Effects of traffic with a tractor and a wheel loader on two ploughed moist soils.
1996
Etana A. | Haakansson I.
Effects of heavy machinery traffic in spring were investigated in two autumn ploughed soils. The experimental traffic was applied using a 2WD tractor and a wheel-loader with a total mass of 5.4 Mg and 9.9 Mg, respectively. The rear tires of the tractor were inflated to 80 or 150 kPa and the tires of the wheel-loader were inflated to 250 kPa. The degree of compactness of the plough layer in the control plots was low, and one pass with the tractor brought it to a state optimal for crop growth. However, one pass with the wheel-loader resulted in over-compaction and a degree of compactness similar to that caused by three passes with the tractor mounted with single, highly inflated rear wheels. The corresponding air-filled porosity was below the value of 10%, which is often cited as critical. However, mounting the tractor with dual rear wheels kept the air-filled porosity above the critical level. Most of the investigated factors (soil type, soil water content, wheel arrangement, wheel load and number of passes) influenced the effects of the traffic on soil physical properties.
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