You might complain to a spouse if you think money is wasted managing the home, but does your spouse complain if money is wasted managing the farm? Don’t let your spouse know that your tractor is a big money pit, but just resolve to make some adjustments that you can brag about later to your friends on how you increased your tractor’s efficiency.

Sorry, but entering tractor pulls is not part of the regimen toward increasing efficiency. That is part of the 150 million gallons of fuel wasted each year by poor tractor performance. At $4 per gallon, that is $600 million that could remain in agriculture’s collective pocket. To assist with your personal initiative of improving tractor performance and fuel efficiency, Mike Staton and Tim Harrington of Michigan State University and Reed Turner of Canada’s Agriculture Technology Centre, created a factsheet that will provide how-to steps in achieving that goal. Their efforts focus on proper ballast for optimum performance, proper tire inflation, and tractor operations.

Ballast

1) Tractor weight and weight distribution on the tractor pertain to the ballast. Over ballasting wastes fuel and creates undue wear on the drive train. Under ballasting wastes fuel and causes undue tire wear.
2) The addition of tractor weights should be keyed to the PTO horsepower, and as field speed increases, weights should be reduced to control soil slip.
3) Weight distribution on the tractor depends on the type of the tractor, whether 2 or 4 wheel drive and whether it is a mechanical front wheel assist. The factsheet provides the correct ratio for weight distribution.
4) To determine front and rear axle weights, the tractor should be properly weighed. If weight is needed, cast iron weights are the most flexible, but an inexpensive method is filling the tires equally with fluid. And if front weights are added, keep in mind they put more weight on the front axle than indicated and reduce the rear weight because the front axle becomes the fulcrum.

Tires

1) Radial tires should be selected over bias ply because of their footprint, and need for lower air pressure. The largest affordable tires should be selected for a 4 wheel drive tractor which allows lower inflation pressure and more footprint on the soil to reduce compaction.
2) Duals are frequently added to 2 and 4 wheel drive models to improve traction and performance, but should not be added to MFWD tractors for performance. On a MFWD tractor, the front tire firms the soil for the rear tire, but an extra rear tire lifts the tractor off the soil surface.
3) Tractor tires should be inflated to the lowest recommended pressure; and keep in mind that correctly inflated tires improve performance by 6%. Tests indicate a tractor with properly inflated tires will out pull a tractor with over inflated tires. Check tire pressure when cold; and ensure tires on the same axle are equally inflated.

Operation

1) Wheel slip indicates the proper tire inflation and ballast; and can be measured with either a performance monitor, comparing wheel revolutions, or by inspecting the lug marks in the soil. Slip should be 10-15% for 2 wheel drive tractors and 8 to 12% for MFWD and 4 wheel drive tractors.
2) Gear up and throttle down is the practice for saving fuel expenditures, and higher speeds with lighter loads will increase fuel efficiency 13% to 20%.
3) Don’t overload the engine, and check on the exhaust or quickly increase the throttle setting. If the engine responds, it is fine; but if the response is delayed, drop to the next lower gear and throttle up.
4) If a tractor is not being worked for 5-10 minutes, the engine should be shut off to conserve fuel.
5) Keep a regular maintenance schedule and remember replacement of air and fuel filters will lower fuel consumption by 4%. Reduction of unnecessary field trips will reduce fuel consumption, which includes elimination of deep tillage, if the soil does not need it.
6) Use of a guidance system reduced field time up to 11% on a model 1,800 acre farm.

Summary:
Wheel slippage, imbalances, and tire inflation issues can all be corrected with minimal effort and you have just overhauled your tractor’s performance and operational efficiency. Weight distribution can be resolved with both cast iron weights or fluid inserted into tires. Significant fuel savings can be achieved by operating the tractor in higher gears, but with the throttle back. Regular maintenance can also increase efficiency with new oil and fuel filters.