In general, a cultivator is another example of a modern agriculture tools to produce a subsoil that works with spike teeth sticking out the soil then extracted by a driving force.
Usually this cultivator use a tractor machine as its driving force. The cultivator mechanism by a rotating disc with spike teeth at the other end, called by a rotary tiller.
Cultivator General Function
A Cultivator able to stirred and destroy mass of soil before cultivation or even just for aeration process after the seeds had been planted. For this the purpose is to destroy weeds.
Unlike a rake, which works to stirred land filed in wide areas, a cultivator only stirred the surrounding land soil. In this way, it stirring the soil right in the exact block as intended. Common people see between cultivator and mold board plow are similar from one to another. The truth is, both has a different working principle.
The principle work of a cultivator only the top layer soil. On the other hand, a mold board plow works to stirred the soil thoroughly. Because of this, a cultivator only requires a small amount of driving force then the conventional type.
Commonly a cultivator has its own power energy or called as self-propelled, meaning this tool is pulled by a tractor. Either with a two-wheeled or four-wheeled tractor. On a two-wheeled tractor, a cultivator was embedded and moved by the transmission main power of the tractor.
In the four-wheeled tractor, a cultivator embedded in the three-point hitch. A power take off mechanism is designed to drive the three-point hitch. In most developing countries, cultivator works manually driven by animals such as cows or buffalo. Because it is not using an automatic mechanism of a machine, therefore it is likely more low cost.
Cultivator Function Based on Types
Nowadays, there are three common types of cultivator used in Indonesian agriculture industry. There are:
- A Four-Wheeled Cultivator
This type is more flexible, can be use in many kind of land field. Such as on a hard, or dry, even wet land field like in the rice fields. In order to work on a different kind of soil condition, just need to replace the implement.
Another advantage of a four-wheeled cultivator, it helps farmer to work on a large land field quickly. Additionally, there is a cart installed on the rear to carry other tools needed.
- Rotary Cultivator
To cultivate a medium size and solid ground land, farmers usually use a rotary cultivator type. The plus point of this tool, it works efficiently for wet and dry land as well.
On a dry land field, firstly is the job for a mold board plow to have a deep stirring of the soil, afterwards the process of flattened back the soil will be continued by a rotary cultivator. Meanwhile on a wet land field, only took a one step of the process for the cultivation until ready for plantation.
- Mini Tiller Cultivator
Mini tiller cultivator works best for dry land field only. It can stir-pierced the soil to make the land field more fertile.
To operate this tool is easy. Designed with a pole that can be adjusted to three position depends on the height needed.
It’s light-weight low fuel consumption, and compact removable. Total weight including the rotary is only 64 Kg. Usually farmers use this type to create a contour trench line, and weeds.
This article just as a description of a cultivator usage in the Indonesian agriculture industry. The mechanical technology of this tool is to take care of the weeds, aeration improvement, and triggered the micro-organism in the soil to work.
Beside that, a cultivator is able to develop the soil nutrients supply to increase the fertility for the root to penetrate effectively.