Differences in tractor performance parameters between single-wheel 4WD and dual-wheel 2WD driving systems

•Techniques for reducing tractor fuel consumption in soil tilling operations.•Study of the relationship between tractor wheel slip and fuel consumption.•Comparison of the performance of a tractor in single-wheel 4WD and dual-wheel 2WD modes.•Assessment of the impact of extra weight and tire pressures on fuel consumption.

Vertical wheel load and tire pressure are both easily managed parameters which play a significant role in tillage operations for limiting slip which involves energy loss. This aspect to a great extent affects the fuel consumption and the time required for soil tillage. The main focus of this experiment was to determine the effect on the wheels’ slip, the fuel consumption and the field performance of a tractor running in a single-wheel 4WD driving system and in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system, due to the variations in air pressure of the tires as well as in the ballast mass. With no additional mass, the lowest fuel consumption was reached by a tractor with the least air pressure in the tires and running in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system. It was determined that for a stubble cultivation with a medium-power (82.3 kW) tractor running in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system, the hourly fuel consumption was by 1.15 L h−1 (or 7.3%), the fuel consumption per hectare by 0.35 L ha−1 (or 7.9%) and the field performance by 0.05 ha h−1 (or 1.25%) lower compared to a single-wheel 4WD driving system, when driving wheels’ slip for both modes was the same, i.e., at 8–12%.