Wide Tires, Narrow Tires

<div class="htmlview paragraph">Tractive performance comparisons among five different size tires were made on two different surface conditions, a wheat stubble field and a tilled wheat stubble field. Radial 18.4R46, 20.8R42 and 710/70R38 radial tires; and bias 750/65-38 and 850/55-42 tires were used.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Instrumentation to evaluate tractive performance was installed on a two-wheel drive and a mechanical front wheel drive agricultural tractor. Axle torques, drawbar pull, travel speed, and engine rpm were recorded for a series of drawbar pulls on the two soil surfaces.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Tractive performance evaluations among the tires were made by comparing the relationships of dynamic traction ratio to slip, tractive efficiency to slip, and tractive efficiency to dynamic traction ratio.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">In general, narrower tires exhibited performance advantages over wider tires.</div>