Soil Pulverizer Design Rationale, Product Ecology

=Design Rationale=

The basic design for the soil pulverizer is to provide soil digging, pulverizing, loading into the tractor bucket, and dumping into the CEB press in one step. Otherwise, one must use a tractor to dig, followed by pulverizing with a stationary pulverizer, and followed by a conveyor belt into the machine.

=Product Ecology=

The Soil Pulverizer is a tool attached to the LifeTrac that creates and collects loose soil. It satisfies many of the OSE Core Values.

Video of the Soil Pulverizer in action.

1. Open Source. The design is simple and freely available. Additionally, the manufacturing process is fully documented.

2. Distributive Economics. The Soil Pulverizer is a bit more specialized than some of the other machines. With the full economic pros/cons documented you can decide for yourself if it's worth building.

3. Low Cost. The GVCS Soil Pulverizer design is significantly cheaper than its commercial equivalents.

4. User Friendly. It's easy to make, easy to use, and easy to modify.

5. Do-It-Yourself. The tools required to make the Soil Pulverizer can be learned in an afternoon, or you can use whatever tools you are already familiar with.

6. Lifetime Design. The Soil Pulverizer is over-built so that, with a minimum of care, it will last forever.

7. Substitutability. The Soil Pulverizer is just one of many tools that can be attached to the LifeTrac quickly and easily.

8. Complete Economy. Sometimes the local dirt is just not pulverized enough on its own. The Soil Pulverizer ensures you process enough dirt to keep everything else going.

9. Division of Labor. One person can break up the soil while another person uses it for something. Together they get more done then they would on their own.

10. Realistic Immediacy. The bricks that the Soil Pulverizer helped produce are currently providing shelter for real people.