FIELD COMPARISON OF TRACTIVE PERFORMANCE OF AN FW A TRACTOR ON SANDY LOAM SOIL

A front wheel assist (FW A) tractor was used to investigate its tractive performance in the field. Tractor specifications and soil classifications are presented. The performance of the tractor in 2WD and 4WD modes was compared based on the drawbar pull and the tractive efficiency. The results showed that compared to the 2WD mode, the FW A tractor in the 4WD mode gave higher drawbar pull for a range of travel reduction varied from 7 to about 26% and greater tractive efficiency at any travel reduction. The drawbar pull for the 4WD mode was greater at lower travel reduction than for the 2WD mode and the difference between the two modes was maximum at about 12% travel reduction. The tractive efficiency attained maximum values of 47% and 70% for both 2WD and 4WD modes at travel reduction about 14.5%. The difference in the tractive efficiencies for the two modes ranged from 24 to 27% for the common range of travel reduction