Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap

blackwasp · 26th August 2019, 18:19

Mahesh Karmali, a 33-year old farmer, has built a low-cost machine to plough his fields. The tractor, named as the Power Tiller, was built using scooter scraps at a cost of Rs. 12,000.

Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap-win190817powertillerreadonly_16c9f607a1d_medium.jpg

Karmali is a resident of Uncha Ghana village in Vishnughar, Hazaribagh in the state of Jharkhand. He used to work at a Bajaj Auto showroom in Pune till January this year. A class VI dropout, Karmali built the tractor as the oxen used for ploughing his family’s 4,000 sq. m. farmland were sold. The low-cost tractor uses parts of a Bajaj Chetak scooter including its engine and scrap bits. Karmali purchased it for Rs. 4,251. He also adds that any two-wheeler engine with a fan can be used or a fan can be retrofitted to engines without one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPt...ature=youtu.be

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, shared this video on twitter asking if they should set up a Mahindra Garage to support such innovators. It could offer both physical and virtual help along with technical and seed finance.

Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap-screenshot-20190826-5.56.58-pm.png

Source: E News Room

Sutripta · 31st August 2019, 09:53

Economics might be the driving force behind juggadry, and as such has a place. But I wish we see it as juggadry, and stop singing paens to its glory. All it does is to make the juggad to be something to strive for. And all its compromises the norm.

Regards
Sutripta

GrammarNazi · 31st August 2019, 10:32

If technical assistance comes without strings attached, or better-still as part of CSR, then it would help with meaningful impact for small farmers who can't afford owning/hiring tractors.

Jugaad is only wrong where one is trying to beat the existing systems out of a malicious intent. Here the person is trying to create something for himself out of in-existence of avenues & sheer financial desperation. What norms would he be violating by using this tiller on his private farmland ? Emission norms ?

Samurai · 31st August 2019, 11:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Jugaad is only wrong where one is trying to beat the existing systems out of a malicious intent. Here the person is trying to create something for himself out of in-existence of avenues & sheer financial desperation. What norms would he be violating by using this tiller on his private farmland ? Emission norms ?

When you can get professionally designed equipment that meets the norms for the same price, why praise jugaad?

Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap-fullscreen-capture-8312019-114113-am.bmp.jpg

Sutripta · 31st August 2019, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

What norms would he be violating by using this tiller on his private farmland ? Emission norms ?

Engineering norms.
Disregarding rather than violating.

Regards
Sutripta

lapis_lazuli · 31st August 2019, 19:13

There's a thread, which goes like why India doesn't have an Elon Musk. This is exactly why! We probably do not encourage thinking bigger, and we think this is innovation! No. It is a functional piece of farm help, yes, kudos to his efforts...but innovation? That's not the right word IMHO.

You may wish to look up http://nif.org.in/

The National Innovation Foundation, looking to find such innovators and, continue Innovation. There was only as much that could be done and the reason is the line between predictable, repeatable design that makes money sustainably versus a one off, working contraption, inappropriately labelled as innovation. Jugaad is temporary. Essentially.

Jaguar · 31st August 2019, 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

What norms would he be violating by using this tiller on his private farmland ? Emission norms ?

Safety? I suppose that is not important in our country.

PS: I added the line about the country cause to increase the message length

bigron · 31st August 2019, 23:22

Anand Mahindra, rather than trying to tap into the whole physical/financial help to small farmers who creates a contraption like this can instead direct/aid the farmer to proper farm equipment like the one posted by Samurai.

Why not open a garage/tool shack which stocks proper but cheap farm equipment like this that can be rented out/leased to small farmers for negligible rent instead of providing technical/financial aid to something that is a one off.

31st August 2019, 09:53	#2
Sutripta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,668 Thanked: 6,217 Times	Re: Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap Economics might be the driving force behind juggadry, and as such has a place. But I wish we see it as juggadry, and stop singing paens to its glory. All it does is to make the juggad to be something to strive for. And all its compromises the norm. Regards Sutripta
	(4) Thanks

31st August 2019, 10:32	#3
GrammarNazi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,419 Thanked: 3,490 Times	Re: Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap If technical assistance comes without strings attached, or better-still as part of CSR, then it would help with meaningful impact for small farmers who can't afford owning/hiring tractors. Jugaad is only wrong where one is trying to beat the existing systems out of a malicious intent. Here the person is trying to create something for himself out of in-existence of avenues & sheer financial desperation. What norms would he be violating by using this tiller on his private farmland ? Emission norms ?
	(2) Thanks

31st August 2019, 19:13	#6
lapis_lazuli BHPian Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 764 Thanked: 2,856 Times	Re: Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap There's a thread, which goes like why India doesn't have an Elon Musk. This is exactly why! We probably do not encourage thinking bigger, and we think this is innovation! No. It is a functional piece of farm help, yes, kudos to his efforts...but innovation? That's not the right word IMHO. You may wish to look up http://nif.org.in/ The National Innovation Foundation, looking to find such innovators and, continue Innovation. There was only as much that could be done and the reason is the line between predictable, repeatable design that makes money sustainably versus a one off, working contraption, inappropriately labelled as innovation. Jugaad is temporary. Essentially. Last edited by lapis_lazuli : 31st August 2019 at 19:28.
	(4) Thanks

31st August 2019, 23:22	#8
bigron Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NSEW Posts: 1,309 Thanked: 2,706 Times	Re: Farmer designs low-cost tractor from scrap Anand Mahindra, rather than trying to tap into the whole physical/financial help to small farmers who creates a contraption like this can instead direct/aid the farmer to proper farm equipment like the one posted by Samurai. Why not open a garage/tool shack which stocks proper but cheap farm equipment like this that can be rented out/leased to small farmers for negligible rent instead of providing technical/financial aid to something that is a one off.
	() Thanks