Soil compaction and tractive force of big tractors and caterpillars (challenger 65 &45)

For the cultivation of big agricultral areas high performance machinery is needed. The need to increase working productivity also leads to powerful machinery. The total weight of new tractor generations increases and with it their axle and wheel weight reaches a soil damaging extend. Besides carrying the mass of the tractors and harvesting-machines the chassis must transmit driving force onto the ground(Tab. 1). To decrease soil damaging compaction a number of technical solutions have been developed. Broad tyres are being used to minimize the contact-area pressure by using low tyre air pressure. For enlarging the contact area there are two-possibilities : to build a brought or a long contact area. done for instance in caterpillar tracks.