Search Results

Tractive efficiency (TE) and lateral stability were testes on a DewEze MC70 highway mower with three types of tires under two different inflation pressures. A data acquisition system was developed to measure 12 variables including surface slopes in the longitudinal and lateral directions. Results of field tests showed that one tire type outperformed the other two types and the lower inflation outperformed the higher inflation pressure in TE. The tests on side slopes showed no significant difference in lateral stability among the three types of tires or between two inflation pressures.

The Purdue Univ. soil-vehicle laboratory located in the Agricultural Engineering Building was used to study the effect of dual, single, and tandem drives on artificial soils. The dual versus single tire comparisons were made with 4.00 × 8 tires. Two tandem drive combinations were used. The first combination utilized 4.00 × 8 tires for both the front and rear wheels, and the second combination used a 4.00 × 8 tire for the front wheel and a 6.00 × 12 tire for the rear wheel. Dual tires performed better than single wheels of the same weight when tested on loose soils. The full advantage of dual tires was not obtained without lowering the inflation pressure below that of a single tire of the same weight. A weight distribution of 60% of the total weight on the front wheel produced better performance for the tandem drive using equal size tires than did the weight distribution of 50% or 40% on the front wheel. The performance at a tire pressure of 6 psi was superior to that at 9 and 12 psi.