Technical Paper
Field Performance of Rubber Belt and MFWD Tractors in Texas Soils
1997-09-08
972729
The objective of field tests was to analyze and compare the performances of an MFWD wheel tractor and an equal sized rubber track (belted) tractor over a wide range of conditions on Texas soils. When comparing the wheel tractor to the belted tractor across three vehicle traction ratios, two soil types and two soil conditions there was very little difference in fuel efficiency or power delivery efficiency. Both MFWD and belted tractors showed their best performance in the range of 0.4 to 0.5 Vehicle Traction Ratio (VTR). The belted tractor showed its greatest benefit when operated at high VTRs and in soft or loose soil conditions.
