Operating performance of an agricultural tractor fi tted with two types of tyres under two types of terrain

Abstract

The correct use of tyres on agricultural tractors, in respect of the terrain and the type and internal pressure of the tyre,
are factors that infl uence the performance of the tractor. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the operating performance of an
agricultural tractor fi tted with two types of traction device (radial and diagonal tyres) at diff erent pressures, and operating on soil with
two levels of moisture. The experiment was conducted on a dystrophic Red Yellow Argisol, with tests to evaluate the performance of
the tyres under specifi c working conditions. Tractive power and tractive force, wheel slip and fuel consumption were evaluated. For
each of the conditions under evaluation, the radial confi guration showed better performance than the diagonal confi guration, the eff ect
being more signifi cant at the lower pressure and under low soil moisture. The use of radial tyres led to an increase in traction capacity
and drawbar power, with a reduction in fuel consumption, especially at higher slip rates.