Low Cost Technology for Draft Animals
Location: Kangwon Province, Korea
Practice: Training of Draft Cows
Technical Description
A heifer about one year old is trained to be a draft cow. It is fitted with a yoke connected with chains to a 100-200 kg log.
Uses and Merits
Draft cows are mainly used for pulling carts in Korea. Existing carts are not suitable for training, since they are too big and too easily damaged. Hence, fitting cows with logs can help train them for this purpose (Fig. 1).
It does not need any specific techniques and materials. It is easy to find open spaces for the training: fallow idle land and pasture, for instance.
Reservations on Its Use
Spectators should not be around the training area, for safety reasons. The weight of the logs and the period of training must be adjusted according to the cow's abaility.
Expert's Comments
Women or old men are not recommended as trainers since physical strength is needed to control untrained cows. Training should not take place in very hot or cold weather.
Practice: Rake for Paddy Soils
Location: Surin Province, ThailandTechnical Description
A piece of 150 x 5 x 7 cm hardwood (A), is perpendicularly attached to pieces of bamboo or soft timber (B). One piece of softwood timber (C) is laid and secured to the other end of B to make a handle. Pieces of softwood timber (D) are secured to both ends of A. Holes are drilled through timber A at regular intervals, through which pieces of smaller hardwood timber A are stuck, making a comb-like structure (Fig. 2).
Uses and Merits
In land preparation for paddy planting after the land has been ploughed and flooded, all grasses and weeds that have been uprooted must be removed by raking. This traditional tool is often used in Thailand, and is very efficient.
The contraption is harnessed to a draft animal such as a water buffalo and pulled through a wet or dry paddy field (Fig. 3).
Reservations on Its Use
The rake is said to work better in flooded paddy fields.
Expert's Comments
The teeth of the comb-like structure may have to be replaced fairly often, depending on the soil type.
Practice: Wooden Plow
Location: Mahasarakarm Province, ThailandTechnical Description
The wooden plow is constructed as follows (Fig. 4). A branch of a hardwood tree, A, is carved into the shape shown in Fig. 1. Another branch of hardwood, B, is also carved out. B is then inserted into A through a slot. Another piece of hardwood is also carved with a big slot, through which one end of A is inserted and secured tightly. A piece of steel, D, is then fitted to C, thus forming a plow. A piece of rope is inserted through a hole at E. This is then connected to the yoke of a water buffalo (Fig. 5).
Uses and Merits
The first operation in paddy land preparation is plowing to turn the topsoil. This eliminates the weeds and grasses that may compete with the young rice plants. The device mentioned here can help farmers do the plowing. The plow can be controlled by the farmer via the handle and the animal. Two water buffaloes may be teamed up to pull a plow with a larger steel blade.
Reservations on Its Use
The plow works better when the field is soft and the soil is flooded.
Expert's Comments
The draft animals should be put to work a few hours in the morning and late afternoon to avoid heat stress. They should be left to graze or rest during the hot part of the day. While plowing, it is advisable to avoid large rocks or stumps as the animals will readily get exhausted if forced to pull a plow that gets caught in boulders or tree stumps. The device can be made of steel.
Practice: Wooden Cart Wheel
Location: Mahasarakarm Province, ThailandTechnical Description
Planks of hardwood timber (A) about 3 to 4 cm thick are cut into sections. When joined together end to end, a complete ring is formed. Each of the planks has two slots. A wooden spoke (B) is inserted into each end of the spoke with the other end inserted into a slot at the hub (C). The total number of slots on the hub should be the same as the total number of slots on the wooden ring, which is joined to the planks (A) (Fig. 6).
A ring of steel (D) with the same width as the plank's thickness and nearly the same diameter as the wooden wheel is then heated and forged over the wooden wheel to increase its strength. A hole about 4 cm diameter is drilled through the hub. A large steel rod is then inserted through the hole, thus forming an axle when inserted through the two wheels. A chassis is fitted over the axle and a draw bar is attached. The cart is then ready as a utility vehicle.
Uses and Merits
During the time when engines were not available or too expensive for the farmers, carts were used extensively and swamp buffaloes provided power to move the vehicle.
Wooden carts are used to transport agricultural products through paddy fields where no road is available (Fig. 7). It seems towork fairly well on soft ground.
Reservations on Its Use
The vehicle is rather slow, but the objective of transporting heavy goods from one place to another is met.
Expert's Comments
The farmer must not drive the animals to exhaustion and should not overload the cart. Used tires can replace the wooden wheels.
Practice: Muzzle Bag for Working Animals
Location: PhilippinesTechnical Description
The method involves covering the muzzle of a working ox or buffalo with a small basket or bag (Fig. 8). The bag permits the animal to breathe freely, but prevents his mouth from opening while plowing or harrowing. It also prevents him from causing damage to crops by eating them while working. In this way, the animal devotes its full attention to its work.
Uses and Merits
During plowing or soil cultivation, draft animals take any opportunity to grab planted crops or graze while pulling the plow. This results in damage to crops and work delay, because the animal has to stop to feed.
The use of muzzle bags is popular in upland or slopeland areas where draft animals are used to plow or cultivate the land. It minimizes damage to crops, and allows the work animals to concentrate on plowing without disturbance, and therefore use their work time efficiently.
Reservations on Its Use
Initially, the presence of the contraption will annoy the work animal. Also, the basket or bag will limit the movement of the mouth and tongue while working. This may cause discomfort for the animal during regurgitation or rumination.
Expert's Comments
The most practical purpose of the basket or bag is to prevent the animal from grazing what is already planted in the fields. The problem is common during the hilling up of soil in cornfields. The basket or bag used should allow the animal to breathe comfortably and move his jaws freely. While the animal is at rest, the basket must be removed to allow the animal to graze or drink during break time.
Practice: Sugarcane Juice Extractor
Location: Burirum Province, ThailandThree pieces of hardwood (A, B and C) are shaped into barrels with identical diameters and height, and fitted with wooden cogs. The two barrels (A and C) are fitted with axles and sandwiched between two heavy pieces of timber (Fig. 9). The barrel B is fitted with a large shaft, which in turn is fitted with a fairly long yoke. Therefore if one barrel is turned, the other two barrels will also turn.
Uses and Merits
A buffalo cart can transport only relatively small amounts of sugarcane very slowly. It is far better to extract the sugarcane juice and manufacture brown sugar in the field, than carry the bulky sugarcane stalks to a factory in a distant village. This juice extractor will therefore come in handy in field situations (Fig. 10).
A buffalo carries the free end of the yoke and is led to walk in a circle around the contraption that is anchored to the ground. This turns barrel B which also turns the other two barrels, A and C, at the same time. Stalks of sugarcane are then fed and crushed between the rolling barrels, yielding sugarcane juice that is collected in buckets as it flows into the wooden channel.
Reservations on Its Use
The contraption should be anchored securely to the ground and a well-trained buffalo should be used. The animal should be let free to graze and rest during the hot part of the day.
Expert's Comments
The sugarcane juice should be boiled down very soon. If there is any delay, fermentation of the liquid is likely to begin, especially in hot and humid areas.
Practice: Drag Carts for Muddy Areas
Location: PhilippinesTechnical Description
The use of carts pulled by draft animals like cattle and water buffalo is still very popular in the Philippines (Fig. 11 and Fig. 12). Such carts are used to transport loads such as farm products,logs, bamboo, soil/clay, planting materials or even people. Animal-drawn carts facilitate farm mobility and transport. Depending on the design and terrain, some carts can have either tires or wooden wheels. On muddy paths, sleds without wheels are simply dragged. The design of carts varies with the kind of load and terrain.
Uses and Merits
In steeplands or waterlogged areas, the use of draft animals is practical. Animals are able to train themselves to move through rugged or marshy terrain on dirt tracks.
Animal-drawn carts used to transport loads give farmers mobility in rough terrain. They do not cause any pollution, and are relatively inexpensive. Animals are a natural source of draft power. Their maintenance requirements are relatively low.
Expert's Comments
Even with the advent of modern farming, the use of animal power and locally designed carts is practical. Such carts serve their purpose of transporting loads from the farm to places where they are utilized or further transported.
Index of Images
Figure 1 To Train a Heifer for Work, a 100-200 KG Log Is Attached with Chains to the Yoke and Dragged by the Cow
Figure 2 A Wooden Rake.
Figure 3 The Rake, Harnessed to a Draft Animal, Helps to Uproot Weeds and Grasses.
Figure 4 Wooden Plow.
Figure 5 Plow Connected to the Yoke of a Buffalo Helps Farmers Prepare the Land for Planting.
Figure 6 Wooden Cart.
Figure 7 The Cart Is Useful for Transporting Produce from the Field to the Farmhouse or to Market
Figure 8 In the Philippines, to Prevent the Work Animal from Grazing While Plowing, a Basket or Bag Is Placed Over Its Muzzle.
Figure 9 Sugarcane Juice Extractor.
Figure 10 Used Out in the Field, It Frees Farmers from the Labor of Hauling Bulky Sugarcane Stalks to the Factory for Processing
Figure 11 Sled Constructed of Hardwood
Figure 12 Boat-Shaped Sled
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