Analysis of the Effect of Tillage Depth on the Working Performance of Tractor-Moldboard Plow System under Various Field Environments

The purpose of this study was to analyze the tillage depth effect on the tractor-moldboard plow systems in various soil environments and tillage depths using a field load measurement system. A field load measurement system can measure the engine load, draft force, travel speed, wheel axle load, and tillage depth in real-time. In addition, measurement tests of soil properties in the soil layer were preceded to analyze the effect of field environments. The presented results show that moldboard plow at the same tillage depth had a wide range of influences on the tractor’s working load and performance under various environments. As the draft force due to soil–tool interaction occurred in the range of 5.6–17.7 kN depending on the field environment, the overall mean engine torque and rear axle torque were up to 2.14 times and 1.67 times higher in hard and clayey soil, respectively, than in soft soil environments. In addition, the results showed tractive efficiency of 0.56–0.73 and were analyzed to have a lugging ability of 67.8% with a 44% maximum torque rise. The engine power requirement in hardpan was similar within 3.6–9.6%, but the power demand of the rear axle differed by up to 18.4%.