.) Tractors, up to the oresent tin , have been used but little for hauling on the highways • There is a possibility that, in the future, more off -the -far;:; hauling "."ill be done with the newer, high-speed, rubber-tired tractors and trailers. Most farmers who do not own motortrucks use their own automobiles for light road-iiauling and /lire a motor- truck on the few occasions when they have heavy roac-eauling to do. In most instances, commercial motortrucks can be hired at reasonable rates, so unless a farmer lias considerable road-hauling to do, he cannot afford to own a motortruck in addition to the family automobile. Forty percent of the farmers reported that they own motortrucks. The one and one-half ton size of motortruck was most frequent, although nearly one- half were of the one ton size or smaller (table 13). More than one-half of the motortrucks in the Red .River Valley and the South r est areas were of the one and one-half ton .size; but, in the South East and South Central areas, there were approximately as many one-half ton motor trucks as there were one and one-half ton. liuch of the hauling in the Red River Valley is of a heavy type like grain hauling, whereas light operations, such as cream and milk hauling, are more important in the southern areas. The rubber-tired tractor is not expected to replace motortrucks for these types of light and heavy hauling. - 21 - Table 15. — Proportion of farmers reporting off-the-farm hauling with horses, motortruck, tractor, and trailer, and the proportion of the off-the-farm hauling performed by each Item Farmers reporting off -f arm hauling with: Horses Motortruck Tractor Trailer Proportion performed vath: Horses Motortruck Tractor Trailer Total South East 100 'ea South Central South West West C entral Perce: rb Perceni Percent Perceiit 100 100 100 Red River Valley Percent 9 4 15 63 52 59 35 85 5 3 1 55 48 53 66 4 7 3 12 63 52 58 34 84 2 3 1 35 4a 32 63 3 100 Table 15. — Number of motortrucks on tractor farms and their distribution by size, by areas .Area Item or size group : South : South : South : West : Red River East ; Central : '..'est : Central : Valley IJumber Number Number Number Number Farmers reporting motortrucks 23 58 44 45 81 Total number of motortrucks : 29 59 43 45 37 Distribution of motortrucks : by size: : 1/2 ton : 14 12 9 10 8 3/4 ton ■ 9 5 1 2 6 1 ton 7 11 14 <^.5 1-1/2 ton : 13 15 27 18 46 2 tons or more : 2 1 2 - 22 - Rates of T ractor Performance The rate at which field work if performed by tractors depends, among other things, upon the size of the tractor, the size of the machines used, and the speed at which the tractor is operated. The average acr^s covered per hour by 'some tractor-operated implements are shown by. size of tract: r in table 17. Group IV tractors did about twice the amount of work done' by Group I tractors, regardless of the type of machine used. In other words, the proper size of machine to obtain the maximum efficiency was used with the two sizes of tractors. A considerable variation in rates of accomplishment was found in Group II and Group III tractors. LJany tractors in Group III ,he older type . lid not have th speeds end were not used with machines oi sufficient size bo utilize their full power at the lower speeds, so the accomplishment "..'as less for some operations, especially in disking and harrowing. Table 17. — Average acres covered per hour by different tractor-operated implements, by size of tractor Operation Size of tractor 1/ Group I : Group II : Group III : Group IV Hours Hours Hours Hours Plowing 0.9 1.1 1.5 1.8 Disking : 3.2 4.2 4.1 6.9 Harrowing 7.5 8.9 3.2 13.4 Springtoothing : 2.8 3.5 5.6 4.1 Field cultivating : 2.7 3.2 5.4 5.3 1/ See f ootnote^tabl -i 2 for group rating. The average rates of performance of ctner tractor-operated machines are shown in table 18. In these operations, little variation of rate of accomplishment occurred regardless of the size cf the tractor used, although some difference was noted between the rates of accomplishment of horse and tractor machine . Horse machines designed to pen bhese operations are usually built for a slightly lower rate of operation than are tractor machines. Usually, when larger machines are used, proportionally larger amounts of work are not accomplished, for example j in cutting corn, 1.1 acres per hour are cut with a single-row binder hut or^-r 1.7 acres per hour with a two-row binder. - 23 - Table 18. — Rates of accomplishment of tractors when used with different implements : Average acres Operation ! Size o f implement : per hour Seeding grain : 8 foot grain drill 2.2 9 foot grain drill 2.5 10 foot grain drill 3.1 11 foot grain drill 3.6 12 foot grain drill 4.3 14 foot grain drill 5.3 Grain harvesting : 7 foot horse binder 1.9 8 foot horse binder 2.1 9 foot tractor binder 2.2 10 foot tractor binder 3.0 Corn planting j : 2 row planter 2.0 :*■ 4 row planter 3.9 Corn cultivating : 2 row horse cultivator 2.3 : 2 row tractor cultivator 2.3 Cutting corn i , -i row horse binder 0,9 : 1 row tractor binder 1.1 : 2 row tractor binder 1.7 Picking corn < 1 row corn picker 0.8 2 row corn picker 1.6 Potato planting 1 row planter 0.9 : 2 row planter 1.3 Distribution of Annual Drawbar Use The distribution of the total annual drawbar hours among various operations varied from area to area (table 19) . Plowing accounted for the greater proportion of the total drawbar hours. Corn cultivating accounted for about 14 percent on all farms } but constituted as much as 21 percent of all drawbar work in the South West area. Corn cultivating, as well as other operations related to corn production, was a small proportion of the total drawbar work done in the Red River Valley. Tillage operations make up a large share of the drawbar work, about 38 percent of the total. - 24 - Table 19. — Proportion of the annual drawbar hours spent in the performance of various operations by areas Area Operation : South : South : South : West : : 7:iver East : Central : We st : C entral Percent : 7; Pi illey Percent Percent Percent sreent Plowing 23 31 24 31 39 Disking 7 8 14 13 7 Other tillage ; : 17 13 14 10 ' 16 Cultivating corn 17 13 21 15 3 Cutting corn 3 2 1 1 1 Picking corn : 5 8 7 5 — Seeding grain :. 2 1 2 5 9 Grain harvesting : 6 9 9 11 8 Combining grain 1 2 1 1 9 Haying : 4 1 1 2 2 Hauling manure : 5 4 2 X 1 Other __5 3 4 5 5 All operations : 100 100 100 100 100 TRACTOR AND HORSE PRACTICES AND OPERATIONS Length of TJork Day for Tractors and Horses The work day — the number of hours worked per day — averaged approxi- mately one-half hour longer when tractors were used than when horses were used (see table 20). Between 50 and 60 percent of the farmers in the areas outside of the Red River Valley worked the same number of hours per day with tractors or horses. This is probably because they have certain chores that must be started at definite time of the day if they are to Oc done successfully. In the Red River Valley, only about one— third of the farmers worked the same number of hours with the tractor as with horses. Another one-third worked an average of two hours longer with tractors than with horses. — 2o — Table SO. — Number of hours per day that horses and tractors were worked on tractor farms, by areas Area Item : South : South : South : West :Red River : East :Central : West •C entral : Valley Tractor work day, average hours 8.9 9.0 9.2 9.5 10.7 Tractor work day, maximum hours IS. 9 13.0 12.9 14.1 15.4 Horse work day, average hours . 8.5 8.4 8.9 8.8 9.4 Horse work day, maximum hours . 8.7 9.1 9.9 10.2 10.15 Percent of farms where tractor day was shorter than horse day 8.8 6.1 16.3 6.9 5.0 Percent of farms where tractor day was same as horse day 53.8 57.3 51.9 54.6 32.0 Percent of farms on which tractor day was longer than horse day 32.4 36.6 51.8 33.5 64.0 One hour longer 14.7 14.6 15.0 14.6 20.3 Two hours longer 14.7 14.6 15.7 16.2 29.6 Three hours longer 1.5 2.5 1.9 3.1 7.2 Four hours or more ; 1.5 4.9 1.2 4.6 6.4 Using Tractors a Maximum Number of Hour s a Day One hundred and seventy farmers operated their tractors during particu- lar periods in a way that permitted tiiem to perform the maximum number of hours of field work within a limited time (see table 21). Eighty farmers accomplished this through keeping the tractor at work during the noon hour by substituting seme person for the regular operator. Other farms reported changing operators two and three times a day. In some instances, children operated tractors after school hours. A variety of operations — plowing, disking, cultivating, harrowing, seeding, and harvesting — were performed by these methods. Of these operations, plowing was reported most frequently, followed in order by disking and cultivating. - 26 - Table 21. — Number of methods used by farmers for operating tractors maximum number of hours a day, frequency that methods were reported, and the operstior-S performed, with tho frequency that they were reported, by areas - X T . -U-TJ i- r^ m n=z ~= South W.a thods and operations South : South : West : Red River East : Central : West : C entral Valley : Number Number Number Number .ber Methods : Relieve regular oper- ator at meal time : 10 9 20 27 14 Change operator two times a day : 6 12 12 15 11 Operate tractor day and night : 2 5 15 Change operator three times a day r-. 4 1 1 Children help after school : 2 1 1 Total : 22 2G 33 48 41 Operations : Plowing 15 18 22 30 30 Disking : 9 11 8 10 9 Cultivating corn 10 17 3 2 Grain harvesting : 1 7 12 12 5 Harrowing : 5 8 2 8 8 Seeding 1 1 11 6 Springtoothirig : 3 3 1 2 7 Field cultivating i 2 10 Other — _ 1 5 Total 38 59 65 82 82 Night work was not important in most areas. In tho Red River Valley, however, 20 percent of the iarmers used their tractors at night sometime during the year. In most instances, night work covered a period of only three or four nights during some rush period, rifty-two operators in all areas used tractors at night for an average of 58 hours during the year. A number of night operations were reported. Pic u was performed mcst frequently at night, although field cultivating, grain seeding, grain har- vesting, and corn picking wure done to some extent. Some difficulty was encountered in getting adequate light for night operations, and a few farmers reported night work to be more fatiguing than da: r work. - 27 - Operations for which Tjactcxrs or Horses Are Pr eferre d Because there were horses on all but 19 of the farms, most farmers were able to choose between horses arid a tractor for the various farm operations. Farmers were asked to designate the operations that they preferred to perform with horses and those for which they preferred tractors, with their reasons for the preference. Table 22. — Operations that farmers preferred to perform with horses, the number of farmers reporting each preference, and the proportion that these farmers were of all farmers Operations Farmers reporting preference Number Percent Haying- 244 42 Planting corn 145 25 Hauling manure 105 13 Seeding grain : 74 15 Spiketoothing 56 6 Cultivating corn : 35 6 Cutting corn : 16 3 Horses were preferred for many of the lighter jobs on the farm, particularly haying and planting corn (table 22) . Seventeen percent considered horses a cheaper source of power than tractors for all opera- tions (table 23) . Some thought horses were more practical or more con- venient in farm work. Other farmers preferred horses, because horse equipment was on the farm and they wished to wear it out. Table 25. — Reasons given by farmers for preferring horses for farm work, the number of farmers reporting each reason, and the proportion that these farmers were of all farmers Reasons Farmers report ir -< pre. Terence Number Percent Cheaper 99 17 Has horse equipment 94 15 More practical 85 14 Easier < 77 15 Do better and more accurate work 47 8 Has horses 45 7 Do not pack soil 22 4 - 28 - ^arly 40 percent of the operators in the South East area, 18 percent in the South Central area, 14 percent in the South ""est area, 17 percent in the rest Central area, and 15 percent in the Red River Valley preferred trac- tors for all operations. This indicates that farmers think horses still have a place on their farms. Tractors were preferred definitely for the heavier work and, to a limited extent, for lighter farm work like corn plant:".. „_;, harrow- ing, seeding grain, cultivating corn, and haying ('able 24; . Many of these operations have only recently been oerformed by tractors to any extent. Table 24, — Number and percentage of farmers expressing their preference for tractors for selected operations 1/ Operations Farmers reporting preference Number rcent Plowing : 495 93 Disking : 587 69 Harvesting grain : 556 67 Corn cultivating 277 52 Spiketooth harrowing ; 244 46 Soringtooth harrowing : 224 42 Seeding grain : 199 58 Field cultivating 192 36 Cutting corn -, 180 34 ling manure : : 155 29 Haying 149 28 Corn pick! : : 143 27 Corn planting : : 128 24 1/ Based on reports from 550 farms. Sixty percent of the farmers indie. t sy thought the tractor was faster and could be used for longer hours. Twenty-nine percent felt that the tractor was more convenient, and another 21 percent said that they preferred the tractor because heat and flics did not affect it (table 25). - 29 - Table 25. — Reasons given by fanners for preferring tractors for farm work and the proportion of the farmers reporting each reason 1/ Reasons Farmers reportir ig preference i limber Percent Faster and longer hours 317 60 More convenient 155 : 23 Heat and flies do not affect j tracto r : 112 21 Too hard on horses : 83 : 16 Easier and mere pleasant ; 33 : 16 Labor saving j 69 : 13 1/ Based on reports from 550 farms. A dvantages and Pi s advantage s of Tractor Operation The opinions of tractor owners with respect to the advantages and dis- advantages of tractor operation are given in table 26. The fact that tractors can travel at faster speeds than horses was uppermost in the minds of those favoring tractors. Other important advantages were more efficient and economical operation, freedom from the effects of heat and flies, suitability for plowing, and saving in man labor. Few disadvantages were reported. The cash outlay that is necessary to supply fuel and repairs, however, was often given as a disadvantage. This is a definite di sadvantage during periods of low prices for farm products when farmers have difficulty in obtaining cash with which to buy fuel and supplies for the tractor. The tractor is also at a disadvantage in wet and soft ground. A team cf horses can often be used on land where a tractor will mire down. Another disadvantage ::" tractor operation is the oacking of the soil. In some areas the tracks nade by tractors in the soft ground lead to soil erosion. Table 26. — Advantages and disadvantages of tractor operation given by fanners and the number of farmers reporting each Advantages Speed of operation Economical operation Freedom from effect of heat and flies Suitability for plowing Saving of man labor Convenience Weed control Belt work available Farmers reporting Number 391 90 73 56 44 17 16 11 Bi sadvanta.ge s Cash outlay necessary TVet and soft ground Packs the soil Hard on operator Expensive equipment necessary Bangercus to operate Temporary breakdowns Indivisible power Farmers reoortim Number 179 46 16 7 7 5 5 2 - so - P&.. Four Tor Bu y: ng a Tractor Several reasons for buying a trictor wore re] ort d by tractor owners. Over 25 percent said thoy could operate their fai'rrs rorc of f icier tj_y with tractors than -.."it 1 .: horses (tabic £7). Others had bought tractors Dccaase they had enlarged their farms n r because they found it necessary to have more power. Many fa.a:ers pought tractors to do the heavy field v/ork, while others bought tract ore primarily to get power for belt work* During the last few years, sleeping: sickness nas caused the deat.i of many horres in :M.rnesota. Some faraers who lost their horses replaced them with tractorc. Ta^le 27. — Reasons given by faraers for preferring tractors for fara work and the number of farmers reporjbinj -ach reason Reasons Farmors reporting iber lore efficient than hcrscs : 152 Had to have more nower : 127 Do heavy work : 125 Cut expenses and labor : 64 . Beit work : 58 Sleeping sickness among horses 35 Heat and flics 24 Son vranted tractor 22 Mai-res work easier 21 Difficulty securing labor : 20 Better weed control 16 Imaress neighbors : 15 High price of horses 12 Good trade-in value 9 Dislikes horses ; 9 SUMMARY iUJD CONCLUSIONS Approximatoiy 40 percent d! the drawbar horsepower available on Minnesota farms was furnished by tractors in 1933. Most tractors in use had been bought since 1J34, and the largest number were bought in 1953 and 1957. Oiie-hrif of the trr.etors ased gaso- line exclusively, and about 35 aercent used distillate. Kerosene has been largely replaced by gasoline and distillate in recent yoa^s. Distillate and prepared tractor fuel have been improved in quality, and their use is more satisfactory and they are found to be more dependable. Half of the tractors were used 500 hours or more per year; 15 percent were used less than 300 hours. The all-purpose tractors were used an average of 571 hours, while the standard tractors were used about 440 hours. Eighty-five percent of the hours of use was drawbar work for the all-purpose tractors, while 75 percent was drawbar work for the standard tractors. - 31 - The drawbar rating of the tractors ranged from about 6 horsepower to 61 horsepower* Tractors of 12 to 13 horsepower predominated- The farmers with 12 to 18 horsepower tractors averaged the largest number of hours use per year. The heavier tractors — that is, those delivering over 18 horse- power at the drawbar — tended to be used more hours pur year for belt work then the lighter tractors. Although 50 percent of the farms studied reported some custom work, it amounted to less than 10 percent of all tractor work. Horses were used ior about 80 percent of the on-farm hauling, out were of minor importance for off-farm hauling. Tractors were seldom used in either case, but with newer, high-speed, rubber-tired tractors and trailers it is possible that more of the farm hauling will be done by tractors in the future. About 60 percent of the farms had motortrucks. About 60 percent of the off -farm hauling was performed by motortrucks. Trailers were used for over one-third of such hauling. Corn cultivating was done with 'tractors on about 65 percent of the farms. Grain seeding was done on about 45 percent of the farms, and grain harvesting on 90 percent. This was in addition to the heavy work like plowing, disking, field cultivating, and harrowing, in which the tractor has its greatest advantage. Farmers preferred horses for light work like haying, planting corn, and hauling manure. Tractors were preferred for heavy work, especially plow- ing, disking, and spring toothing. Tractors are being used more and more for light jobs like com planting, cultivating, and seeding. The all- purpose tractor probably is responsible in a large part for this trend. The tractor work -day averaged about one-half hour longer than the horse work- day. About 30 percent of the farmers reported tractor work in shifts, thus using the tractor to the maximum during urgent periods. Night work did not appear to be common. Farmers considered the cash outlay necessary to obtain and operate a tractor as its major disadvantage, a specially if the farmers are getting low prices for farm products. A much larger number considered the chief advantage of the tractor to be its abundant power and capacity. The increased flexibility and adaptability for many tasks has done much to win a place for the tractor in farm work.