Evaluation of Traction Performance of Agricultural Tractor under Chisel Plowing Operation

Tractors perform different agricultural tasks by pulling various attachments under irregular soil conditions. Tractor traction performance varies depending on the type of attachment. This information is useful in tractor design and control. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the traction performance of a tractor according to its travel speed during chisel plowing. To evaluate the traction performance of a tractor, a system was constructed to measure engine information, tractor vehicle information (travel speed, axle load), and traction information (draft force, tillage depth). Field experiments were conducted in paddy fields and actual vehicle data were collected. To evaluate the traction performance according to travel speed, the collected data were divided into three groups (TS1, TS2, TS3) according to travel speed. As the travel speed increased, the traction performance (draft force, slip ratio, traction coefficient, and traction efficiency) of the tractor tended to decrease. Moreover, the results of comparing the measured draft force with the predicted value of the ASABE model showed that it was within the tolerance limits suggested by the standard under all speed conditions. The highest error was at 38% in the highest speed section (TS3). This study can be potentially used as basic data for the development of optimal tractor design and control algorithms in the future.