The aspects
of machinery operation and maintenance management are baseless or ineffective
when machines are poorly or inadequately selected because this will, obviously,
increase the cost of maintenance, complicate maintenance costs and operations, and
increase equipment downtimes with the attendant delays to farm operations and
so on. In the same vein, properly selected farm machine will afford precision operations which will check wastage
of inputs, that is seeds, fertilizer, herbicides and so on, basically, there is
usually a trade – off in that, such that the machines are generally more
expensive. Timely and adequate involvement of maintenance personnel in farm
machinery selection and purchase process enhances the effectiveness of
personnel function. In an organization where these maintenance personnel are
sidelined in such decisions process, the effectiveness of the maintenance
function is always reduced to the detriment of the organization.
A rightly
selected farm machine, as explained by Baldwin (1988) is one which can be
justified as well as affordable, one which is best suited to the whole farm (setup)
system, one which is best in question and one which is best valued for money. In
line with the foregoing, therefore, the following factors, inter alia, need to
be given consideration or adhered to in the process of farm machinery selection
and purchase for enhanced arable farming;
- Standardization in farm machinery selection is important or indispensable to reduce types and variety of spare parts inventory, give allowance for interchangeability, reduce cost/downtimes, and ease maintenance operation and so on.
- Viewing farm machinery from the standpoint cost more of comparative usage than from the standpoint of make.
- Choice of machines from the manufacturers and dealers who are reliable (genuine) in terms of standing behind their products by providing after – sales service to customer, provision of spare parts and necessary training attachments for machinery operators/maintenance personnel.
- Equipment maintenance know – how and availability of spare parts to minimize equipment downtimes or unavailability.
- Well – designed machines to meet the desired operational reliabilities, field capacities and operational set targets with the available annual workdays put into consideration.
- Adaptability to the work in the given locality of the intended farm machinery.
- Ease of operation of the machine in question is desirable, although a machine which is easy to operate may not always be best suited to the work at hand for operation.
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