Motorized lay-down work carts
A series of tip sheets on labor efficiency for
vegetable and berry growers.
Astrid Newenhouse
Bob Meyer
Marcia Miquelon
and Larry Chapman
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
“There has got to be a better way” is a thought that has gone through nearly every small farmer’s mind after stooping, squatting or crawling for hours in berry or vegetable rows. An alternative is to use a motorized lay-down work cart that lets you lie face down while you work. Lying down instead of stooping or bending is less tiring and easier on your body. The work cart also holds your harvest container, so it moves along with you. This tip sheet will focus on the Swedish-made Drängen, and on the Finnish-made Crawler (Ryömijä).
How does it work?
Drängen and Crawler each look like a massage table mounted on snowmobile
treads or wheels, powered by a small motor. One or more workers lie on
padded supports that suspend them over the crop row. Both hands are free
to pick, weed, or tend plants while the rest of the body rests comfortably.
One person steers and adjusts speed with foot controls. Padded supports
and framework can be adjusted to fit individual workers. The frame also
adjusts, so you can position both the worker and the tracks or wheels
right where you want them.
Finnish worker transplants strawberries on the Crawler.
Peter Seeley of Plymouth, WI, using Drängen to harvest beans.
Benefits:
Less fatigue and discomfort. Prolonged kneeling or stooping to
harvest and weed puts vegetable and berry growers in one of the highest
risk groups for occupational injuries. If you do these tasks while lying
down, you eliminate knee and leg strain and reduce strain on your back
and torso. You don’t get tired as quickly and you can comfortably
work for a longer time. In a Finnish study of the Crawler, strawberry
pickers’ pulse rates were on average 10% lower when working on the
lay-down cart than without it. With Drängen, the small motor is behind
you so you don’t breathe fumes, and it is quiet enough to listen
to a radio or talk as you work. The Crawler is battery powered, which
eliminates exhaust and further reduces noise.
Faster. Using
a motorized lay-down cart can increase your speed, since both you and
the crop you’ve picked move together along the row. Faster harvesting
and quicker time to the cooler maintains high crop quality. In our field
trials, farmers using Drängen harvested up to 24% faster and weeded
up to 23% faster compared to similar work by hand.
Improves profits.
Cutting harvest or weeding time can save labor costs. Compared
to using a tractorpulled harvest platform you will not need an extra person
to drive the tractor. You may also save on medical costs or miss less
work due to injury.
