Agricultural Tractor

A machine used primarily for traction or pulling an implement.

A versatile machine and a mobile power source for wide variety of agricultural task.

A machine that can deliver both stationary and mobile jobs.

A machine that can pull or tow implement through traction from the drive wheel and or
pull implement through the draft developed from its drawbar hitch or power implement
through it PTO drive.

Functions of Tractor

Pulling machines behind it

Pushing machine in front of it

Operating machine mounted on it

Transmitting power to other machines through the PTO drive

Raising, lowering, and controlling machines and attachment by its hydraulic power

Driving machines through belt power

Transmitting power through flexible shaft

Furnishing power for fast highway transportation and handling

Compact Tractor – A four-wheel tractor of less than 20 hp. They are used for
landscaping and gardening rather than massive agricultural task. They are equipped
with single 12-in moldboard plow and capable to plow 1 hectare for 11 to 14 hours.

Farm Tractor – A four-wheel tractor with no less than 20 brake horsepower. They are
used for massive agricultural tasks such as plowing, harrowing, seeding and planting,
and other operations.
Special Type Tractors

Tract-type Tractors – They consist mainly of two heavy duty endless link device
know as tract for traction purposes. They are used for heavy duty operation
such as earth moving and other industrial jobs requiring higher power.

All Purpose or Row Crop Tractors – They are designed to handle field and belt
jobs including the planting and inter-tillage activities.

Orchard Tractor – they are small and medium size. They are designed to be
operated with advantages under tress. They are built with lower and few
projecting parts and has fenders for protection purposes

Industrial Tractors – The are machines of any size designed for various industrial
operations and heavy hauling. They have hoisting, excavating, power-loading
attachments.

Turbo Charger of Tractor Engine – This increases the output of the tractor engine by
about 20%.

Power Transmission – It is used to transmit the engine power to the wheel axle and PTO
shaft of the tractor. It is also used to change the torque and speed of the engine tractor
into high torque and low speed that is required by the wheel axle and the PTO shaft.

Clutch – It is a device used to connect and disconnect the tractor engine from the power
train so that the gear can be shifted or the tractor can be stop without stopping the
engine.

Differential – It is a special arrangement of gears so that it will permit one driving

member to rotate slower or faster than the other and permit operation of driving
wheels at different speed.

Final Drive – Is a gear reduction located in the power train between the differential and
the driving wheels used to transmit power of the engine at low speed and large torque
to the rear axle and wheels of the tractor.
Example:

The computed wheel axle power of the tractor is 127.5 hp. What is the wheel axle
torque of the tractor if its wheel rotates at 40 rpm?

Given: Pw- 127.5 hp, n- 40 rpm

Required: wheel axle torque

Solution:
T = 1000 N / 2  n
= [1000 (127.5 hp x 0.746 kW/hp)]/ [2  (40 rpm)]
= 378.45 N-m

Tractor Speed Formula:

Vt = 0.033 x R x Ne / i

Where:

Vt - tractor speed, km/hr

R - diameter of wheel, m

Ne - engine speed, rpm

i - reduction ratio

Example:

Compute the traveling speed of a tractor at 2nd gear with engine speed set at 2400 rpm.
The diameter of wheel of the tractor is 2 meters.

Given: Gear position - 2nd , Engine speed - 2400 rpm

Wheel diameter -2m

Required: Tractor speed

Solution:

Vt = 0.033 x 2400 rpm x 2 m / 2.49

= 63.6 kph
Tractor Wheel Slip and Tractive Efficiency Formula:

% Slip = 100 [ (R – r ) / R ]

t = Pd / Pw

Where:

R - total drive wheel revolution count to traverse the

drawbar runway under load

r - Total drive wheel revolution count to traverse the

drawbar test runway under no load

Pd - drawbar power, kW

Pw - wheel axle power, kW

Example:

Wheel slip test of a tractor had shown that a wheel rotates by two and a half revolutions
at a distance of 20 meters. If the tractor wheel has a diameter of 2 meters, what is the
percentage slip pf the tractor wheel?

Given: Wheel diameter – 2 meters, wheel rotation – 2-1/2 rev,

distance travel – 20 meters

Required: Percentage wheel slip

Solution:

Dl =  D Nr = x 2 m x 2.5 rev = 15.7 m

Dn = 20 m

S = [( 20 m – 15.7 m) / 15.7 m] x 100

= 27.89%

PTO is used for driving field machines such as rotary plow, hay baler, corn picker, self-
unloading forage wagon, irrigation pump, etc.
 Tractor size can be determine based on the following:

Weight – The heavier the tractor the bigger is its capacity.

Horsepower – Higher tractor horsepower, the bigger is its size and can be
capable to do wider operation.

Implement Capacity – The more the tractor can draw implement, the bigger is its
size and the faster it can finish the operation.

Drawbar Pull

It is one of the most important factor in the performance of the tractor.

Plowing and other operations are affected by the drawbar performance of the tractor.

Drawbar pull is affected by the wheel slip and the engine power. It is also affected by
the tractor weight and type, the type and shape of the running gears or wheel condition
of the ground surface, inflation pressure of tires and others.

Running Resistance

It is the sum of all the resistance acting on the tractor.

This includes the following:

 Rolling resistance from the soil surface

 Air resistance

 Acceleration resistance

 Slope resistance

Rolling Resistance Formula:

R = Cr x W

Where: R - rolling resistance, kgf

Cr - coefficient of rolling resistance

 W - weight of the tractor, kgf

Example:

A four-wheel tractor weighs 2.5 tons and running on a deep mud soil during rotary tilling
operation. What is the rolling resistance of the tractor wheel?

Given: Tractor weight – 2.5 tons

Coefficient of rolling resistance – 0.25

Required: Rolling resistance of tractor wheel

Solution:

R = Cr x W

= 0.25 x 2,500 kg

= 0.625 kg

Drawbar Power Formula:

Pd = Pw – Pl

= Pw – (Ps + Pr)

Where:Pd - drawbar power, kW

Pw - wheel axle power, kW

Pl - power loss, kW

Ps - power lost due to slip, kW

Pr - power lost due to rolling resistance, kW

Example:

If the tractor above runs at a speed of 15 kph, what is the power loss and the drawbar
power that can be delivered by the tractor?

Given: Pw- 127.5 hp, Slip – 27.39%,

R – 625 kgf, V – 15 kph

 Required: Power loss and Drawbar power

Solution:

Pl = Ps + Pr

= 127.5 hp (0.2739) + [625 kg ( 15kph)

(1000 m/km)] /[( 76.2 kg-m/sec-hp) (3600 sec/hr)

= 69.09 hp

Pd = Pw – Pl = 127.5 hp – 69.09 hp

= 58.4 hp