We tested the LS Tractor R65 working inside poultry farms, an operation that requires a tractor with reduced height, in addition to maneuverability, ease of reversing the direction of travel, small turning radius, wide range of speeds and PTO power
The team from the Agrotechnology Laboratory of the Agricultural Machinery Testing Center of the Federal University of Santa Maria was, at the invitation of Revista Cultivar Máquinas, in the city of Tapejara, in Rio Grande do Sul, to evaluate the performance of the LS tractor, model R65 , in mechanized activities in the production of broiler chickens.
Specifically, we went to visit the facilities and follow the activities carried out by the LS R65 inside the broiler chicken production halls of the company Agrodanieli, in Tapejara.
Analyzing the processes as they occur, in the way operations are carried out in the company, an agricultural activity is configured, but with a strong industrial tendency. Large poultry farming comprises a sequence of activities, controls and operations, with great technological input, so that, in an area of approximately 270 thousand m² covered, the aim is to increase productivity with the use of technology, reducing dependence on labor. work, so scarce in all regions, and reducing the mechanical and health risk for employees.
After a reception by the family patriarch, Adelírio Danieli, we were able to discover a remarkable company, with chicken production activities, soybean receiving and crushing units, pig slaughtering, supermarket and fuel retail and, more recently, fertilizer production. Starting from a small property and its descendants of Italian immigrants, going through several periods of intense work, the family and the company reach the present day, with the satisfaction of being able to have a very positive influence with their entrepreneurship on the local economy.
The broiler production activity is widely explored in Brazil. Starting in the 1950s, for a few years it was concentrated in states in the Center of the country and in the 1970s it moved to states in the South region, so that currently the largest producing states in the country are Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Although the system varies from region to region, some characteristics are common. Non-air-conditioned facilities are becoming less and less frequent, and the intensity of larger companies is growing, with strong adoption of technology and process control.
With the increase in the volume produced, mainly to meet demand from the foreign market, particularly purchases from the Middle East, Europe and Asia, domestic consumption also grew. The systems currently adopted in the country have in common the need to comply with increasingly strict legislation and also to achieve an increase in productivity, with criteria for sanitary control and animal comfort.
To achieve these objectives, there is a clear trend towards a technological increase in this activity, mainly in the automation of processes, adoption of air conditioning and mechanization of operations, which were previously carried out manually.
Some key points in the activity involve those processes that use external resources such as water and energy, as well as those that derive from the activity, such as waste management and the environmental impact promoted by the activity. Therefore, more and more care is taken about the health, hygiene and safety of workers, environmental control and especially the health and comfort of animals in production.
To learn about aspects of this production and, mainly, the mechanization of the activity, we went to the community of São Domingos, in the city of Tapejara, to visit a unit made up of two poultry houses that was being prepared to receive new chicks. We were welcomed by Mr. Lusinei Sassett, one of Agrodanieli's oldest employees, responsible for a set of poultry farms in the locality. In general, in the system adopted by the company, each family takes care of, depending on the size of the facilities, two or three pavilions, built next to each other. By adopting a lot of technology, it is possible to considerably reduce the demand for labor, so that just one couple, under the guidance of a general supervisor, can be responsible for activities on the farm.
Particularly this set of aviaries was in the period of sanitary emptiness, as the animals had been removed six days ago and new animals would arrive soon. A sanitary void is a period in which the entire facility is unoccupied for a period of time, to respect the principle of biosafety. The chicks arrive at the facilities when they are one day old and are removed and taken to slaughter after a period of 38 to 40 days, depending on the weight required by the slaughtering company. After each removal of the animals, a sanitary vacuum is created, which lasts for 15 to 20 days. With this system, around six batches (cut) are produced in each poultry house per year.
According to information we gathered during the visit, the company currently recommends that the aviaries have an average size of 150m long by 16m wide, in which 33 thousand birds can be housed. However, for reasons of relief and period of implementation, there are other dimensions, such as 150m long by 14m wide, for 28 thousand birds, 100m x 12m for 14 thousand birds and 150m x 30m for 60 thousand birds. In the largest pavilion, 150m x 30m, the area is 4.500 square meters, that is, an aviary measuring almost half a hectare. Therefore, they are relatively large management areas, which require a considerable amount of labor or technology. Furthermore, Agrodanieli's poultry farms have feeders and drinkers that descend to the ground when used and automatically deliver water and food to each point. These systems, when suspended to move the bed, are at an approximate height of 1,7m from the floor.
At the bottom of the pavilion there is a line of exhaust fans that are combined with side curtains that, when opened, help humidify the environment and consequently lower the temperature. Accessory structures such as a dedicated generator and a control panel automate most actions within the poultry house.
The LS R65 tractor purchased by Agrodanieli is equipped with an LS brand front loader, model LL4101, which has a maximum lift height of 2.440mm, digging depth below the level of 150mm, width of 1.828mm and capacity of 0,45m³. At Agrodanieli it is used for activities such as handling inputs and collecting dead chickens for disposal. The chickens are collected by an outsourced company in the municipality of Água Santa and are used to manufacture liquid fertilizer.
A more intense use of LS R65 is carried out immediately after the chickens leave for slaughter, making it necessary to burn the remains of the animals' feathers, with the aim of good management and health control. This operation, normally carried out with carts containing gas cylinders and pushed manually, can be carried out with the help of the LS R65 tractor, coupling the entire structure equipped with cylinders, sleeves and burner nozzles, carrying out the entire burning process mechanically.
In the three-point hydraulic system, other equipment is used, such as a limestone distributor and a rotary hoe. During the sanitary void, several operations are carried out inside the poultry house and in its surroundings. In this method, the LS Tractor model R65 agricultural tractor plays an important role in different operations that help and facilitate the process. Next, it is necessary to turn over the poultry litter, in order to decompress it and remove moisture. This process, called “beating the poultry litter”, aims to avoid the so-called foot callus in animals, which occurs due to the hardness of the floor. This process, when carried out manually, consumes time and labor, unavailable in this and other regions, however, with the use of a tractor and rotary hoe coupled to the three points of the hydraulic system and activated by the power take-off, it becomes quick and economic. For this operation, the LS R65 was working at an engine speed of 2.000rpm, with the PTO at 540rpm and in a gear corresponding to the 3rd single and the second group.
Still with the help of the LS R65 tractor and a limestone distributor, quicklime is applied, not only to the internal areas of the poultry house, but throughout its external perimeter. This process aims to reduce the concentration of pathogens and prepare health for the entry of new animals. This entire procedure is repeated, on average, six times a year and every 1,5 to two years the poultry litter is completely replaced. It is important to highlight that the poultry litter is made of wood sawdust from the region, which is treated and sterilized before use. During the tests we carried out to verify some of the virtues of the LS R65 tractor, which facilitate the execution of work in a confined and restricted environment, we were able to highlight as the main ones its size, the reduced total height, which allows working inside the poultry houses, but mainly the ease of maneuvering in small spaces, due to the smaller turning radius, the practicality of the Synchro Shuttle reverser, which guarantees quick maneuvers even in confined spaces, and the elevation of the front shell. According to Mr. Lusinei and Mr. Paulo Roberto Negrini, general supervisor of all farms, due to these and other advantages of the LS tractor, as soon as work in a poultry farm is finished, it is moved to other company farms, to carry out the activities.
The LS tractor, model R65 platform, used at Agrodanieli's facilities has an LS diesel engine, model L4AL-T1-Tier 3, with four cylinders, 2.621cm³ of displacement and 16 valves, with turbocharger. The maximum power produced is 65 hp at 2.500 rpm (ISO TR 14396 standard) and the maximum torque available is 203 Nm at 1.600 rpm. The proven features of this engine include reduced fuel consumption, Tier 3 standard emissions control and low noise levels, which guarantee greater acoustic comfort, which is very important for closed environments.
The LS model Synchro Shuttle synchronized transmission offers 32 forward gears and 16 reverse gears, with creeper and a synchronized mechanical reverser. The front axle is mechanically driven. The power take-off (TDP) is independent with electro-hydraulic drive, three speeds, 540/750 and 1.000 rpm, and 58 hp of maximum power.
The hydraulic system has a total flow of 46,8 liters/minute, maximum pressure of 167kgf/cm² and the category II three-point hitch system achieves a lifting capacity of up to 2.100kgf at the ball joint. The remote control is independent, with two valves in the standard version and three valves as an option, with a maximum flow rate of 31,2 liters/minute.
The tractor can be equipped with 9,5 x 24 R1, 11.2 x 24 R1 and 12.4 x 24 R1 tires for activities with limited machine traffic depending on the width, and the options 14.9 x 24 R1 and Radial version with 250/80 R18 front and 380/85R24 rear for activities without width restrictions, suitable for applications that require greater traction capacity. The running options can be chosen according to the needs of each application.
Both the LS Tractor R65 Rops agricultural tractor and the R50 model were developed for work in restricted areas, where limited width or space when maneuvering at the head is difficult, such as in the case of poultry farms, fruit farming, horticulture, floriculture and livestock farming in confined environments. , as is the case with work in poultry farms, which we were able to confirm during the test. Both models have front-wheel drive (4x2 TDA) brand LS, using a pivoted system. An important characteristic intrinsic to these models is the greater steering angle, resulting in greater agility when maneuvering in restricted areas.
Tractors, although small, can be equipped with an electronic engine protection system, with the function of protecting the engine in critical situations, such as an increase in temperature or a drop in pressure in the lubrication system, so that its operation is interrupted. operation, thus avoiding damage to the engine.
Still optional in its portfolio, the telemetry system is recommended for producers looking to improve the management of machines in the field. The system provides online operating information, such as travel speed, engine temperature, oil pressure, power take-off rotation, geographic location, among others. This system generates a field report that will assist in decision-making, improving fleet management in the field or even within the poultry farms. This technology can be installed on all equipment on the farm or farm, integrating management into a single tool.
LS Tractor, a company in the LS Mtron group, began its agricultural activities in 1976 in South Korea. Currently the LS group is the 13th largest business group in the Asian country.
In Brazil, the manufacturing unit is located in the municipality of Garuva, Northeast of the state of Santa Catarina, close to Joinville. Since 2012, when the company was established in our country, with the beginning of construction of the factory, until 2013, when the Brazilian unit was inaugurated, the company has presented a varied portfolio of small and medium-sized tractors. Currently, in Brazil, six series of tractors with ten models and 15 versions are available to customers, including cab and platform models.
The LS R65 model that we tested was launched in our country in 2018, in the Rops version, and in 2019 in the cab version. For this test we had strategic and logistical support from Beto Fracaro, who is LS's national sales supervisor.
The Agrodanieli Group has its headquarters in the city of Tapejara, in the Northeast region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and in the geographic microregion of the city of Passo Fundo. The city has a population of 24.973 inhabitants, according to IBGE data from August 27, 2021, a municipal human development index (IDHM) of 0,76, considered medium to high by the Human Development Atlas of Municipalities, and an income per capita of R$52.608,60. It is known as “Land of Entrepreneurship and Opportunities”. This is due to the following ICMS return percentages: 46% from the transformation, processing and assembly industry; 28% from agribusiness; 17% of wholesale and retail trade; and 9% from the services sector.
It is in this land that the Agrodanieli Group innovates every year, generating new projects and contributing to the development of the region. The group has been in the agribusiness market since 1990, today it operates in the grains, fertilizers, soybean industrialization, poultry farming, pig slaughtering, supermarkets, wholesale, gas stations and civil construction segments. With emphasis on grain reception units (Tapejara, Água Santa, Vila Lângaro and Sertão), which have an unloading structure of up to five thousand tons per day and storage of 60 thousand tons.
The group emerged in 1984, selling grains. The adoption of the name Agrodanieli was consolidated in 1997. In 2016 there was restructuring with the departure of a family partner of Mr. Adelírio Danieli and the integration of his children into the company and administration. From that moment on, the focus was on investing in poultry farms and poultry farming.
With two slaughterhouses, a hatchery, a feed factory and a factory for by-products and inputs for poultry farming, poultry rearing, laying and cutting, the company has more than 2,6 employees, responsible for the entire production chain. In 2021, the Agrodanieli Group began a strategic repositioning, with the sale of industrial operations to Aurora, and began supplying birds for slaughter.
After this restructuring, he focused on other businesses, mainly poultry, introducing technology and reducing labor costs. He also created an organomineral fertilizer factory, Neorgan, which uses poultry waste and biocomposters, which accelerate the development of microorganisms, generating granulated organomineral fertilizer, NPK in the grain for rural producers. The idea is to harmonize the environment and sustainability through the reuse of waste generated in the production process.
The Danieli Granges, belonging to the group, are responsible for around 2,8 million birds produced in each farm, with six being "raised" annually. The chain is made up of rearing farms (preparation for production), egg production farms (for hatchery farms) and broiler farms (for sending to the slaughterhouse). In total, there are 21 farms, six for rearing, four for production and 11 for meat, in a group made up of 60 centers and 119 poultry farms. Of these, 81 are intended for broiler chicken (212 thousand m2), 15 for production and 23 for rearing. The structure is spread over 27 hectares of covered area.
The Agrodanieli Group employs more than 500 direct employees, who work throughout the production chain. Furthermore, it contributed to the arrival of the Aurora meat processing plant in the Municipality of Tapejara. Altogether, it has more than 2,6 employees, helping with the city's entrepreneurial development. The group sends 16,8 million birds per year for slaughter.
This group intends to go further than the 38 harvests of experiences already acquired. The Agrodanieli Group still has projects and dreams; and a visionary look at the market. Even with the economic instability, it projects investments in the agribusiness market, such as the production of eucalyptus for wood which, according to Adelírio, “in the near future, will be as valuable as soybeans today”.
José Fernando Schlosser
Henrique Eguilhor Rodrigues
Daniel Ciro de Souza
Agrotechnology Laboratory
Agricultural Machinery Testing Center - UFSM
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