If you are interested in Agricultural Engineering, then this is the perfect blog for you to learn more about key terminology involved in the course!
Hadlow College is the ideal place to study Agricultural Engineering, through practical experience in the College workshops, as well as working on machinery restoration projects for local farmers, students gain an in-depth understanding of the skills they need to work within the Agricultural engineering industry. Students are involved in all aspects of engineering - including welding, fabrication, servicing, engine and transmission rebuilds, hydraulics and suspension systems, restorations, machinery operations and ploughing.
Keep reading to discover our A to Z of Agricultural Engineering and gain more insight into this exciting area of study.
A Agricultural Engineering, Welcome to our A to Z of Agricultural engineering. Over the next few posts we aim to look at a subject that each letter of the alphabet relates to in agricultural engineering terminology. Today we start with A for Agricultural Engineering. What is Agricultural Engineering, It’s the repair, service and maintenance of all things agricultural, from repairing and maintaining combines or tractors to welding up farm gates, anything that keeps the farm running smoothly!
B Brakes, Within the Agricultural Engineering course we look at all types of braking systems. Wet brakes, dry brakes, disc, drum, cable operated or hydraulic brakes we look at how all the different types suit different applications and how they work.
C Chassis, This unit of the course covers more than just the chassis of a vehicle it also covers all of the components that are associated with it. Braking systems, steering systems and suspension systems to name a few. As well as looking at the different types of chassis on all types of agricultural vehicle.
D Diagnostics, On an Agricultural Engineering course at Hadlow you will learn how to diagnose faults the old school way and using a pc or laptop using the most up to date software. We also have visiting industry experts to show students the very latest technology that can help to assist with fault finding
E Electrical, whether its wiring up a relay or diagnosing a starting fault all aspects of electrical and electronic training are covered in the course. With todays complex electronic systems on tractors and agricultural vehicles this part of the course is a must for all potential technicians and engineers.
F Fabrication, Some repairs call for an item made from scratch. In the agricultural sector where time is critical a part may have to be fabricated in the workshop to get the vehicle back to work. Whether fabricating a machine guard out of sheet steel, a toolbox as a project or making a part up on the lathe or mill, this course will equip you with the knowledge to keep the customer up and running.
G Gearboxes, Transmissions and gearboxes are an integral part of every agricultural vehicle and on the Agricultural Engineering course we look at lots of different types of drive trains from belts and pulleys to the latest CVT gearboxes.
H Hydraulics, Used in many aspects of agriculture and construction machinery the unit on Hydraulics covers everything from Pascals law, component repair and fault diagnosis to complex electro hydraulics as found on todays modern agricultural and construction vehicles.
I Implements, ploughs, seed drills and a huge number of other implements are used in agriculture to make working on the land that little bit easier and all need servicing and repair. On the Agricultural Engineering course you can get to use these implements to gain an understanding of how they work. This can help with repair and servicing processes.
J Jacks and lifting, A jack can be used to raise a vehicle up to make working on it easier, it sounds simple but doing it safely and correctly and reducing damage and accidents is essential and good practice. This and many other health and safety practices are covered on the Agricultural Engineering course.
K Keys, before there was a key to start your vehicle there was a starting handle, now we have keyless technology. In agricultural engineering we look at all aspects of the old, the new and the future to evaluate and assess how things have changed and what the future might hold.
L Lathe, used to manufacture and repair parts that may not be available, we look at basic lathe use and parts manufacture as part of the course.
M Micrometer, used to measure parts to determine wear tolerances to a very low tolerance a micrometer is one of the many tools in the workshop that you will learn to use correctly on your journey to becoming an engineer
N Needle bearing, just a small part in a range of parts that make up an entire agricultural vehicle or implement, but if this part fails it might take an engineer to diagnose and repair it. Are you up for the challenge?
O Opportunities With a shortfall in qualified engineers and technicians in the agricultural sector there are good job opportunities for those who qualify with us, whether working in a dealership or manufacturer or going it alone as a self-employed engineer.
P Paint, more than just a covering to make agricultural vehicles and implements look nice! On the Agricultural Engineering course we look at different applications and paint types as well as the reasons for application.
Q Qualifications, Gain a qualification in Agricultural Engineering with Hadlow college and join an elite group of problem solvers! Agricultural engineering will teach you how to adapt and overcome!
R Ratchets, another of the many tools we use from our well stocked toolboxes to help us with our job in Agricultural Engineering.
S Servicing, with many different vehicles in agriculture something always needs servicing to keep things running smoothly. Even with automation and robotics coming onto the agricultural scene there will always be a need for an engineer to carry out preventative maintenance and keep the wheels turning.
T Tyres, the first part of suspensions is tyres as well helping with grip tyres allow a modicum of bounce and make the ride a little smoother this coupled with the main suspension system makes modern day vehicles much more comfortable than a wooden wheeled horse and cart! here the students are looking at the makeup and types of different tyres.
U University, some of our students go from the workshop to university to take their engineering education to the next level, maybe engineering design takes your fancy or marine engineering?
V Vehicles inc valtra! At Hadlow we have a range of Agricultural vehicles and with good links to all of the local dealerships we also get lots of chances to look at the most up to date vehicles and equipment that are coming on the scene in our industry.
W Welding, learn to weld on the Agricultural Engineering course at Hadlow. As an agricultural engineer being able to weld and repair or fabricate broken parts is a really handy skill to have in your skills toolbox. We teach all of the main types of welding Mig, Tig, Arc and gas as well as braizing and soldering.
X Y Z X Axis Y axis and Z axis And so we reach the last 3 letters in our engineering A to Z When performing precision shaft alignment on horizontal rotating machinery, the Z axis refers to the rotational axis or rotational centerlines. The Y axis refers to vertical position (perpendicular to the base) and the X axis refers to the horizontal position (parallel to the base). Commonly used as milling and machining terminology.
Learn more on our Agricultural Engineering courses at Hadlow College! Click here for more information.