Analysis of power requirement of a small-sized tracked-tractor during agricultural field operations

Abstract

A low-powered and high-efficiency electric tracked-tractor would be a suitable option for aged and female farmers to accomplish agricultural field operations such as grass mowing, land leveling, and chemical spraying. The purpose of the study was to analyze the power requirement of a small-sized tracked-tractor during agricultural field operations. A lawnmower and a rear sprayer-trailer were attached to the tractor base, and the average power requirement was measured. The forward speed was considered during the field experiment up to 6 km/h for four different operating stages. The torque data were obtained for unloaded and loaded conditions through a wireless data logger, and a GPS receiver was used to measure the working speed of the tractor. A data acquisition module was used to acquire the sensor signals. The average power requirements for the empty platform with the driver, a lawnmower, a sprayer-trailer (150-L payload), and a lawnmower and 150-L payload trailer were 0.93, 1.27, 1.45, and 1.70 kW, respectively. The result showed the lowest power was required for operating only the tractor, and it was about 51.15% of the motor rated power, where the maximum power consumed approximately 85% of the total rated power to operate both of the lawnmower and sprayer-trailer. The average power requirements of the tracked tractor varied due to the different payloads and operating stages. The experimental results presented in this study would provide guidelines to improve and commercialize the prototype of the small-scaled tracked-tractor for practical use on the agricultural fields.