Spike Device with Worm Gear Unit for Driving Wheels to Improve the Traction Performance of Compact Tractors on Grass Plots

Abstract

In general, energy loss reduction via the interaction of tires with the ground improves tractor traction performance when a drawbar pull is generated. This paper is examines the driving wheels with steel spikes for a tractor equipped with modern radial tires. An improved design of the spike device that allows for the change between an active and inactive position of the spikes is presented. The traction performance of a compact articulated tractor with the spike device was tested on a grass plot with two soil moisture contents (SMC). The highest difference in the drawbar pull in the range from 14.2% to 40.5% and from 17.1% to 36.8% was reached by the spikes in the active position in comparison with the tires without spikes, which were at the slip range from 45% to 5% in the case of the low SMC when the test tractor was in the 3rd and 1st gear. The motion resistance difference between the spikes in the active position and the tires without spikes was 11.8% and 2.5% at the low and medium SMC, respectively. At the low and medium SMC, the highest tractive efficiency of 0.765 (0.721) and 0.757 (0.731) was reached by the spikes in the active position when the test tractor was in the 1st (3rd) gear in comparison with 0.736 (0.7) and 0.723 (0.708) in the case of the tires without spikes. The results indicated that the spike device allowed for the improvement of tractor tractive performance.