Planter machines, responsible for the correct placing of seeds and fertilizer in the ground, have dosing mechanisms set in motion by the drive wheels, as they rotate in function of the contact with the ground surface. This contact is influenced, among other factors, by tire pressure. The objective of this work was to study the performance of a planter as affected by soil tillage, machine speed and planter tire pressure. The following variables were evaluated: traction force and drawbar pull, fuel consumption, field capacity, wheel skidding, initial stand and longitudinal seed distribution. The greatest force was needed in the no-tillage system, which also demanded the highest power and hourly fuel consumption. The same results were found at the fastest speed. In this system the tire pressure of the planter wheels reduced skidding, improved the initial plant stand.
performance; inflation pressure; longitudinal distribution
