Hitch System and Hitching of Tillage Implements

INTRODUCTION:

Hitching is defined as joining the two types of machinery together so as to perform the undesired task. In hitching, one of the machines is movable, which are called movers, and the second machinery is non-movable, which are called implements. Tillage of the soil is one of the basic aspects of agricultural engineering, so the implements used for the tillage of the soil are called the tillage implements. There are two types of tillage implements, primary tillage implements and secondary tillage implements. The hitching system and tillage implements are correlated with each other, as the working efficiency of the tillage implements depends upon the proper hitching system.

HITCHING:

Hitching is one of the important aspects of agricultural engineering. To make the soil condition more favourable, various machinery is used. These machineries are not movable. Therefore, there is a need to attach these non-movable types of machinery to a movable machine. The system of combining a mover with machinery so that it can work into a single unit is termed hitching. These types of machinery that are used for improving the soil conditions or several other agricultural purposes are called implements.

TYPES OF HITCHING SYSTEMS:

The proper functioning of the implements depends upon the hitch arrangements. There are two types of hitching systems,

1. Horizontal hitching of the implement: Horizontal hitching of the implement depends upon the design of the implements. If the longitudinal centerlines of the implements are symmetrical, horizontal hitching is favourable.
2. Vertical hitching of the implement: vertical hitching is adopted for the implements that have wheels or runners. Single-axle implements are also considered to be hitched with the movers in a vertical connection.

Several other types of hitching implements are classified as:

• Pull hitching system.
• Wheel-mounted hitching system.
• Drag hitching system.
• Semi mounted hitching system.
• Rear-mounted hitching system.
• Centre-mounted hitching system.

TILLAGE IMPLEMENTS:

Tillage is one of the basic requirements of soil cultivation. To improve the fertility of the soil, the top most compact surface layer of the soil is dug up and lost in the soil mass so as to ensure enhancement of the soil fertility. Various machinery that is used for the tillage of the soils is called tillage implements. There are various types of tillage implements that are used in daily farming and cultivation purposes.

TYPES OF THE TILLAGE IMPLEMENTS:

There are various types of tillage implements as per the requirements of the farmers. Several types of tillage implements are:

• Strip tillage implements : Strip tillage is performed over the desired and outlying soil bands.
• Minimum tillage implements : The minimum tillage implements is used when the minimum amount of soil excavation is required for crop cultivation.
• Mulch tillage implements : The mulch tillage is performed to dig up the unwanted residue materials from the deep bed of the soil to the surface.
• Rotary tillage implements : This type of tillage performs a rotary action to cut the soil and mix the lower portion of the soil with the surface portion to loosen the soil mass and improve fertility.
• Combined tillage implements : Combined tillage is the combination of any two types of tillage as per the requirement of the cultivated areas or the crop production.

 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TILLAGE IMPLEMENTS:

Primary and secondary tillage implements are the most important implement machinery used in the agricultural field. Each of the tillage implements performs its necessary action. The distinctive feature of these tillage implements is:

1. Primary tillage implements: The primary tillage implements are used to dig up the topmost layer of the soil so as to reduce the soil strength and rearrange the aggregates. During the tillage, various pesticides, insecticides, and fertilisers are mixed up in the soil to improve nutrient consistency. Primary tillage implements are very aggressive and cut the soil deep and leave a rough surface. For example,

• Ploughs
• Disk Bedders
• Subsoilers

1. Secondary tillage implements: The secondary tillage implements are used to perform the secondary tillage. Secondary tillage is performed after the primary tillage. In this method, the soil beds are tilled for the seeding and planting procedure. It also plays a role in closing the air pockets of the soils and removing the weeds and residue materials from the bed for proper seeding. For example,

• Harrows
• Cultivators
• Rod Weeders

 CONCLUSION:

Hitching is the process of joining the movable machinery, like tractors, to the non-movable machinery, which is called implements. One of the basic agricultural requirements is the tillage of the soil. For performing the tillage of the soil, various machines are used, which are called tillage implements. There are two types of tillage implements, primary tillage implements, and secondary tillage implements. The working efficiency of these tillage implements totally depends upon the proper hitching system. To understand the working of these tillage implements and the hitching system, it is required to have the basic knowledge of the machinery used as tillage implements in agricultural engineering.