AGCO: Continuous Research to Reduce Compaction
Massey Ferguson and its sister brands offer innovative solutions to increase productivity and yields.
By Tharran E. Gaines
Massey Ferguson® continues to work with suppliers and universities around the world to discover new compaction solutions. In fact, for more than a year, Trelleborg® Wheel Systems Americas, Inc., has been running intensive tests in collaboration with Massey Ferguson/AGCO and the La Salle Institute, one of Europe’s leading institutes for research in the agricultural industry. The goal was to “quantify, assess and deepen the understanding of the relationship between the tire footprint and productivity of farming operations.”
The European study used a pair of Massey Ferguson 7616 Dyna-6 tractors—one fitted with wide Trelleborg 710/60R38 TM1000 High Power tires, while the other had standard size 520/85R38 tires. Test results proved that when the tire goes deeper into the soil, the degree of compaction rapidly increases, as was the case with the narrower tire. However, at a depth of 3.9 inches (10 cm), the soil compaction created by the narrow tire was double that created by the wide tire, while at a depth of 11.8 inches (30 cm), it was almost three times higher.
Other AGCO Brand Options
A few years ago, AGCO introduced the White Planter Model 9936 LF planter, which features two 30 x 67-inch rubber tracks that provide a large footprint for exceptional flotation. Not only do the tracks reduce compaction for enhanced plant root development, but they also eliminate the pinch points that would exist between traditional tires used to carry the load of the dual seed hoppers and chemical tanks.
AGCO Corporation’s Sunflower® tillage brand also offers several tools for handling compaction, including the 7600 Series strip-till machines, which allow the producer to build a planter-ready seedbed in a single pass, reducing the number of trips over the field.
Fendt®, which is a sister brand to Massey Ferguson, recently became the first and only tractor manufacturer to offer a factory integrated tire pressure regulation system that can be controlled from the tractor cab, allowing tires to be inflated or deflated to instantly match conditions. The result is up to 15 percent more tractive power.
Of course, Challenger®, which is yet another sister brand of Massey Ferguson, has long been known for its line of track tractors designed to spread the vehicle weight and reduce compaction.
Finally, RoGator offers the GatorTrak system on its crop sprayer line, which is advantageous from a compaction perspective in the sense of reducing “path compaction.” In other words, operators are not driving over and compacting the soil surface in multiple spots, only one, as the rear tires will follow the fronts when making a turn.
There are a number of ways AGCO and your Massey Ferguson dealer can help you reduce compaction. For more information, see your Massey Ferguson dealer or log onto www.masseyferguson.com.
