DD an idiots guide please!

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
I agree, absolutely :) That's why all ag spec tracks have plenty of idlers.
It is not just the number, it is the diameter also. That is why the Tiger was so good, as it had large diameter AND overlapping/close spaced. Lots of small idlers will produce lots of peaks, as the rubber tracks can deflect in the gaps between the idlers.
 

alomy75

Member
It is not just the number, it is the diameter also. That is why the Tiger was so good, as it had large diameter AND overlapping/close spaced. Lots of small idlers will produce lots of peaks, as the rubber tracks can deflect in the gaps between the idlers.
True; but then you get into a steel chain and cleats rather than a rubber track. A steel chain is basically laying a road and then riding over it. Idler position and diameter has some but not much effect. A rubber track will stretch and the idler diameter and width come in to play.
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Only idiots would think that spreading weight out reduces potential overall compaction ,well ive got news for yous all.....its still there all that weight ,every bit of it its very basic physics, where do you think it goes ?a big fairy comes along and scoops it up and away?:ROFLMAO:

when i read crap like this it really does make me wonder who ,these days is actually technically fit to farm at all, just those with the money to buy more machinery i guess ...:unsure:
 

tr250

Member
Location
Northants
Personally in dd I don’t think it matters as it’s surface that matters. After a few years when the ground has settled ruts shouldn’t be an issue but that top 2 inches that matter. I’ve got tyres and possibly prefer them but I haven’t got a big enough combine to warrant tracks in my opinion but there are plenty of 6 Walker lexions with them on in steeper terrain than ours
 

Munkul

Member
Only idiots would think that spreading weight out reduces potential overall compaction ,well ive got news for yous all.....its still there all that weight ,every bit of it its very basic physics, where do you think it goes ?a big fairy comes along and scoops it up and away?:ROFLMAO:

when i read crap like this it really does make me wonder who ,these days is actually technically fit to farm at all, just those with the money to buy more machinery i guess ...:unsure:
It's called physics, you're right... ground pressure, not overall weight... measured in psi or N/m2....It's force per area.

Come down off your high horse when you've worked it out!
 
Last edited:

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
It's called physics, you're right... ground pressure, not overall weight... measured in psi or N/m2....It's force per area.

Come down off your high horse when you've worked it out!
There's no high horse here.

and It was worked out for me years ago, that weight, although spread out creating less tightness near the soil surface , applies the rest of its compaction force deeper down, which if course is harder to get out.
You're not avoiding the weight being on the soil , its just in a different place.
 

Munkul

Member
There's no high horse here.

and It was worked out for me years ago, that weight, although spread out creating less tightness near the soil surface , applies the rest of its compaction force deeper down, which if course is harder to get out.
You're not avoiding the weight being on the soil , its just in a different place.
You're a little bit right.

Ground pressure causes compaction. NOT weight. You could have a 100 ton machine in a field and if spread out across enough surface area, it would have less ground pressure than a quad bike. Your quad bike, in fact, could cause more damage in the wrong conditions.

Your own words "spread out creating less tightness near the soil surface" - yes... this is called "less compaction" as most of us already understand :D

The fact that deeper compaction can still occur is of course correct... your job as a farmer is to minimise this problem by being sensible about machinery, field traffic, and ground conditions... it doesn't necessarily occur all the time, nor is it as severe as it is with high ground pressures.

Compaction from machinery is caused when the soil conditions are vulnerable (wet) and ground pressures are too high. It's simple fact. The complexities of deep vs shallow compaction we don't need to get into. If you're creating shallow compaction, you're most likely causing deeper compaction as well!

To use your own words, "when i read crap like this it really does make me wonder who ,these days is actually technically fit to farm at all," :D
 
Last edited:
Are you sure it’s not the tyres on the back or another operation completely? I’m pretty sure someone at Claas double-checked that tracks create smaller ruts than tyres with everything else being equal before investing millions in developing them. It’s not like combines need the extra traction…

No definitely the combine but yes rear wheel would play a part. The wheeled machine has left much less of an imprint.
 

alomy75

Member
No definitely the combine but yes rear wheel would play a part. The wheeled machine has left much less of an imprint.
It is interesting what you’ve observed…I was wondering whether with a track print having all of the weight spread evenly across its width and a tyre creating an oval indent being much deeper in the middle than the edges of the tyre; could it be an optical illusion that the track has a noticeable ‘edge’ of the imprint whereas the edge of a wheeling, unless really wet,tends not to have a visible edge-you just see the cleats/tread pattern which go much deeper in a cleat? We have 90% 800’s on the combine and a challenger with 90% tracks and I’d say the cleats on the combine tyres are a good inch deeper/taller. I’d change the combine to tracks in a heartbeat if I could justify it. We even pull the rolls with the crawler; you can’t see where it’s been-immediately after or when the crop comes up.
 

mo!

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
York
These are the current options on a Lexion 8900. It isn't as simple as tyres vs tracks. Heck, theres 40% difference from the largest tracks to the smallest.
Screenshot_20210701-082024_Drive.jpg
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.7%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top