The utilization and effects of tractors and farm transport vehicles in Hebei Province, China | |
| Author | Zhang, Jianxia |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AE-98-5 |
| Subject(s) | Farm tractors--China--Hebei Farm trucks--China--Hebei |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | A survey was conducted to determine the utilization of tractors and farm transport vehicles in Hebei province, China. A questionnaire was used to collect the primary data through personal interviews. The secondary data were collected through published reports. Details of ailments suffered due to tractor driving and accidents were also collected. Due to small holdings, small tractors, Hebei-12 and Hebei-15 were found to be popular in the study area. 30% of the tractors were used for transportation and 50% were used for both field work and transportation. The average annual use of the tractors was found to be 1267 h. 70% of the tractors were bought from the own savings or by borrowing from friends. The range of age of the tractor drivers studied was 17 to 54 years. 63% of the drivers learned driving from training school or center. The most frequent breakdown of the tractors were related to the engine assembly. Due to the prolonged exposure to high vibration and jolts during driving, the body pains suffered were related to hip and bottom (64%), neck (60%), and shoulder (46%). The common ailments among the tractor drivers were lmee joint arthritis (66%), low back pain (65%), and gastroptosis (51 %). A comparison of the ailments suffered by Chinese and Indian drivers showed that due to cold weather, Chinese drivers suffered more than Indian drivers. Data collected about farm transport vehicles showed that most of these vehicles had also breakdown related to engine assembly and steering system. Most users got information about these vehicles through friends and relatives. Due to structural limitations, the motor tricycles are more dangerous than farm transporters. They are used for on-farm as well as offfarm operations. From the available data it was found that most of the agricultural machinery accidents and losses were related to the tractors. Large and medium tractors had higher rate of deaths and accidents than small tractors. Most of the accidents took place on highways (69%). Driving without license, overloading and over-speeding were the main reasons for tractor accidents. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salokhe, V. M.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Singh, G. ;Hansen, G. K.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Denmark (DANIDA) ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998 |