In Africa, and Zimbabwe in particular, the greater majority of our farmers still use donkeys and cattle to provide draft power on their farms. Tractors have come in the recent years to constitute the best alternative to animal draft power for commercial operations in all forms of agriculture. The modern day tractor provides high tractive force and comes in many different shapes and sizes-from the two wheeled tractors, through the small or compact tractors (for specialised workings in gardens, vineyards, small and commercial farms) to the four-wheelers and metal- and rubber-tracked tractors for highly commercial scale operations.In modern agriculture, tractors come in both 2 and 4 wheel drive and are mostly used to provide traction for pulling various forms of implements and equipment (planting, crop maintenance,harvesting and forage, processing), transport and prime-moving power to drive various gadgets and machines using the popular Power Take-off (PTO) at the rear and in other cases, the front of the tractor.

Some tractors are basic and simple to operate, while others are also quite sophisticated in capability (ranging from simple electronics and pneumatics to satellite guidance) but simplified in operation and highly efficient in productivity.

More specific and in-depth applications of tractors in agriculture will be found under the mechanisation sections of the various farm enterprises and/or crops, in our Farm School.

The iQFarmer tractor manual will introduce you to simple but practical and efficient tractor principles, use and servicing:

Download Tractor Manual

Download Tractor Program