TIRE OPTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE TRACTORS

General principles are presented to assist agricultural operators in the selection of tires and wheels for four-wheel drive tractors. For improved traction, all wheels should be powered since it takes more energy to tow or push a wheel than to self-propel it. Wheels of greater diameter are desirable because of their longer footprint. Tandem drive provides increased traction efficiency because the second wheel runs in the first wheel's compacted footprint. Radial ply tires' slightly longer footprints give improved performance. Equal dynamic load on front and rear axles and equal slip of front and rear wheels are recommended. Dual wheels can be advantageous when flotation is a problem since more soil surface is used to support tractor weight, although using duals to reduce soil compaction is usually counterproductive. The first pass of a wheel in loose soil generally causes about 80% of the sinkage plus sufficient compaction to restrict crop root growth. A traffic control system which establishes permanent traffic lanes is beneficial; compacted traffic lanes improve traction and flotation, and guide water flow into crop-growing areas where it is needed. If traffic is kept off a tilled area, annual primary tillage is not necessary. The effect of total tractor load on soil compaction is discussed.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at SAE Earthmoving Industry Conference, Peoria, Illinois, 23-25 April 1979.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • Taylor, J H
  • Burt, E C
  • Bailey, A C
• Publication Date: 1979

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 8 p.
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Agricultural equipment; Four wheel drive; Radial ply tires; Tires; Truck tractors; Wheels
• Uncontrolled Terms: Agricultural machinery; Selecting
• Old TRIS Terms: Radial tires
• Subject Areas: Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00386672
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE 790526, HS-029 228U
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 28 1984 12:00AM