Abstract
M.Tech. (Mechanical Engineering)
The dissertation documents the design project of a low cost tractor
prototype to be manufactured locally. The design and manufacturing of
a South African tractor is part of a larger project namely “Roads for
Africa” initiated by the local company Terragrader (Pty) Ltd. The
design parameters of the tractor were established based on the power
needs of a dirt roads refurbishing machine the “Terragrader”
manufactured by the same company.
Although the tractor was designed to power the Terragrader machine,
it can successfully be used to power different agricultural machines or
transport. The designed South African tractor has to be versatile, easy
to adapt to different working conditions. The design aim is to produce
a tractor able to provide adequate power at a cost of about R500 000,
whereas the market offers similar machine at a much higher price
starting from about R800 000.
The concept of a South African tractor is not new but due to import
options, there was never a known / well established South African
brand. Due to the shrinkage of the South African mechanical
manufacturing industry by nearly 40 % in the last years, a successful
tractor design and manufacturing will contribute toward the much
needed job creation.
Due to its complexity the project is a combination of newly designed
parts and outsourced components. The integration of design
establishes the layout of the tractor with the aid of virtual 3D solid
modeling.