AGRICULTURAL TRACTORS: TYPES AND SELECTION

Tractor is a self-propelled power unit having wheels or tracks for operating agricultural
implements and machines including trailers. Tractor engine is used as a prime mover for
active tools and stationary farm machinery through power take-off shaft (PTO) or belt
pulley.
CLASSIFICATION OF TRACTORS:
Tractors can be classified into three classes on the basis of structural-design:
a. Wheel tractor: Tractors, having three of four pneumatic wheels are called wheel
tractors. Four wheel tractors are most popular everywhere.
b. Crawler tractor: This is also called track type tractor or chain type tractor. In such
tractors, there is endless chain or track in place of pneumatic wheels.
c. Walking tractor (Power tiller): Power tiller is a walking type tractor. This tractor is
usually fitted with two wheels only. The direction of travel and its controls for field
operation is performed by the operator, walking behind the tractor.
On the basis of purpose, wheeled tractor is classified into three groups:
a. General purpose tractor: It is used for major farm operations; such as ploughing,
harrowing, sowing, harvesting and transporting work. Such tractors have (i) low
ground clearance (ii) increased engine power (iii) good adhesion and (iv) wide tyres.
b. Row crop tractor: It is used for crop cultivation. Such tractor is provided with
replaceable driving wheels of different tread widths. It has high ground clearance to
save damage of crops. Wide wheel track can be adjusted to suit inter row distance.
c. Special purpose tractor: It is used for definite jobs like cotton fields, marshy land,
hillsides, garden etc. Special designs are there for special purpose tractor.
TRACTOR COMPONENTS:
A tractor is made of following main components:
a. I. C. engine h. Steering mechanism
b. Clutch i. Hydraulic control and hitch system
c. Transmission gears j. Brakes
d. Differential unit k. Power take-off unit
e. Final drive l. Tractor pulley and
f. Rear wheels m. Control panel.
g. Front wheels
Every tractor is fitted with an I. C. engine, the engine may be carburetor type or diesel
type but nowadays almost all the tractors are diesel tractors.
SELECTION OF TRACTOR:
Selection of tractor depends upon following factors:

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a. Land holding: Under a single cropping pattern, it is normally recommended to
consider 1 hp for every 1 hectares of land, In other words, one tractor of 20-25 hp is
suitable for 20 hectares farm.
b. Cropping pattern: Generally less than 1.0 hectare/hp have been recommended
where adequate irrigation facilities are available and more than one crop is taken. So
a 30-35 hp tractor is suitable for 25 hectares farm.
c. Soil condition: A tractor with less wheel base, higher ground clearance and low
overall weight may work successfully in lighter soil but it will not be able to give
sufficient depth in black cotton soil.
d. Climatic condition: For very hot zone and desert area, air cooled engines are
preferred over water-cooled engines. Similarly for higher altitude, air cooled engines
are preferred because water is liable to be frozen at higher altitude.
e. Repairing facilities: It should be ensured that the tractor to be purchased has a dealer
at nearby place with all the technical skills for repair and maintenance of machine.
f. Running cost: Tractors with less specific fuel consumption should be preferred over
others so that running cost may be less.
g. Initial cost and resale value: While keeping the resale value in mind, the initial cost
should not be very high; otherwise higher amount of interest will have to be paid.
h. Test report: Test report of tractors released from farm machinery testing
stations should be consulted for guidance.
CONTROL BOARD OR DASH BOARD OF A TRACTOR:
The control board of a tractor generally consists of:
a. Main switch f. Horn button
b. Throttle lever g. Battery charging indicator
c. Decompression lever h. Oil pressure indicator
d. Hour meter i. Water temperature gauge
e. Light switch

TRACTOR TYRES AND FRONT AXLE:

Tyres: The tyres are available in many sizes with the ply ratings as 4, 6 or 8. The ply
rating of tyres indicates the comparative strength of tyres. The higher the rating, the
stronger are the tyres. The tyres size 12-38 means, that the sectional diameter of
tyres is 12" and it is mounted on a rim of 38" diameter. The inflation pressure in
the rear wheels of the tractor varies between 0.8 to 1.5 kg/cm2. The inflation pressure of
the front wheel varies from 1.5 to2.5 kg/cm2. Useful life of the pneumatic tyres under
normal operating condition may be about 6000 working hours for drawbar work.
Front Axle: Front axle is the unit on which front wheel is mounted. This wheel is an
idler wheel by which tractor is steered in various directions. The axle is a rigid tubular or
I-section steel construction pivoted at the centre. There are various adjustments of front
wheel.

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HITCHING SYSTEM OF TRACTOR DRAWN IMPLEMENTS:
Tractor drawn implements possess higher working capacity and are operated at higher
speeds. These implements need more technical knowledge for operations and
maintenance work. Tractor drawn implements may be a) Trailed type b) Semi-mounted
type and c) Mounted type.
a. Trailed type implement: It is one that is pulled and guided from single hitch point
but its weight is not supported by the tractor.
b. Semi-mounted type implement: This type of implement is one which is attached to
the tractor along a hinge axis and not at a single hitch point. It is controlled directly
by tractor steering unit but its weight is partly supported by the tractor.
c. Mounted type implement: A mounted implement is one which is attached to the
tractor, such that it can be controlled directly by the tractor steering unit. The
implement is carried fully by the tractor when out of work.
SOME IMPORTANT TERMS CONNECTED WITH TRACTORS:
a. Wheelbase: Wheel base is the horizontal distance between the front and rear
wheels of a tractor, measured at the ground contact.
b. Ground clearance: It is the height of the lowest point of die tractor from the
ground surface, the tractor being loaded to its maximum permissible weight.
c. Track: Track is the distance between the two wheels of the tractor on the same axle,
measured at the point of ground contact.
d. Turning space: It is the diameter of the smallest circle, described by the
outermost point of the tractor, while moving at a speed, not exceeding 2 km/hr with
the steering wheels in full lock.
e. Cage wheel: It is a wheel or an attachment to a wheel with spaced cross
bars for improving the traction of the tractor in a wet field. It is generally used in
paddy fields.

POWER TILLER:
It is a prime mover in which the direction of travel and its control for field operation is
performed by the operator walking behind it. It is also known as hand tractor or walking
type tractor. The concept of power tiller came in the world in the year 1920.Japan is the
first country to use power tiller on large scale. In Japan, the first successful model of
power tiller was designed in the year 1947. Production of power tiller rapidly
increased during the year 1950 to 1965. Power tiller was first introduced in India in
the year 1963.
Power tiller is a walking type tractor. The operator walks behind the power tiller, holding
the two handles of power tiller in his own hands. Power tiller may be called a single axle
walking type tractor, though a riding seat is provided in certain designs. Average size of
holding in India is about 2.5 hectares. There are 89% of total land holdings of less than
six hectares. Under such conditions, power tiller may be useful as a power unit.

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COMPONENTS OF POWER TILLER:
A power tiller consists of the following main parts:
a. Engine
b. Transmission gears
c. Clutch
d. Brakes
e. Rotary unit.
All the power tillers are fitted with an I. C. engine. At present, most of the power tillers
are fitted with diesel engine. The makes like Kubota, Mitsubishi, and Sarachi have used
diesel engine in India.
Operation: The main clutch is a lever on the handle. The lever can be shifted to on or off
position while operating in the field. When the lever is shifted to on position, the power
from the engine is transmitted through the main clutch to the various parts of the power
tiller. When the lever is shifted to off position the power from the engine is cut-off from
the rest of the transmission.
Power transmission in power tiller: For operation of power tiller, the power is obtained
from the IC Engine, fitted on the power tiller. The engine power goes to the main clutch
with the help of belt or chain. From main clutch, the power is divided in two routes, one
goes to transmission gears, steering clutch and then to the wheel. The other component
goes to the tilling clutch and then to the tilling attachment. V-belt is usually used to
transmit power from the engine to the main clutch, because V-belt has very high
efficiency and it works as a shock absorber also.
Main clutch: Power goes from the engine to the main clutch. Clutch may be: (i) Friction
clutch or (ii) V-belt tension clutch. Friction clutch is generally used for bigger power
tiller. Usually it is a dry type multiple disc clutch. V-belt tension clutch is used for small
power tillers. The main functions of clutch in a power tiller are:
a. To transmit engine power to transmission gears and
b. To make power transmission gradual and smooth.
Transmission gears: Transmission box consists of gears, shafts and bearings. The speed
change device may be; (a) gear type or (b) belt type.
Brakes: All power tillers have some braking arrangement for stopping the movement.
Most of the power tillers use inner side expansion type brake.
Wheels: Usually 2 to 4 ply pneumatic tyres are used in power tillers. The pressure of the
tyre ranges from 1.1 to 1.4 kg/cm2.
Rotary unit: Power tiller has a rotary unit for field operation. Rotary unit is of two types:
(a) Centre drive type and (b) Side drive type.
Centre drive type has got transmission at the centre and the side drive type has
transmission at one side. Centre drive type has the following characteristics: (a) Tilling
width can be widened (b) Rotary unit is light in weight (c) Fixing of attachment is easy
(d) The tine shaft can be detached easily (e) Mounting and dismounting of rotary unit

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is very easy (f) It may leave some portion of the field untilled (g) It has one point
support on the ground.
In side drive type: (i) Deeper tilling is possible (ii) The arrangement is useful for hard soil
(iii) It has two points support on the ground.
Rotary tines: Rotary tines are used in rotary unit for soil cutting and pulverization
purpose. Rotary tines are of three types: (i) Straight tines (ii) Curved tines and (iii)
Sliding tines.
In case of straight tines: (a) Power consumption is less (b) Fine pulverization of soil is
possible (c) Poor soil turning (d) Grass entangles in the tines very easily (e) It is suitable
for hard soil.
In case of curved tines: (a) Good soil turning is possible (b) It is suitable for avoiding
grasses (c) Pulverization of soil is coarse and (d) Power consumption is high. Sliding
tines have the characteristics of sliding on their positions according to the requirement.
Steering cutch lever: Steering clutch is provided on the grip of the right and left handles.
When the left side is gripped, power is cut-off on left side of the wheel and the power
tiller turns to the left. Similarly when the right side is gripped, the power tiller turns to the
right.

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 TESTING OF AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR
TERMS USED IN PERFORMANCE TESTING:
1. Rated Speed: The engine speed specified by the manufacturer for continuous
operation at full load.
2. Engine Power: The power measured at the flywheel or the crankshaft.
3. Belt Power: The power measured at the belt dynamometer.
4. Power Take-Off Power: The power measured at any shaft designed by the tractor
manufacturer to be used as a power take-off.
5. Power at the Drawbar: The power available at the drawbar, sustainable over a
distance of at least 20 meters.
6. Maximum Drawbar Pull: The mean maximum sustained pull, which the tractor
can maintain at the drawbar over a given distance, the pull being exerted
horizontally and in the vertical plane containing the longitudinal axis of the tractor.
7. Fuel Consumption:
a. Units of Consumption: When consumption is measured by mass, to obtain
hourly consumption by volume and the work performed per unit volume of
fuel, a conversion of units of mass to units of volume shall be made using the
fuel density value at 15°C.
When consumption is measured by volume, the mass of fuel per unit of work
shall be calculated using the density corresponding to the fuel temperature at
which the measurement was made. This figure shall then be used to obtain
hourly consumption by volume and the work performed per unit volume of fuel,
using the density value at 15°C for conversion from units of mass to units of
volume.
b. Specific fuel consumption: The mass of fuel consumed per unit of work.
c. Specific energy: Work per unit volume of fuel consumed.
8. Un-ballasted Mass: The mass of the tractor without ballasting devices; and in the
case of tractors with pneumatic tyres, without liquid ballast in the tyres. The tractor
shall be in running order with tanks, circuits and radiator full and any track
equipment or additional front wheel drive components required for a normal use.
The driver mass is not included.
9. Ballasted Mass: The mass of the tractor with ballasting devices; and in the
case of tractors with pneumatic tyres, sometimes with liquid ballast in the tyres.
The tractor shall be in running order with tanks, circuits and radiator full and any
track equipment or additional front wheel drive components required for a normal
use. The driver mass is not included.

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General Rules and Directions for Tests:
1. Manufacturer's instructions: Once the test has started the tractor shall never be
operated in a way that is not in accordance with the manufacturer's published
instructions in the form of an operating handbook unless specifically required by test
criteria and then only by arrangement with the manufacturer.
2. Permissible measurement tolerances:
a. Rotational speed: ± 0.5 %
b. Time: ± 0.2 s
c. Distance: ± 0.5 %
d. Force: ± 1.0 %
e. Mass: ± 0.5 %
f. Atmospheric pressure: ± 0.2 kPa
g. Tyre pressure: ± 5.0 %
h. Hydraulic system pressure: ± 2.0 %
i. Temperature of fuel, etc.: ± 2.0°C
j. Wet and dry bulb thermometers: ± 0.5°C
These values shall be used unless otherwise specified by a test procedure.
3. Auxiliary equipment: For all tests, accessories such as the hydraulic lift pump or air
compressor may be disconnected only if it is practicable for the operator to do so as
normal practice in work, in accordance with the hand book and without using tools,
except as otherwise specified for a particular test. If not, accessories should
remain connected and operate at minimum load.
The fan speed shall always be measured in the power take-off and the drawbar tests
and recorded with each test point.
4. Ambient conditions: No corrections shall be made to the test results for
atmospheric conditions or other factors. Atmospheric pressure shall not be less than
96.6 kPa. If this is not possible because of conditions of altitude, a modified injection
pump setting may have to be used, details of which will be included in the report. The
pressure will be noted in the report. Stable operating conditions must have been
attained at each load setting before beginning test measurements.
Temperature limits are given in the individual test procedures below.
5. Fuels and lubricants: Fuels and lubricants shall be selected from the range of
products commercially available in the country where the equipment is tested but
shall conform to the minimum standards approved by the tractor manufacturer. If the
fuel or lubricant conforms to a national or international standard, it shall be
mentioned and the standard stated.
6. Repairs during tests: All repairs made during the tests shall be noted in the
test report, together with comments on any practical defects or shortcomings about
which there is no doubt.

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7. Tractors equipped with Diesel Particulate Filters: Before beginning the official
test and at the discretion of the manufacturer, a regeneration of the diesel particulate
filter may be performed. Additionally, a regeneration of the diesel particulate filter
may be performed before each separate test e.g. before the PTO test, before starting
drawbar testing, before the hydraulic lift test, etc. If during any of the official tests,
the tractor initiates a regeneration of the diesel particulate filter, the current test
should be suspended and the regeneration should be allowed to complete before
continuing the test.

PERFORMANCE TESTS:
1. Power Take-Off and Engine Tests:
If the manufacturer does not allow the use of the main power take off to transmit the
full power, or the mode of operation or design prevents it, then the engine power can
be tested at the flywheel.
Test requirements: The torque and power values in the test report shall be obtained
from the dynamometer bench without correction for losses in power transmission
between the power take-off and the dynamometer bench. In all tests, the shaft
connecting the power take-off to the dynamometer shall not have any appreciable
angularity. The ambient temperature shall be 23 ± 7°C. If, in the test bench, use is
made of an exhaust gas discharge device, it must not affect the engine performance.
The various tests shall be carried out continuously.
Essential measurements: In addition to the performance measurements required in
each test below, the following shall also be measured and recorded in the report:
 Fuel temperature at a suitable point between the tank and the engine;
 Oil temperature at a suitable point in the oil flow;
 Coolant temperature at the outlet of the cylinder block or cylinder head
before the thermostat or, in the case of air-cooled engines, the engine
temperature at a point specified by the manufacturer;
 Air temperature measured at two points: one approximately 2 m in front of the
tractor and approximately 1.5 m above the ground, the other at the engine air
intake;
 Atmospheric pressure;
 Relative humidity.
Graphical presentation of results: The test report shall include presentation of the
following curves made for the full range of engine speed available:
 Power as a function of speed (with standard power take-off speed indicated);
 Equivalent crankshaft torque as a function of speed (except for fluid
transmission);

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  Hourly and specific fuel consumption as a function of speed;
 Specific fuel consumption as a function of power;
 Specific reagent consumption as a function of power (if applicable).
Results from any tests that have been carried out shall be displayed on the same chart
(except for the fuel consumption isometric curves).
a. Main power take-off:
If, under some conditions, the engine can have different operation modes and
show different power curves, these conditions shall be described and the main
power take-off shall be, if possible, repeated in each of these operating modes in
order to obtain the different power curves
All the actions or interventions (i.e. manual intervention of the operator as
stated in the operating handbook of the tractor, modification by the
manufacturer of the software controlling the engine, etc.) necessary to obtain
these different power curves during the main power take-off test shall be noted in
the test report. The power curve available under stationary conditions will
be presented as the compulsory main power take-off, the other curves
belong to the section optional tests as repeats of the main power take-off test
at the different settings.
i. Maximum power test: The governor control being set for maximum power,
the tractor shall operate for a period of one hour subsequent to a sufficiently
long warming-up period for power to become stabilized.
The maximum power quoted in the test report shall be the average of no less
than six readings made during the one-hour period, evenly spread over the
period. If the power variation deviates by more than 2 per cent from the
average, the test shall be repeated. If the variation continues, the deviation
shall be stated in the report.
ii. Test at full load and varying speed: The hourly fuel consumption, the
hourly reagent consumption (if applicable), torque and power are measured
as a function of speed. To plot the curves, the test shall go down to an engine
speed at least 15 per cent below the speed at which maximum torque occurs or
to an engine speed at least 50 per cent of rated engine speed, whichever speed
is lower. This is subject to any limitations such as safe operation of the tractor
and test equipment or as stated by the manufacturer in agreement with the test
station.
iii. Tests at varying load: The governor control is set for maximum power:
 At rated engine speed
 At standard power take-off speed (540 or 1 000 rev/min).
Torque, engine speed, hourly fuel consumption, and hourly reagent
consumption shall be recorded at the following loads:

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 I. The torque corresponding to maximum power available at rated engine
speed and at standard power take-off speed;
II. 85 per cent of the torque obtained in I;
III. 75 per cent of the torque defined in II;
IV. 50 per cent of the torque defined in II;
V. 25 per cent of the torque defined in II;
VI. Unloaded (with the brake disconnected if the residual torque is greater
than 5 per cent of the measured value in II).
b. Engine tests: (Engine performance tests in addition to, or in place of, the
main power take -off tests).
i. Additional test requirements for engine-only tests: Any accessory that is
not necessary for the continuous operation of the engine, such as the
hydraulic lift pump or air compressor shall be disconnected if this is possible.
The dynamo, or generator, with no load, shall remain connected and all
other components necessary for the operation of the engine in the tractor shall
remain in operation, such as air cleaner, exhaust muffler and fan.
The engine must be tested equipped with all the accessories, including the
cooling, required for continuous operation of the tractor and shall be installed
in the same relative position to them as when installed in the tractor.
The dynamometer bench shall be coupled directly to the crankshaft or to
some other suitable power outlet which shall be stated in the test report.
ii. Test results: All the tests listed as tests at the main power take-off will be
made except when the test is carried out in addition to a main power take
off test, in which case the one-hour test can be omitted. The
measurements normally made at the standard speed of the power take-off will
not of course be made for tractors with no power take-off.
Sufficient data shall be obtained to relate specific fuel consumption,
specific reagent consumption (if applicable), power torque, and engine
speed throughout the working range of the engine. The results shall be
presented graphically on one chart showing torque (ordinate) and speed
(abscissa) curves of equal specific fuel consumption and equal power. The
values of speed and torque may be shown respectively as percentage values of
the rated speed and the torque at rated speed. The results shall also be
presented in a table as shown in the specimen test report.

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