Farm Machinery Ag Decision Maker

Selection File A3-28

P
utting together an ideal machinery system long run; machinery that is too small may result in
is not easy. Equipment that works best one lower crop yields or reduced quality.
year may not work well the next because of
changes in weather conditions or crop production Ownership Costs
practices. Improvements in design may make older Machinery ownership costs include charges for
equipment obsolete. And the number of acres depreciation, interest on investment, property
being farmed or the amount of labor available may taxes, insurance, and machinery housing. These
change. costs increase in direct proportion to machinery
investment and size.
Because many of these variables are unpredictable,
the goal of the good machinery manager should be Operating Costs
to have a system that is flexible enough to adapt Operating costs include fuel, lubricants, and repairs.
to a broad range of weather and crop conditions Operating costs per acre change very little as ma-
while minimizing long-run costs and production chinery size is increased or decreased. Using larger
risks. To meet these goals several fundamental machinery consumes more fuel and lubricants per
questions must be answered. hour, but this is essentially offset by the fact that more
acres are covered per hour. Much the same is true
Machine Performance of repair costs. Thus, operating costs are of minor
First, each piece of machinery must perform importance when deciding what size machinery is
reliably under a variety of field conditions or it best suited to a certain farming operation.
is a poor investment regardless of its cost.
A detailed procedure for estimating machinery
Tillage implements should prepare a satisfactory ownership and operating costs can be found in
seedbed while conserving moisture, destroying AgDM Information File A3-29, Estimating Farm
early weed growth, and minimizing erosion Machinery Costs (PM 710).
potential. Planters and seeders should provide
consistent seed placement and population as Labor Cost
well as properly apply pesticides and fertilizers. As machinery capacity increases, the number of
Harvesting equipment must harvest clean, hours required to complete field operations over
undamaged grain while minimizing field losses. a given area naturally declines. Estimates of time
requirements for completing machinery operations
The performance of a machine often depends are found in AgDM Information File A3-24,
on the skill of the operator or on weather and Estimating the Field Capacity of Farm Machines
soil conditions. Nevertheless, differences among (PM 696).
machines can be evaluated through field trials,
research reports, and personal experience. If hourly or part-time hired labor operates
machinery, it is appropriate to use the wage rate
Machinery Costs paid, plus the cost of any other benefits which
Once a particular type of tillage, planting, weed may be provided, as the labor cost. If the farmer-
control, or harvesting machine has been selected, owner or a hired worker who is paid a fixed wage
the question of how to minimize machinery costs operates machinery, then it is proper to value labor
must be answered. Machinery that is too large for at its opportunity cost, or the estimated return it
a particular farming situation will cause machinery could earn if it were used elsewhere in the farm
ownership costs to be unnecessarily high over the business, such as in livestock enterprises.

PM 952 Revised January 2017

Page 2 Farm Machinery Selection

Timeliness Costs Number of Crop Acres

In many cases, crop yields and quality are affected As more crop acres are farmed, larger-scale
by the dates of planting and harvesting. This machinery is needed to ensure that planting and
represents a “hidden” cost associated with farm harvesting can be completed in a timely fashion.
machinery, but an important one nevertheless. An alternative is to acquire a second unit of some
The value of these yield losses is commonly machines, if an additional tractor and operator
referred to as “timeliness costs.” are available.

Total Machinery Costs Labor Supply

Figure 1 illustrates the effect that changes in The number of acres that can be completed each day
machinery size have on each type of cost in is the most critical measure of machinery capacity;
a typical situation. For very small machinery more than machine width or acres completed per
(relative to crop acres), a slight increase in hour. Increasing the labor supply by hiring extra
machinery size can lower timeliness and labor operators or by working longer hours during
costs significantly, enough to more than offset the critical periods may be a relatively inexpensive way
higher fixed costs. However, as machinery size of stretching machinery capacity. In addition, the
continues to increase, the timeliness cost savings cost of additional labor only needs to be incurred
diminish, and eventually total costs begin to rise. in those years in which it is actually used, while
One objective of machinery selection, then, is the cost of investing in larger machinery becomes
to select machinery in the size range where total “locked in” as soon as the investment is made.
machinery costs are lowest. On the other hand, extra labor may not always be
available when needed, and working long hours
Figure 1. Effect of increasing machinery over several days can present a safety hazard.
size on machinery costs
Machinery
Tillage Practices
Cost per Acre The number of field days needed before planting
$90 is completed depends partly on the number of
$80
Total costs separate operations completed on each acre.
$70 Reducing the number of tillage practices performed
$60
Minimum cost or performing more than one practice in the same
point
$50 trip effectively decreases the amount of machinery
$40 capacity needed to complete field operations on
$30 time. Of course, machinery cost savings from
$20 reduced tillage must be compared to possible
$10 Labor costs increased chemical costs and effects on yields.
Timeliness costs
$0
Machinery Size
Crop Mix
Diversification of crops tends to spread out the
Factors That Affect the Size of periods when timely completion of field operations
Machinery Needed is critical. For example, yield reductions due to
Machinery recommendations must be based on late planting begin later for soybeans than for corn.
the characteristics of each individual farm. The Harvesting can also be completed over a longer
following factors influence machinery selection, time period. Thus, growing more than one or two
and are discussed in order of importance. crops reduces the machinery capacity needed for a
given number of crop acres. However, it may also
require purchasing additional types of machinery,
especially for harvesting.
Farm Machinery Selection Page 3

Weather units” are available during the growing season, and

Weather patterns determine the number of days this influences the rate of crop development.
suitable for fieldwork in a given time period each
year. Although actual weather conditions cannot Figure 2. Estimated corn yield as percent of
be predicted far enough in advance to be used as maximum, by planting date
an aid to machinery selection, past weather records 100%

can be used as a guide. AgDM Information File A3- 95%

25, Fieldwork Days in Iowa (PM 1874) lists the 90%

number of suitable field days expected for different 85%

periods of the year in each of the nine crop 80%

reporting districts in Iowa. As a rule of thumb, 75%

weather is suitable for field work about 60 percent 70%

of the time in the spring and about 75 percent of 65%
the time in the fall. This does not take into account 60%
time off for holidays, Sundays, or other occasions. 55%
Machinery selection should be based on long-run 50%
weather patterns even though it results in excess 1-May 11-May 21-May 31-May 10-Jun 20-Jun

machinery capacity in some years and insufficient Source: Iowa State University, Corn Planting Guide, PM 1885
capacity in other years.

Risk Management How early to start planting requires considerable

Fluctuations in the number and occurrence of judgment. Ideal conditions would be a soil
suitable field days from year to year cause timeliness temperature of 50°F (10°C) or above at planting
costs to vary even when the machinery set, number depth and a favorable five-day weather forecast. In
of crop acres, and labor supply do not change. most of Iowa, if soil conditions and temperatures
Investing in larger machinery can reduce the are favorable, starting to plant during the last ten
variability of net machinery costs by ensuring that days of April should be advantageous. In May, the
crops are planted and harvested on time even in major consideration should be the condition of the
years in which there are few good working days. seedbed.
Machinery fixed costs would be higher with larger
There is some risk with early planting. Replanting
machinery, but they would not fluctuate as long as
may occasionally be required, but the long-term
the machinery set did not change. Farmers with
benefits far outweigh this cost. An added benefit
high fixed cash flow needs, such as land mortgage
from early-planted corn is lower grain moisture
payments, may be willing to pay more (in higher
levels at harvest and reduced drying costs.
fixed machinery costs) than other operators for the
“insurance” of not suffering substantial yield losses Most of the same things can be said about
due to late planting and harvesting in certain years. planting soybean varieties. The ideal time for
planting adapted soybean varieties is between
Planting and Harvesting Dates May 1 and May 15. Yields can be expected to
Long-term studies indicate that corn yields decline in most years if planting occurs after May
typically start to decline significantly when 20, as Figure 3 shows.
planting occurs after May 10 to 14, as shown in
Figure 2. The exact dates will vary from year to Timeliness losses at harvest are due primarily to
year. About 50 percent of Iowa’s corn is normally more dropped ears, field shattering, and cracked
planted by this time. One reason for the decline beans. These losses must be balanced against
in yield for late-planted corn is that fewer “heat the cost of artificially drying grain harvested at a
Page 4 Farm Machinery Selection

moisture level higher than that required for safe machinery capacity to reduce risk, as well as
storage. Some harvesting losses occur because maintain total costs at a low level, is to be able to
combining speed is too high or the machine is complete tillage and planting in about 20 field days.
poorly adjusted.
Where less than one full-time person is available
Figure 3. Estimated soybean yield as to operate machinery, a goal of 25 to 30 days for
percent of maximum, by planting date completing planting and tillage will most often
100%
minimize costs. On the other hand, farms with two
or three full-time machinery operators available
95%
could aim to complete this work in less than 20 days.
90%

85% The machinery sets which minimized total

80% machinery costs were most often able to complete
75% harvesting of corn and soybeans in 25 to 30 field
70% days. As with spring work, operators for whom
65% risk reduction is important should use the lower
60% end of this range as a goal, although yield losses
55% from late harvesting are generally not as severe as
50% from late planting.
1-May 11-May 21-May 31-May 10-Jun 20-Jun
A number of different machinery combinations
Source: Iowa State University, Soybean Replant Decisions,
may allow fieldwork to be completed in the same
PM 1851
number of days. In putting together a machinery
How Large Should Machinery Be? set, it is also important to correctly match
One way to measure the capacity of a set of machinery sizes and tractor power. Using tractors
machinery is by the number of work days with horsepower in excess of that required for
required to complete field operations. This the implement being pulled results in excessive
depends on the number of crop acres, machinery depreciation and interest costs, while using too
operations performed, size of the machinery in little horsepower may cause faster engine wearout.
use, and availability of labor. Some farms may not have enough crop acres to
In research conducted at ISU, total machinery justify owning a full line of machinery, particularly
costs for Iowa grain farms, including the value of for harvesting. Custom hiring or leasing certain
timeliness losses, were estimated for a number of machinery operations may lower total costs as
different machinery combinations. The effects of well as provide more flexibility in the amount of
variations in the number of crop acres and labor machinery capacity. For a detailed discussion of
supply, were compared. custom hiring, leasing, and renting farm machinery
see AgDM Information Files A3-33 Self-Propelled
Under each set of circumstances the machinery Harvesting and Spraying: Machinery Ownership
set for which total costs were lowest, including Versus Custom Hire (PM 786) and A3-21
yield losses due to poor timeliness, was identified. Acquiring Farm Machinery Services (PM 787).
In some cases, several machinery sets gave nearly
identical minimum costs. In approximately 80 Field Capacity
percent of the cases tested, the least-cost machinery To project the number of field days required, it
sets were able to complete all tillage and planting is necessary to know the field capacity for each
operations in about 20 to 25 field days. A good rule implement. Field capacity usually is measured in
of thumb for farmers who wish to have sufficient acres accomplished per hour, and is affected by
three variables: width, speed, and field efficiency.
Farm Machinery Selection Page 5

Width refers to the effective working width of the The formula for estimating field capacity (in acres
implement, excluding overlapping, and is measured per hour) is:
in feet. Speed, which is measured in miles per
width (ft) x speed (mph)
hour, refers to a safe operating speed under normal x field efficiency (%)
working conditions. This does not take into account = field capacity (A/hr)
8.25 1
slowing down to turn at the end of a field.
For example, assume a 24-foot tandem disk can be
Field efficiency is the actual field capacity that pulled at 6 miles per hour with a field efficiency of
can be achieved as a percentage of the maximum 80 percent. Its estimated field capacity is:
theoretical capacity without overlapping, slowing
24 feet x 6 mph x 80%
for turning or stopping to adjust machinery, fill = 14 acres per hour
8.25
containers, empty hoppers, and make minor repairs.

Table 1. Default values for speed, field efficiency and draft requirements
Speed Draft (lb. per
Equipment Name Average Range
(mph) unit of width)
Tillage
Moldboard plow (16 in. bottom, 7 in. deep)
Light soil 5.5 320 220 - 430 per foot
Medium soil 5.0 500 350 - 650 per foot
Heavy soil 5.0 800 580 - 1,140 per foot
Clay soil 4.0 1200 1,000 - 1,400 per foot
Chisel-plow
(7-9 in. deep) 6.0 500 200 - 800 per shank
Disk
Single gang 6.0 75 50 - 100 per foot
Tandem 6.0 200 100 - 300 per foot
Heavy or offset 5.0 325 250 - 400 per foot
Field cultivator 7.0 300 200 - 400 per foot
Spring-tooth harrow 7.0 200 70 - 300 per foot
Spike-tooth harrow 7.0 50 20 - 60 per foot
Roller or packer 6.0 100 20 - 150 per foot
Cultivator
Field (3-5 in. deep) 7.0 250 60 - 300 per foot
Row crop 5.0 80 40 - 120 per foot
Rotary hoe 8.0 84 30 - 100 per foot
Subsoiler (16 in. deep)
Light soil 5.0 1500 1,100 - 1,800 per tooth
Medium soil 5.0 2000 1,600 - 2,600 per tooth
Heavy soil 5.0 2600 2,000 - 3,000 per tooth

Planting
Planter only 5.5 150 100 - 180 per row
Planter with attachments 5.5 350 250 - 400 per row
Grain drill 6.0 70 30 - 100 per foot
No-till drill 6.0 200 160 - 240 per foot

Applying Chemicals
Anhydrous ammonia application 5.0 425 375 - 450 per shank
Source: Hunt, Donnell. Farm Power and Machinery Management, 9th edition, ISU Press, 1995, and Bowers,
Wendell, Machinery Management, Deere and Company, 1987.

The factor 8.25 is a conversion factor calculated by 43,560 sq. feet per acre / 5,280 feet per mile.
1
Page 6 Farm Machinery Selection

Suggested values for estimating field capacities The formula for estimating the required
can be found in Table 1, and in AgDM Information horsepower measured at the power take-off
File A3-24, Estimating Field Capacity of Farm (PTO) is:
Machines (PM 696). width (feet) x speed (mph) x
draft (lb./ft.) x soil factor = PTO hp
To estimate the field capacity needed to complete
375
a certain field operation in a set number of field
days, use the following formula: The soil factors are as follows:
2WD MFD 4WD
acres to cover firm soil 1.64 1.54 1.52
= field capacity needed
(days available x hours tilled soil 1.75 1.61 1.56
of field time per day) sandy or soft soil 2.13 1.82 1.67

For example, to combine 900 acres of corn in 10 Table 1 shows estimated draft requirements
field days, harvesting 12 hours per day, would for various implements. For example, a 24-
require a field capacity of: foot tandem disk being pulled at 6.0 mph by a
4-wheel-drive assist tractor in firm soil, with a
900 acres draft requirement of 200 pounds per foot of width,
= 7.5 acres per hour
(10 days x 12 hours/day) would need the following PTO horsepower:
The minimum implement width then can be found
(24 ft. x 6.0 mph x 200 lb./ft. x 1.54) = 118 PTO hp
by inverting the formula for field capacity:
375
(8.25 x field capacity) For some implements the width and the draft
= width
(speed x field efficiency) requirements are measured in terms of the number
For the example, if the combine operates at 5 of teeth, shanks or rows rather than feet.
miles per hour with 82 percent field efficiency, the AgDM Decision Tool A3-28, Matching Tractor
minimum width is: Power and Implement Size, can be used to match
the size of a tractor to the size of an implement.
(8.25 x 7.5 acres/hour)
= 15.1 feet
(5.0 miles per hour x 82%)
Estimating the Number of Field
The minimum width is about the size of a six-row, Days Required
30-inch corn head. The following worksheet can be used to estimate
the number of field days required for tillage,
AgDM Decision Tool A3-24, Estimating the Field planting and harvesting for a particular farming
Capacity of Farm Machines, can be used to operation.
estimate the acreage capacity of a machinery
implement. Column 1. List all the field operations to be done
before planting. Include fall and spring tillage,
Matching Tractor Power and application of chemicals, and sowing of small
Implement Size grain or forages. Do not include custom hired
For tillage and planting implements the size of operations.
the machine that can be used is often limited by
the size of the available tractor. The horsepower Column 2. List the total acres to be covered by each
needed to pull a certain implement depends on operation. Remember, if some acres have the same
the width of the implement, the ground speed, operation performed on them more than once,
draft requirement, and soil condition. multiply the number of acres by the times over.
Farm Machinery Selection Page 7

Column 3. List the sizes of the machines used for Column 7. Estimate the number of field days
all operations. needed for each operation by dividing column 2
by column 6. Then find the total for each group of
Column 4. List the field capacity of each machine field operations.
in acres per hour. Suggestions can be found
in Table 1 or AgDM Information File A3-24, Use extra lines to estimate how the number of field
Estimating Field Capacity of Farm Machines days required can be adjusted. Adjustments can be
(PM 696), or by using the following formula: made by changing machinery size, number of field
operations, number of acres covered, proportion of
width (ft) x speed (mph) x acres in each crop, hours available for fieldwork,
field efficiency (%) or by custom hiring some operations.
= field capacity (A/hr)
8.25
This worksheet can also be used to estimate the
It may be more convenient to skip directly to number of field days required for harvesting
column 6 and enter the number of acres covered forages. This can be compared to the expected
per day, if this is known. number of field days available in the appropriate
period, as shown in AgDM Information File A3-25,
Column 5. Enter the number of labor hours
Fieldwork Days in Iowa (PM 1874).
available per day in the field to perform each
tillage and preplant operation. Do not count time AgDM Decision Tool A3-28, Estimating the Number
spent on repairs, transportation of machinery, of Field Days Required, can be used to estimate
livestock activities, etc. For planting and the number of field days required to complete field
harvesting, enter the number of hours per day the operations.
planter or combine can be used.

Column 6. Multiply column 4 by column 5 to

estimate the number of acres covered per day for
each operation. Decide if this is a reasonable figure
based on experience.

Other publications that will help you make good machinery management decisions are:
PM 696 Estimating Field Capacity of Farm Machines (AgDM A3-24)
PM 709 Fuel Required for Field Operations (AgDM A3-27)
PM 710 Estimating Farm Machinery Costs (AgDM A3-29)
PM 786 Self-Propelled Harvesting and Spraying: Machinery Ownership Versus Custom Hire (AgDM A3-33)
PM 787 Acquiring Farm Machinery Services (AgDM A3-21)
PM 952 Farm Machinery Selection (AgDM A3-28)
PM 1373 Joint Machinery Ownership (AgDM A3-34)
PM 1450 Transferring Ownership of Farm Machinery (AgDM A3-32)
PM 1860 Replacement Strategies for Farm Machinery (AgDM A3-30)
PM 1874 Fieldwork Days in Iowa (AgDM A3-25)
Machinery Leasing - Is It For You? (AgDM A3-35)
Page 8 Farm Machinery Selection

Field Days Worksheet Example—800 acres of corn, 800 acres of soybeans.

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Labor Acres
Total Acres to Your Field Capacity Available for Covered Field Days
be covered by Implement Acres Per Fieldwork Per Day Needed
Type of Operation Implement Size Hour Hours/Day (Col. 4 x Col. 5) (Col. 2/Col. 6)

All Tillage and Pre-plant Chemical Application

Apply nitrogen 800 20 ft. 8 12 96 8.3
Chisel plow 800 25 ft. 14 16 224 3.6
Spray 1,600 60 ft. 60 12 720 2.2
Field cultivate 1,600 34 ft. 24 12 288 5.6

Planting
Plant corn 800 16-30 18 16 288 2.8
Plant soybeans 800 16-30 18 16 288 2.8
Spray 1,600 60 ft. 60 12 720 2.2

Total 27.5

Harvesting
Harvest soybeans 800 25 ft. 7 10 70 11.4
Harvest corn 800 8-30 6 10 60 13.3

Total 24.7
Farm Machinery Selection Page 9

Field Days Worksheet

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Labor Acres
Total Acres to Your Field Capacity Available for Covered Field Days
be covered by Implement Acres Per Fieldwork Per Day Needed
Type of Operation Implement Size Hour Hours/Day (Col. 4 x Col. 5) (Col. 2/Col. 6)

All Tillage and Pre-plant Chemical Application

Planting
Plant corn
Plant soybeans

Total

Harvesting
Harvest soybeans
Harvest corn

Total

. . . and justice for all

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on Prepared by William Edwards
the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, retired extension economist
marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. (Not
all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Inquiries regarding non-
discrimination policies may be directed to Ross Wilburn, Diversity Officer,
2150 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, 515-294-1482, [Link]/agdm
wilburn@[Link].
[Link]