How this calculation works
Compute continuous area coverage from width and speed. Reduce width for overlap, then convert productive hours to clock hours using separately entered delays.
Effective ha/hour = width m × speed km/hour × (1 − overlap) / (10 × (1 + delay minutes / 60))A worked example
A 3 m machine at 6 km/hour covers 1.8 ha per productive hour before overlap. Ten percent overlap and 15 delay minutes per productive hour reduce clock capacity to 1.296 ha/hour.
Good to know
Not safe-speed or machinery suitability advice. Delay excludes already-counted overlap. Nonfuel cost excludes the separately entered fuel charge. All hourly rates apply to clock hours.
Reference: Iowa State Extension: estimating field capacity (opens in a new tab) ↗
Width times speed is only continuous coverage
One metre of width moving one kilometre covers one thousand square metres. Converting to hectares gives the width-times-speed division by ten used for the uninterrupted theoretical capacity.
Real field work includes overlaps and delays. This tool exposes them separately rather than hiding everything inside an unexplained efficiency percentage, allowing a change in one assumption to be traced.
Delay is stated per productive hour
Fifteen delay minutes per sixty productive minutes gives seventy-five clock minutes. The productive capacity is divided by 1.25, not reduced by an arbitrary 25% of the productive figure.
Overlap already reduces the effective working width. Do not include the same overlap again in delay time. Turns, filling and other entered delays should reflect the accounting basis you actually measured.
Keep fuel separate from other hourly costs
Fuel rate multiplied by fuel price supplies the entered hourly fuel charge. The other hourly cost input must exclude it, or the same fuel cost would be counted twice.
Both rates apply to elapsed clock hours in this model, including delays. If your equipment uses a different idle rate, travel period or breakdown model, calculate those effects separately before relying on a detailed budget.
Use the result with the next measurement
The drip irrigation emitter runtime calculator also separates active operating time from a wider scheduling window. Machine productive time, clock time and irrigation active time have distinct definitions that should stay explicit.
Not safe-speed or machinery suitability advice. Delay excludes already-counted overlap. Nonfuel cost excludes the separately entered fuel charge. All hourly rates apply to clock hours.
A few questions, answered
Does delay include overlap?
No, overlap reduces width separately.
Does nonfuel hourly cost include fuel?
It must exclude the separately entered fuel charge.
Is the chosen speed recommended?
No, it is an entered scenario only.