How Heavy Machinery Can Improve Efficiency on Farms and Ranches
Jump To Sections:
- How Does Equipment Impact Efficiency in Agricultural Settings?
- 4 Types of Efficiency-Boosting Equipment for Farms
- Find Cat® Equipment for Sale at Warren CAT
With such a vital role in our civilization, farming operations must consistently manage tasks like planting seeds, harvesting crops and tending to livestock to keep our world fed. Manually performing these tasks can be physically and mentally taxing and would not keep up with demand.
That’s where machinery comes in to improve efficiency and productivity. Machines like skid steers, hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders can support agricultural operations by facilitating various tasks, such as digging holes for crops and fence posts, grading land and transporting materials.
Whether ranches, feedlots or dairy farms, many agricultural operations can benefit from investing in a reliable, durable equipment fleet.
How Does Equipment Impact Efficiency in Agricultural Settings?
Construction equipment allows for improved flexibility, resource management and profitability, allowing farmers and other agricultural workers to automate tasks and improve efficiency. Using equipment like dozers, hydraulic excavators and backhoe loaders to support your farming operations can offer several benefits.
1. Time and Labor Savings
Using construction equipment for farming applications decreases the time and physical labor needed to complete manual tasks, such as:
- Digging ditches
- Grading roads and land
- Dispersing straw over soil
- Transporting work material
- Watering crops
- Moving loose materials like soil and manure
- Fence construction and maintenance
Heavy equipment helps farmers use land more efficiently and grow a wider variety of crops. It can reduce soil erosion, improve land recovery, streamline irrigation systems and make land that otherwise might not have been used more arable. For example, you can equip hydraulic excavators with different attachments to level soil, remove weeds and fill ditches.
Between saving time, minimizing labor and optimizing land use, construction equipment makes agricultural operations incredibly efficient.
2. Versatility
Construction equipment can tackle multiple activities, including:
- Fertilizing
- Plowing
- Planting
- Harvesting
- Irrigation
- Trenching
- Post-hole digging
Farmers can perform various duties using one machine, which reduces the need for human labor. For example, a wheel loader can handle many tasks, such as pushing loose materials, lifting heavy items, excavating land and grading fields. With a machine operator taking care of those jobs, the rest of the team can focus their attention elsewhere to help the business grow.
Agricultural workers can benefit from even a limited amount of equipment to complete all their work, especially when they invest in universal attachments that they can swap between, depending on the job. Thanks to this versatility, there’s no need for agricultural operations to use specialized equipment for each process — a few versatile machines will get the job done.
3. Economic Savings
Equipment can be a significant upfront investment. However, the productivity it delivers can enhance profitability over time, allowing for a notable return on investment (ROI). Small- and large-scale farming operations can benefit financially from mechanizing different tasks.
Heavy equipment minimizes the need for human workers, thus lowering labor costs. It can also complete land preparation tasks like digging and leveling more efficiently than manual tools. In turn, farmers can plant crops faster and more accurately and cultivate higher numbers, boosting business profits. All things considered, construction equipment can give farms a competitive edge while boosting savings and maximizing ROI.
4. Improved Safety and Fewer Work Injuries
Between tending to crops, caring for livestock and maintaining land, farms bustle with activity each day. Sole reliance on human labor can quickly lead to burnout, fatigue and productivity loss. Research shows that farmers experience higher overall burnout and exhaustion compared to non-farmers.
Farming involves many repetitive tasks, such as:
- Bending down
- Grabbing objects
- Grasping tools
- Heavy lifting
With these labor-intensive activities, it’s no surprise that repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent in agricultural settings. Farmers commonly experience RSI-caused aches and pain in the hands, arms and shoulders. Seventy-five percent of dairy workers report these types of injuries each year.
Construction equipment reduces the need for farmers to perform labor-intensive processes, like manually digging holes and lifting heavy materials, that often contribute to RSIs. Fewer worker injuries translate to safer and more productive farming operations.
4 Types of Efficiency-Boosting Equipment for Farms
Consider filling out your fleet with these four types of equipment to make your workflow more efficient.
1. Hydraulic Excavators
A hydraulic excavator consists of a cab, boom, bucket and rotating platform. As the name implies, it’s a staple for digging and excavation projects. When equipped with the right attachments, hydraulic excavators have an impressive repertoire of capabilities. Farmers can use these machines to:
- Dig foundations for barns and sheds.
- Clear land for livestock grazing and crops.
- Mulch grass and leaves.
- Dig trenches or ditches for irrigation purposes.
- Remove underbrush and weeds.
- Build fencing around the farm.
Hydraulic excavators are also great for lifting materials, relieving farm and ranch hands of this burden. They can carry hay bales, heavy bags of fertilizer, livestock feed and other items. Let the hydraulic excavator do the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.
2. Telehandlers
Telehandlers have a lifting boom and boast a compact design with a tight turning radius. This configuration lets operators navigate tight spaces and work around buildings with ease. They can move through rows of livestock to disperse feed, distribute bedding and clean out pens.
A telehandler makes moving hay bales in fields quicker and more seamless. Its boom has a longer reach than conventional forklifts, reducing loading time and traveling distance.
3. Backhoe Loaders
Backhoe loaders are essentially two machines in one — an excavator and a loader — making them versatile agricultural equipment. You can also retrofit the loader with attachments like bale spears and forks to handle diverse materials.
Some standard farming uses for backhoe loaders include:
- Loading and unloading crops.
- Carrying and transporting livestock feed.
- Handling and distributing fertilizer.
- Moving soil, plants and mulch.
- Digging and trenching for irrigation work.
4. Skid Steer and Compact Track Loaders
A wheel or track skid steer loader is a compact, multipurpose machine that is useful for digging, loading, material handling and other applications. It’s lightweight and compact, making it easy to maneuver around the property and assist in many different maintenance tasks. You can equip it with a wide array of useful attachments, including:
- A bucket attachment for scooping and transporting materials.
- A trencher for digging irrigation ditches.
- A flail mower attachment for trimming overgrown grass, brush and vegetation.
- An auger attachment for digging holes.
- A broom for sweeping up brush and other debris.
The skid steer’s impeccable versatility makes it worth adding to any agricultural equipment fleet.
Find Cat® Equipment for Sale at Warren CAT
Warren CAT has skid steers, telehandlers, loaders and other Cat machines for rent and purchase. Our broad inventory of equipment makes it easy to find solutions for your agricultural and landscaping tasks. We also have a variety of attachments available, including buckets, forks, brooms, mowers and augers, so you can swap out tools as needed for different jobs.
Browse our wide selection of equipment and request a quote today. If you have questions about finding the right machinery, fill out our contact form or call 866-292-7736!