Since tractors are such a useful piece of machinery they are now an icon of modern agriculture. They are the most common type of machinery found on a farm and play a big role in the life of farmers worldwide. They are known as flexible and powerful machines capable of tackling difficult agricultural tasks and completing them with ease. What once required farm hands and a team of animals can now be accomplished with a tractor and single operator. You can use one on everything from plowing and planting to ordinary tasks around the farm. Due to the incredible versatility that they bring to the farm, it’s no surprise that tractor sales and services on and off the fields continue to rise around the globe.
The most common applications for agricultural tractors are plowing, planting and harvesting. They can accomplish the task of plowing using different types of attachments which depends the type of soil and the intent of the farmer. The standard plow attachments can help to turn the soil in order to prepare it for planting, while the chisel ploughs will help the driver to loosen materials found around surface. Those who harrow attachments will be able to prepare the soil even by breaking down medium to large size clumps after the initial pass by a more standard plow.
Drill planting has become a popular way of planting and is done by a tractor pulled implement. A planter attachment can be used to plant as many as 48 rows at a time, greatly reducing the amount of time needed for the task. This will allow individuals to quickly and easily plant their crops when only a short period of time is available. Years ago the planters normally had a physical marker found directly on the attachment that would guide the operator on where to center the tractor for each single pass. Thanks to modern technology the newer agricultural tractors the planting process can now be guided using auto steering and GPS for maximum precision. There are many other attachments that can be used in and with agricultural tractors to help save time and effort for farmers.
Farm tractors are normally built in order to provide a fairly large amount of traction force at medium to low speeds. Most of the time the tractor is used to either push or pull heavy cargo or equipment from and on a farm. The basic frame design of a farming tractor has a set of large rear wheels that are located directly behind a small set of front wheels. This type of configuration, along with the normal diesel engine, is what provides the farm tractor with the pulling and pushing power that we love.
Normally farm tractors are operated by using pedals that are located on the floor of the cab. The clutch is usually the leftmost pedal. As in all motor vehicles the clutch is used for switching gears in the farm tractor’s transmission. The 2 pedals located on the right are the brakes for the left and right wheels in the rear. Having the ability to stop a single wheel as needed allows the farm tractor to make sharp turns as needed. This feature is a must have for farmers who have to navigate through the rows of a field that has already been planted. You will need to press both pedals in order to stop the tractor. There is a pedal located near the front seat which allows the driver to control a real differential lock. This will allow you to adjust the traction of the inside and outside wheels while making a turn which will help to prevent the wheels from slipping. The pedal located on the right is the throttle and controls the speed of the tractor. These are the main pedals but you may often notice that the cabs are fitted with other types of levers or switches for controlling other machines such as outside hydraulics.