Calculating the contact area of trailer tyres in the field

The spectacular increase in the weight of self-propelled harvesters since the early 1980s also applies to trailed implements such as slurry spreaders, compost spreaders, cutter-blowers and general farm trailers. With axle loads exceeding 10 tonnes/axle (tandem 20 tonnes, tridem 27 tonnes), risks of severe compaction can now be expected, not only in field crops but also in grassland. Calculation tables for accurately evaluating contact surfaces of transport tyre, given their properties, load and inflation pressure, are insufficient at the present time. Equations for traction tyres are not suitable for trailer tyres.To overcome this deficiency, contact areas in the field were recorded on 19 sites, from soft to hard surfaces, using 24 different trailer tyres, with varying loads and inflation pressures. The regression calculations for evaluating the contact area apply to a total of 143 measurements.The dimensions of the tyre (width × unladen diameter), the load on the wheel and the inflation pressure are all highly significant variables for evaluation of the soil contact area. Considering the average residual standard deviation for each regression calculation, the best approximations are achieved by taking into account the tyre structure (cross-ply and radial), the width of tyre for cross-ply tyres and the type of tyre, in the case of a radial tyres (low profile or terra profile).Moreover, contrary to expectations, observations show that with low levels of load, reducing inflation pressure can also reduce the contact area.As regards soil hardness, observations show that there is no direct link between a hard soil and a reduced contact area; this relationship does not appear to be linear. The calculations are considered to be reliable on semi-firm to firm soil, frequently found on temporary grassland or natural grassland (penetration resistance 6.5–25.0 MPa).