Evaluasi Sistem Penggerak dan Modifikasi Mesin Penanam Jagung Bertenaga Traktor Tangan

To improve the performance of corn planter powered by hand tractor, the following efforts were carried out: a) the evaluation of minimum tillage (strip tillage) using rotary tiller, b) the evaluation of the performance of the drive system for seed metering device; and c) modifications of the planting and fertilizing units. The machine capacity to be improved by using two planting rows in one pass. The machine was driven by a hand tractor equipped with a rotary tiller unit. The experiment results show that the strip tillage using the rotary tiller could be done when the soil is plowed, in a relatively loose condition. Among the five types of drive wheel to rotate the seed metering device, lugged rubber wheel had the lowest level of sliding (21- 22%), and produced seed spacing of the closest to the target (19-21 cm). The evaluation showed that one drive wheel is not able to drive two units of seed metering device and two units of fertilizer metering device. Rotation of tractor axle can be used effectively to drive the rotor of two units of the fertilizer applicator and corn seed metering devices of two planter units, using the sprocket-chain transmission. Modifications were constructed for two planting units; two fertilizing units; and the addition of drive system for the metering devices using rotation of the tractor axle