►
From YouTube: Towards the Open Source Tractor - Open Source Ecology
Description
Todays episode covers the open source tractor Lifetrac. We have built a first prototype, with very encouraging results. We start with a brief description of LifeTrac and what weve done and where were going and why this could be really important to you.
See supporting text and links at http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?p=480
We are looking for people who are interested in building the world's first replicable open source self-sufficient decentralized permaculture village - to transcend survival and evolve to freedom.
Read more at http://www.OpenFarmTech.org
Visit our myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/OpenSourceEcology
A
We've
built
the
first
prototype
with
very
encouraging
results.
We
start
with
a
brief
description
of
life-track
and
what
we've
done
and
where
we're
going,
and
why
this
could
be
really
important
to
you.
First,
what
is
life
track?
It's
a
simple
but
high-performance
four-wheel
drive
tractor
/
skid
loader,
with
articulated
steering.
A
A
It's
made
out
of
ordinary
4-inch
square
steel
tubing
available
at
your
local
metal
supply.
It
is
bolted
together
or
designed
for
disassembly.
This
is
essentially
the
life-size
erector
set
in
action.
Indeed,
the
entire
tractor
can
be
taken
apart
with
wrenches
down
to
the
steel,
nuts
and
bolts
in
a
period
of
one
hour
by
four
people.
We
will
document
this
in
another
episode.
A
A
Continuing
with
the
discussion,
the
engine
powers,
a
hydraulic
pump,
which
supplies
hydraulic
fluid
to
power,
everything
from
cylinders
to
motors
all
parts
are
exposed.
The
buff
simplicity
and
transparency
make
it
simple
to
maintain
and
repair,
thus
providing
for
a
lifetime
design
tractor
make
it
or
buy
it
once
in
your
life
and
you'll
never
have
to
do
that
again
in
your
whole
life
plus,
you
can
pass
it
on
to
your
children
and
their
grandchildren.
Well,
that's
only
the
beginning.
A
If
you're
familiar
with
tractors,
you
will
appreciate
when
I
say
that
life
track
is
both
a
skid
loader
and
an
agricultural
tractor
in
one
basically
live
truck
can
go
back
and
forth
rapidly
like
a
skid
loader,
and
it
can
do
agricultural
tasks
like
a
tractor,
see
the
link
on
them
on
a
wiki
for
a
comparison.
That's
also
only
the
beginning,
because
we
are
doing
10
times
price
optimisation
over
the
competition.
A
We
are
not
inventing
anything
new.
We
are
just
open
sourcing.
This
means
optimizing
by
using
open
source
design,
an
open
design
process
and
Community
Supported
manufacturing
I
will
cover
that
in
a
separate
episode.
But
for
now
did
you
know
that
you
already
paid
for
our
fabrication
facility
by
your
donations?
You
already
shared
the
capital
risk
and
will
be
giving
back
to
you
with
optimized
production
of
optimized
product.
That's
essentially
how
it
works.
A
So
here's
where
I
point
out
that
there's
a
huge
difference
between
a
prototype
like
we
have
now
and
a
viable
product
from
this
point
we
take
each
issue
one
by
one
and
solve
it.
It's
simply
a
matter
of
continuing
the
effort
so
that
you
have
a
lifetime
product
that
never
depreciates
in
value.
Now
that's
a
tall
order,
but
that's
where
we're
going-
and
this
is
why
we're
asking
you
to
sign
up
for
the
thousand
true
fans
campaign
to
support
this
work
with
ten
dollars
over
the
next
two
years
every
month
better.
A
Yet
you
can
contribute
by
coming
here
to
do
physical
development,
for
example.
Sam
rose.
Our
first
true
fan
is
coming
here
in
spraying
to
document
life
track,
work
in
detail
and
to
write
a
proposal.
We
invite
you
also
to
get
involved,
whether
in
life
tracker
and
any
other
other
projects
along
similar
lines.
Let
me
put
it
this
way.
If
we
can
deliver
a
machine
that
outperforms
any
competition
and
costs
ten
times
less,
is
it
worth
supporting?
A
The
answer
is
obvious.
The
next
question
is:
is
it
possible?
Here's
where
we
get
into
the
economic
analysis,
the
base
cost
of
our
tractor
and
loader
materials
was
four
thousand
dollars
using
almost
all
new
parts.
If
we
consider
fabrication
at
$50
per
hour
with
digital
fabrication
or
a
torch
table,
cutting
out
all
the
metal
it
takes
about
40
hours
to
produce
the
tractor.
Does
that
sound
optimistic?
A
Well,
yes,
if
your
mindset
is
on
a
on
a
traditional
tractor,
but
not
if
you're
talking
about
a
simple
but
high-performance
box
with
wheels,
the
total
is
six
thousand
dollars.
If
you,
if
you
include
the
labor
for
a
turnkey
product
or
five
thousand
dollars,
if,
if
you're
gonna
buy
a
kit
that
you
assemble
yourself
well,
the
counterpart
from
the
mainstream
is
fifty
thousand
dollars
for
a
separate,
skid,
loader
and
tractor
see
the
links.
A
A
Those
range
from
wood
saw
milling,
compressed
earth,
brick
pressing,
well,
drilling
farming,
agricultural
combining
to
digging
earthmoving
shoveling,
snow
and
so
forth,
to
illustrate
the
cost
difference
for
the
open-source
version
compared
to
that
that
for
standard
off-the-shelf
equipment
we
simply
sum
up
the
totals.
The
open-source
infrastructure
is
$30,000,
as
you
see
in
the
table,
and
the
industrial
counterpart
costs
about
a
quarter
million.
A
Well,
what
if
you're,
not
into
agricultural
agriculture
or
building,
let
me
put
it
another
way
if
you
eat,
you
are
involved
in
the
food
system.
If
you
live
in
a
house
you're
involved
with
a
building
industry,
if
you
would
like
these
two
areas
to
be
carried
out
more
ecologically
than
a
robust
inexpensive
tool
that
can
help
to
do.
This
can
also
help
put
many
people
in
business.
Doing
these
things,
agricultural,
sustainable,
building,
sustainably.