Due to its irreplaceable structural characteristics and performance, tracked tractors are destined to have unique advantages in agricultural production.
1. High traction efficiency. Crawler tractors have a larger grounding area, higher adhesion, and greater traction at the same horsepower. Under the same engine weight, the traction of a tracked tractor is 1.4-1.8 times that of a wheeled tractor. In terms of traction efficiency, theoretically, the traction efficiency of a wheeled tractor is 55-65%, while that of a tracked tractor can reach 70-80%. This means that for tractors with the same horsepower, the effective power of a wheeled tractor engine is lost 15% more than that of a tracked tractor. Experiments have shown that under similar conditions, the traction efficiency of tracked and four-wheel drive wheeled tractors is about 10% to 20% higher than that of tracked tractors on hard ground and cultivated land.
2. Less damage to soil structure. Crawler tractors have the characteristics of large grounding area, less soil compaction and damage, less slipping, and better traction performance. Wheeled tractor tires have poor adhesion and high slip rate. When a wheeled tractor is operating, the rear wheels always walk in the plow, and the shear effect of the tires on the soil causes damage to the soil structure of the plow layer. After several years of cultivation, a hard bottom layer will be formed below the plowing layer of the soil, which is not conducive to soil water retention and crop growth. Even after deep plowing, it still maintains small and hard lumps, and the microstructure of the soil is damaged. Tracked tractors have a lower degree of soil compaction compared to wheeled tractors, and their deep plowing and fine farming effects are particularly prominent, making them significantly advantageous in low and wetland operations. The deep grooves rolled by the rear wheels during the sowing operation of a wheeled tractor cause inconsistency in the sowing depth and soil cover, which greatly affects the sowing quality and makes subsequent watering operations difficult.
3. High adaptability. Crawler tractors are also particularly suitable for farming in harsh soil conditions. Due to the large slope of cultivated land in hilly areas and uneven soil resistance, wheeled tractors have poor stability, safety, uneven depth of operation, and poor quality of operation when operating on slopes. Crawler tractors, due to their low center of gravity, good resistance to overturning and sliding on slopes, as well as small turning radius mobility and strong off-road climbing ability, have better adaptability than wheel tractors for heavy load planting and terracing operations in mountainous and hilly areas such as farmland, heavy sticky soil, and land reclamation. In areas with heavy planting loads such as hilly slopes, heavy sticky soil, and land reclamation, farmers choose tracked tractors for plowing, plowing, and raking operations, which significantly improve the quality of the work.
4. Easy to maintain. The full frame structure of tracked tractors, compared to the frameless structure of wheel trailers, eliminates the need for waist breaking and disassembly during maintenance, greatly facilitating the daily maintenance and upkeep of the entire machine by users. Nowadays, the tracks are all made of rubber, and the maintenance and upkeep are not much different from wheeled tractors. At the same time, the lifespan of the guide wheel, supporting wheel, and supporting wheel can be greatly extended, effectively reducing the maintenance and transfer transportation costs in the later stage.
5. Comfortable operation. Rubber tracks have been widely used in tracked tractors, which do not damage the road surface and solve the adaptability problem of road transfer. Tracked tractors have obvious vibration and noise reduction effects, better resistance to bumps, and greatly improve comfort. At present, tracked tractors have generally adopted hydraulic power steering, fully enclosed shock-absorbing cab, optional air conditioning and heating, digital instruments, etc., and ear noise and driving comfort have been greatly improved. With the application of new technologies such as differential steering, single lever or steering wheel steering control, its handling comfort will become better and better, no less than that of wheeled tractors.
