本研究以現有農地搬運車之製造技術及使用經驗為基礎,設計研製一台行走於畦溝內,並可兼具承載噴藥裝置之小型三輪式搬運車,以解決作畦栽培田內至農道間之運輸作業需求。該機採用5.3 Hp汽油引擎為動力,並以無段變速皮帶輪或離心鼓式皮帶輪配合前進二檔、後退一檔變速齒輪箱傳動,最高行進速度逾18 km/hr,最大載重量達300 kg,於田間實際操作測試,本車之作業效率最高可達人工的7倍以上。其載物台除可放置農作物、肥料等物品外,又可迅速換裝容量110 l藥液桶、2支折疊式噴藥桿與高壓泵等一體設計之噴藥裝置,兼做病蟲害防治工作。當搬運車的行走速度設定為3.26 km/hr、噴霧壓力調整在10 kg/cm^2進行噴藥作業時,每次藥液桶滿載可噴灑1.38分地,且每分地只需耗費7.4 min即可完成,比人工噴藥速度快約5.4倍,並可減少藥劑用量。若此,將使該搬運車兼具多功能的作業用途,並能達到減輕農民一部分人力需求與機具設備購置成本等目的。
A three-wheel mini-cart was designed and developed in this project for row-crop fields to provide transportation between in-field and farm roadside. The cart may also travel in furrow with a spraying apparatus attached. A 5.3 ps gasoline engine with a continuously variable-speed transmission or with a transmission gear box plus centrifugal pulleys was employed as the power unit. The performance of the machine was set up as over 18 km/hr ground speed while loading 300 kgs goods. The testing results showed that it is over 7 times higher than human labor in transporting efficiency. In addition to loading plastic baskets or paper boxes, the cart may rapidly attach or deattach a spraying equipment for concurrent function of crop protection. A tank of 110 l in volume is equipped for agricultural chemical. The spraying device may apply the chemical over 0.14 ha of field within 7.4 min. It is 5.4 times of human labor equivalently in capacity when the spraying pressure is 10 kg/cm^2 and the cart speed is 3.26 km/hr. This multi-purpose cart, that is inexpensive comparatively, may help the farmers reduce the cost of labors.