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Soil bulk density and cone index were measured just above a hardpan beneath the centerlines of tires representative of front and rear tires of a mechanical front wheel drive (MFWD) tractor with dual rear tires. A 14.9R30 R-1 front tire and an 18.4R42 R-1 rear tire were operated on a sandy loam and a clay loam soil with loose soil above hardpans in soil bins, using three combinations of dynamic load and inflation pressure representative of a tractor hitched to a row-crop planter. When the tractor is used with either an integral planter with liquid chemical carried on the tractor, or a towed planter without liquid chemical carried on the tractor, the front tires are the major source of soil compaction caused by tractor tires. A tractor configured for use with a towed planter without liquid chemical carried on the tractor causes less soil compaction beneath the tractor tires than a tractor configured for an integral planter with liquid chemical carried on the tractor.

Some general principles have been developed that will assist operators in the selection of tire and wheel equipment. Traction performance is enhanced by tire configurations which give long, narrow footprints in the direction of travel. This may be accomplished in several ways: tracks, tandem drive wheels, increasing diameter, or radial ply construction. A system of traffic control that can save tillage energy is discussed, and the effect of total load on soil compaction is shown.

The rapid development of computer technology in the past few years, combined with the accompanying reduction of costs, has resulted in the availability of a very powerful tool to researchers. A real-time multiprogramming digital computer system has been in use at the NTML for six years. This system supports 90 percent of the data acquisition, analysis, storage, and display, and it has had considerable impact on the research program.