EFFECTS OF A PLOW SUPPORT WHEEL DURING PLOWING

When the plough support wheel is in use, the quality of the ploughing and the mobility of the tractor is improved significantly. With the su pport wheel, the tractor power lift functions better because it forese es changes in the ploughing depth and in the field profile. A small ch ange in plough support wheel force introduces a much larger force chan ge in the three point linkage. The lift control system responds to thi s change much earlier than when there is a change in draught alone. Wh en the support wheel was in use, the ploughing depth changes were redu ced. Compared with the mean ploughing depth, the depth changed without the support wheel from 13 to 33% and with it from 9 to 20%. The tract or wheel slip when the support wheel was not in use was between 10 and 11% and when it was in use between 7 and 9%. The ploughing draught ch anges were reduced from 8 to 13%, when the support wheel was in use. ( C) 1996 Silsoe Research Institute.