ABSTRACT
The determination of the torque in wheeled agricultural tractors complements the traction tests and allows the calculation of the distribution of tractive efforts between the axles. The main objective of this research was to determine the torque demand on the driving axles of a tractor with power of 89 kW, seeking to evaluate the torque demanded for the mechanical front wheel drive (MFWD) use, for different gears, and according to the increase of the drawbar pull. Traction tests were performed on concrete tracks, where a torque meter installed on the rear axle of the tractor, dynamometer car, and electronic instrumentation for data acquisition were used. The MFWD on and off, four gears (5, 7, 8 and 9 km h-1) and eight loads on the drawbar (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 30 kN) were evaluated. The results statistically analysed using regression equations, showed similar behavior for all gears, and also showed that, when the drawbar pull increased, there was a linear increase in the torque demand on the driving axles. When the traction is on, the torque is higher at the front axle with lowest loads, and the torque is higher at the rear axle with highest loads.
Key words:
performance; drive axle; tractive force
