IMPROVE MACHINE EFFICIENCY

1. IMPROVE MACHINE EFFICIENCY John Nowatzki Machinery Specialist Vern Hofman Professor Emeritus Ag & Biosystems Engineering 2006

2. Increase Machine Efficiency • Fuel Use in Equipment • Tracks, Radials and Bias Tires • Strip Till • Precision Farming • Remote Sensing • Guidance Systems

4. Seeding and Harvesting Operations*: Gallons Diesel Fuel /Acre • Grain Drill .5 • Row Crop Planter .3 • Combine 1.1 • Baler .7 • Forage Harvester 1.5 *NDSU Data

5. Fuel Use For Field Operations*: Gallons Diesel Fuel /Acre • Chisel Plow .8 • Moldboard Plow 1.6 • Tandem Disc .9 • Cultivator .6 • Ammonia Applicator .6 • Sprayer .3 *NDSU Data

6. Managing Fuel Costs: • Limit Usage – Easier Said than Done • Major Fuel Usage in ND is in the Fall. Harvesting and Tillage. • Buy Large Storage Tanks and fill when prices are lowest – This costs a lot of Money

7. Managing Fuel Costs: • Use Futures and Options to lock in Price. Can be Risky. A Future contract is 42,000 gallons. Farmers may need to work together. • Lowest Fuel Price is usually in Dec. or early January. • Use Waste Oil to Heat Shop • Trade Up to New Technology? Can You afford It?

8. Is Deep Tillage Necessary? This Requires a Large Tractor and Diesel Fuel.

9. Bias and Radial Tires

10. Tires or Tracks?

11. Power Delivery Efficiency for Bias and Radial Duals Alberta Farm Mach. Res. Center

12. Power Delivery Efficiency for a 27000 lb. Tire Tractor Alberta Farm Mach. Res. Center

13. Power Delivery Efficiency at Noted Tractor Weights 36000 lbs. 32000 lbs. Alberta Farm Mach. Res. Center

14. Radial and Bias Tires • A properly Ballasted Radial will usually be 6% to 10% more Efficient Than a Bias Tire. • Radials can Operate at Tire Pressures Down to 6 psi. Do not Operate Bias Tires Below 14 psi. • Do Not Exceed the Load Carrying Capacity of a Tire at the Selected Tire Pressure. Follow the Tire Company Load Charts.

15. Radial and Bias Continued • Increase Tire Pressure if Mounted Equipment is Carried on the Tractor. • Soil Compaction will Decrease at Lower Tire Pressures. • Tires Should Slip Between 8 and 15%. Four wheel drive tractors will usually be at the low end of the slippage range. • Check Tire Pressure Regularly.

16. Tracked Tractors • Slippage is Usually near 2%. • Power Delivery Efficiency is Equal to Tired Tractors. • Turning may be more Difficult for Tracked Tractors. • Tracks Produce a Narrower Print in the Soil. • Soil Compaction is about equal for low pressure Radials and Tracks.

17. Soil Compaction of 4 WD and Tracked Tractor Under Various Loads Ohio State • Tired tractor had the highest and the lowest soil compaction. An 8870 JD - 350 hp. Tire pressures were 24 psi and 7 psi. • Two Cat Challenger tractors, a 65- 270 hp and a 75- 308 hp caused soil compaction loads between the two tired tractor tests. • Operating radial tires below 10 psi can reduce pressure on the soil.

18. Iowa State University Studies • Corn yields have shown significant increases when tillage passes were done with a tracked tractor. • The soil pressure under the tracks were about 3 and 6 psi. • Soil pressures under the tired tractor were near 16 psi.

19. Strip Till

22. Midwest Plan Service

23. Variable Rate Fertilizer Application

24. Variable Rate Flow Controllers Hydraulic Motors

25. Remaining Fertilizer I-4 93.6 lb/ac I-5 26.4 lb/ac I-6 14.6 lb/ac Winter Wheat 16 bu/ac Sunflowers 1768 lb/ac Spring Wheat 50 bu/ac

26. I4 SF I5 SW (Dry Weather) I6 SW Yield 2112 lb./ac. 6.7 bu./ac. 14.8 bu./ac. Applied N 45 lb/ac 125 lb/ac 125 lb/ac Fertilizer Remaining I-4 13.5 lb/ac I-5 111.9 lb/ac I-6 74.3 lb/ac Sunflowers 2112 lb/ac Spring Wheat 7 bu/ac Winter Wheat 15 bu/ac

28. Remote Sensing MSEA Site Oakes,ND See Things From a Different Angle Ask Questions?

29. GPS Guidance/Auto-Steer

31. Efficient Field Operations are Important !