The efficiency of pneumatic tyred tractors under farm conditions

1. Increasing the ballast on pneumatic tyres, up to a certain weight, improves the tractor performance as judged by its speed, fuel consumption and wheel slip. Further increases beyond this point continued to decrease the wheel slip without having any marked effect on its speed or fuel consumption. No certain evidence was obtained that too heavy a ballast decreased the tractor's efficiency. 2. The tyre load affects the maximum pull the tractor can exert while working reasonably efficiently, but this pull does not depend markedly on the speed of work. Wheel weights of about 12–13 cwt. seem to be the minimum required for optimum performance of the 36 or 28 in. tyres at pulls of 1800 lb. under fairly good ground conditions, and possibly a greater weight may be required by the 24 in. tyre. 3. If the tractor is ploughing it is usually running tilted, and this tilt transfers sufficient weight on to the furrow wheel for it to work efficiently under most conditions. Additional ballast is, however, often necessary for the lighter land-side wheel. 4. Tyre performance is much less dependent on inflation pressure than on ballast. Pressures below 10 lb./sq. in. were only of use in wet conditions when small amounts of additional ballast were not available. Pressures above 12 lb./sq. in. may allow excessive slip to take place and probably only need be used on the furrow wheel of a well-loaded tractor ploughing