Soil bin monorail for high-speed testing of narrow tillage tools

A monorail test system has been developed for studying the draught and power performance of narrow tillage tools operating at high speeds. The system is retrofitted to a small 10-m long linear soil bin, yet is capable of maintaining target tool speeds of 0.5–10 m s−1 over 1 to 3 m distances. Rigid vertical tools with three different blade shapes, two operating depths and two widths were tested in a silty clay loam with soft and hard compaction levels to demonstrate system capabilities. Soil disturbance was measured using a profilemeter. Results showed increases in power, tool draught and soil pulverization with increases in speed, and measurable effects of tool geometry (shape, width, operating depth) and of soil strength on power and draught–speed relationships.