Differences in the wheel loads and contact pressure of the in-furrow and on-land rear tractor tyres with mounted and semi-mounted ploughs

Abstract

The aim of the article is to demonstrate the effect of setting the length of the upper link of the three-point hitch on the change in the load of the in-furrow wheel and the on-land wheel of the tractor during ploughing. Furthermore, attention is paid to the load on the rear wheels together with the tyre inflation pressure and their effect on the contact pressure under the tractor wheels. The tractor’s inclination, in combination with the force and moment effects of ploughing, may not always lead to large differences in the contact pressures of the rear in-furrow and on-land wheels. The results for the tractor-mounted plough set showed the possibilities of balancing the load on the rear wheels of the tractor when changing the length of the upper link of the three-point hitch. For semi-mounted ploughs, changing the length of the link will not affect the difference in the load on the rear wheels of the tractor. The kinematic linkage of the semi-mounted plough suspension transmits the moment from the plough support wheel and loads the wheel in the furrow more. The results further document that the proper suspension of the ploughs and, in particular, the appropriate choice of tyre inflation pressure can achieve substantial changes in the contact pressure under the rear wheels of a plough tractor.