How Many Hectares Per Hour Should Your Machinery Achieve?
Knowing your realistic field workrate is essential for planning jobs, quoting contract work, and deciding whether you need more machinery. The formula is simple — but field efficiency is often underestimated, and that gap between theory and reality is where the planning goes wrong.
The formula explained
Theoretical rate (Ha/hr) = (width m × speed km/h) ÷ 10
Realistic rate = theoretical × field efficiency %
Field efficiency accounts for headland turns, overlaps, stops to clear blockages, and GPS drift. Typical values range from 70% (ploughing, small irregular fields) up to 90%+ (spraying, large regular fields with auto-steer).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What field efficiency should I use?
- 70–75% for ploughing, 80–85% for cultivation and drilling, 90%+ for spraying on large open fields. Use the operation presets above for sensible defaults.
- Why is actual rate lower than predicted?
- The most common causes are excessive overlaps, short run lengths, frequent stops to check depth or blockages, and poor tramline alignment.
- How long to finish 300 hectares of drilling?
- At a predicted 4.5 Ha/hr = approximately 67 hours = 8–9 working days at 8 hours per day.
- How do I benchmark a contractor quote?
- Enter their stated width and speed, apply a realistic efficiency figure, then use the job planner to see if the quoted hours are credible.