tractor for maximum traction

[omran mubarak]

hi iam Omran i am from sudan i asked how to maximizing tractor traction and how to do a tractor traction test in the field and what to do to imrove the traction

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To TBN Omran from the USA. Normally it is weight and the right tires.

 

[omran mubarak]

thanks Mddorange i have a project in university of khartoum talking about how to maximizing tractor traction if you have any informations about it please help me
which is the best for tractor traction in uphill or in downhill and what is factors effecting tractors traction (increase and decrease )
and what i have to do in the field to do traction test ?
please help me
and thanks again

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN...........

As mentioned, tractor weight, R1 Ag tires, 4wd, and filled tires will give the most traction in a field.

 

[omran mubarak]

thanks George 2615 and if you have any informations about the field test and the factors effecting the traction ( decrease) please help me
and thanks again

 

[George2615]

thanks George 2615 and if you have any informations about the field test and the factors effecting the traction ( decrease) please help me
and thanks again

Traction will depend on the type and weight of implement you are trying to pull. Also ground conditions whether wet or dry, sand or clay, etc. Real hard to tell you how to improve traction or test. We need more info from you on the tractor, implement, ground conditions etc.
Going up or down hills you are fighting gravity to get traction. In this situation 4wd will help.

 

[LD1]

Tons of variables. No two field tests are gonna be the same. Cause no two fields are gonna be the same. Even the same field will have different conditions on different days.

Typically, in dryer conditions on harder surfaces, more weight = more traction. Everyone has pretty much said that. So to "answer" your question, if you want more traction, add weight, if you want less, remove weight.

Tires dont make a huge difference on hard dry packed surfaces. But wet or loose soil or mud, agressive tires help. Rice tires probably being the best, then R1's then R4's

As far as field tests, tractordata.com usually has links to nebraska tests, which have drawbar pull ratings for different tractors, and at varying rates of ballast and in different gears. But again, what "they" test you may not be able to duplicate if you dont have similar ground conditions.

Hitching point is also another way to increase traction. Hitching higher pulls down on the rear (adding weight). But you have to be carefull not to flip over and have pleanty of weight up front. Look at tractor pullers. They hitch high with a short chain.

 

[texasjohn]

I recommend studying tractor pull information and videos...these guys are all about traction under measured conditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI5xkqBGX2c

 

[vtsnowedin]

From my John Deere owners manual.
To measure wheel slip.
1. place a mark on a rear tire which is easy to see (chalk mark)
2. With tractor working mark a starting point on the ground (B) where tire mark (A) meets the ground.
3. Mark the ground again when the tire mark (A) makes ten complete revolutions.(C)
4. With the implement raised turn around and come to mark (C) and remark the tire where(D) it touches the ground at mark (C)
5 Drive back to mark (B) with the implement raised and count the tire revolutions required to reach starting point (B)
Do the math.
If you have 9 revolutions to return you have 10% wheel slip which is good 8 1/2 revolutions is 15% slip and is also acceptable 8 or less is too much slip and you should add ballast. 10 or 9 1/2 is too little and you should remove ballast.
I hope that helps you.

 

[LD1]

If you have 9 revolutions to return you have 10% wheel slip which is good 8 1/2 revolutions is 15% slip and is also acceptable 8 or less is too much slip and you should add ballast. 10 or 9 1/2 is too little and you should remove ballast.
I hope that helps you.

I guess someone may have to educate me. But why would you want any wheel slip if you can avoid it?

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I guess someone may have to educate me. But why would you want any wheel slip if you can avoid it?

Because of compaction is my guess.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Because of compaction is my guess.

If you have no wheel slip you have too much weight on and are wasting fuel.

 

[Sysop]

I forget where I read the same process of calculating wheel slip, but one of the big things they indicated was that zero wheel slip means 100% of the torque is also ate up by the drivetrain and could wear the drivetrain prematurely. Zero tire slip is when gears get sheared. A "properly ballasted" machine should still be able to have some wheel slip. Weighing a machine down to the point tires can not slip is not properly ballasted. If the machine can't break traction once under too much load it is going to break something else.

Something else that hasn't been mentioned for traction is dual rear wheels. In extremely muddy situations sometimes the extra floatation provided by more surface area is the key. As has been stated above, the conditions you are working in has everything to do with how you set your machine up. If you could provide more information on the types of field conditions you frequently see, our advise can be tailored more to your needs.

 

[flusher]

"A "properly ballasted" machine should still be able to have some wheel slip. Weighing a machine down to the point tires can not slip is not properly ballasted. If the machine can't break traction once under too much load it is going to break something else."

Right on. This is particularly important if you have a 4WD tractor and are doing FEL work on a concrete surface. Use 2WD. If you use 4WD you risk damaging the transfer case if the front wheels cannot slip when scooping up material in the bucket.

"Extremely muddy conditions": around here there are hundred of thousands of acres of rice field. Those tractors have rubber tracks installed for floatation and traction in the mud.

D & S Tires Inc.

 

[CobyRupert]

Dang, I was hoping they built the drive train and transmission of my tractor to be able to handle all the power the engine can produce. Granted, if you pop the clutch or get things hopping, or are in 4 wd and its fighting itself, that's a different story.
But I was thinking the engine stalls under load (with traction) before things break, but I guess not...

 

[vtsnowedin]

Well imagine if you have enough ballast on so you have no tire slip and are pulling a two bottom plow. You come to a hidden rock that is well attached to bedrock and one of the plow points catches under the lip of the rock. You have just broken something on the plow. (at least a shear pin if it has them) or yanked the tractor to a complete stop which isn't going to be good for a lot of things from the rear castings to the main crank bearings.
But if your tires are already slipping ten percent and you get that sudden extra resistance they will break free and spin while the draft control tries to raise the plow up enough to clear the rock.
There is another caution in my manual.
"To extend drive train life, avoid excessive soil compaction and rolling resistance, avoid adding too much ballast. Ballast should never exceed the weight required to provide traction for continuous full power loads in 3rd gear for 2-wd tractors. Remove ballast if tractor engine labors when pulling heavy loads in the first three gears.
When using mechanical front wheel drive, ballasting to one gear slower is appropriate. "

 

[bigdeano]

You can easily measure the drawbar pull of a tractor by using a hydraulic cylinder with a pressure gauge on the rod end connection. Don't forget to put some oil in it. A little math will give you the pull.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Well imagine if you have enough ballast on so you have no tire slip and are pulling a two bottom plow. You come to a hidden rock that is well attached to bedrock and one of the plow points catches under the lip of the rock. You have just broken something on the plow. (at least a shear pin if it has them) or yanked the tractor to a complete stop which isn't going to be good for a lot of things from the rear castings to the main crank bearings.
But if your tires are already slipping ten percent and you get that sudden extra resistance they will break free and spin while the draft control tries to raise the plow up enough to clear the rock.
There is another caution in my manual.
"To extend drive train life, avoid excessive soil compaction and rolling resistance, avoid adding too much ballast. Ballast should never exceed the weight required to provide traction for continuous full power loads in 3rd gear for 2-wd tractors. Remove ballast if tractor engine labors when pulling heavy loads in the first three gears.
When using mechanical front wheel drive, ballasting to one gear slower is appropriate. "

I knew that came into play somewhere, although there are definitely other very important reasons as previously shared.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I knew that came into play somewhere, although there are definitely other very important reasons as previously shared.

Never said you were wrong just added on the money factor. A farmer has to pay attention to both.

 

[omran mubarak]

thanks you all
if any one have an idea for how can i measure the weigth in traction test please help me