Tractors go pedal-powered

We’ve seen pedal-powered Ferraris , Porsches , Range Rovers and buses, but never a pedal-powered tractor. Until now.

The Culticycle is a pedal-powered tractor capable of cultivating, seeding, spraying or pulling gear for most low-horsepower tasks.

Small tractors do many jobs very well, but also consume fuel, are noisy, compact soil and are expensive. Many of the same jobs could be done better, albeit at a slower pace, by pedal power.

This Culticycle prototype comprises a lawn tractor differential mounted mounted atop 20” ATV tyres and bike handlebar steering the front wheels.

It demonstrates that pedal power can do some of the jobs of carried out by small tractors, albeit in twice the time, and that no additional weight is needed for traction. According to its builder, the effort required is similar to climbing a 10-degree slope on a 1970s Schwinn 3 speed.

Plans for the Culticycle are publicised on FarmHack, a community for those who embrace the farm traditions of tinkering, inventing, fabricating, tweaking, and improving things that break.

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