Mobile Vegetable Harvesting Platform
Problem statement
Imagine being a farmer on a small-scale farm having to carry heavy loads long distances by hand and travel over rough terrain. Many large-scale farmers have equipment available to them that makes it easier and more efficient for them to transport crops from fields; however, this labor intensive transportation environment is the reality for many local, small-scale farmers, particularly our client John Hendrickson of Small Farm Works. A few field-to-storage transportation options that small-scale farmers currently use include UTVs and ATVs [1], as well as the traditional method of simply carrying individual crates from the field to storage [2]. The issue with these current transportation methods is that UTVs and ATVs require that the field be planted such that the vehicle can travel through the rows without damaging the crops, and simply carrying individual crates from the field to storage is incredibly labor intensive and inefficient. In a first attempt to create a more flexible and efficient solution for small-scale farmers, our client imported a small harvesting platform that can easily travel in rows between crops and can be adjusted to fit different widths. He also electrified it to make the process more efficient and less labor intensive; however, work still needs to be done to improve the speed controls and better contain and protect the electronic components from weather and wear. We intend to implement an incremental speed controller to make the harvesting platform more user friendly and install containment devices to better protect the electronics and eliminate the risk of damaging the electrified platform. Ultimately, we believe that our improvements to the existing platform will result in a device that local, small-scale farmers can use to reduce the labor requirements associated with transporting crops and will be fit to operate in different sized fields for numerous farmers. [1] 18 different types of farm vehicles explained. LemonBin Vehicle Guides. (2022, March 8). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://lemonbin.com/types-of-farm-vehicles/ [2] Hajdu, I. (2022, February 18). Transport as an important factor for a farmer’s success. AGRIVI. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.agrivi.com/blog/transport-as-an-important-factor-for-a-farmers-success/
Team members
Vincent Johns – leader
George Bond – communicator
Katelyn Miller – accountant
Isabelle Hanson – admin
Client
John Hendrickson, Small Farm Works