DETERMINATION OF REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE COST FOR MF375 TRACTOR: A CASE STUDY IN KANO METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

The agricultural tractor is at the center point of agricultural mechanization. Tractor costs have great influence on farm business profit. Knowledge of tractor costs for farm operations has a prime importance in making management plans and decisions especially in comparing different tractor types and models thereby assisting in the selection of a more appropriate farm tractor. This study reports the repair and maintenance cost for MF375 tractors with a view to providing such decision making aids as machine's replacement and overall farm budgeting for machinery managers. Information on 75 MF375 tractors was obtained through a structured questionnaire. Data collected was sought on tractor characteristics and economic costs such as use of tractor each year, fuel consumption cost, lubrication oil cost, oil and fuel filters replacement cost and workmanship cost. Result showed that the cost of tractor spare parts replacement had the highest percentage share (54.2%) from the total percentage cost followed by cost of fuel (20.4%), workmanship cost (13.0%), and then cost of lubrication oil (10.3%) while cost of oil and fuel filter replacement had the least (2.1%) percentage share.