Development of A Hydraulically Controlled and Independently Adjustable Furrower for Tractor-Attached Rotary Tillers

Abstract

Abstract

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5103-8670 christian.mingala@isu.edu.ph1 Agriculture Department, Isabela State University – Angadanan, Angadanan, Isabela, Philippines1 Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Isabela State University, Echague, Isabela, Philippines2 A tandem rotary tiller-furrower was developed to combine soil pulverization and furrow formation into a single field pass. The implement features four stainless-steel double-moldboard bottoms in an adjustable and removable bolted configuration. Furrow depth is adjusted via a dynamic hydraulic depth control unit. It was evaluated on a 3-hectare dry clay loam field using a 50-hp tractor arranged in a two-factor Randomized Complete Block Design, to examine the operational interaction between two furrow depths and three forward speeds. Field evaluation demonstrated structural integrity, consistent 60 cm inter-row spacing, minimal soil adhesion, and safe wheel slip limits. At the lower depth setting (16.75 ± 1.13 cm), increasing speed from low to high maximized actual field capacity from 0.24 to 0.53 ha/h, improved field efficiency from 70.30% to 79.44%, and reduced effective fuel consumption from 15.85 to 11.38 L/ha. In contrast, the higher depth setting (18.25 ± 1.53 cm) reduced field capacity due to increased soil–tool interaction during deeper tillage and furrowing. Economically, the single-pass system reduces cost and improves profitability. By integrating rotary tilling and furrowing into a single-pass operation, the system provides farmers with a technically and economically sound solution for mechanized row-crop land preparation under Philippine dry-field conditions. Keywords: Agricultural mechanization; Tandem rotary tiller-furrower; Hydraulic depth control; Single-pass tillage; Field capacity