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In the last decade, many studies have been conducted on tractor and agricultural machinery electrification. In particular, the electrification of power take-off (PTO)-powered implements could support many benefits, such as improved comfort and safety during implement connection, less noisiness, accurate control of the implement rotational speed, and fuel consumption reduction. However, commercially available tractors do not generate sufficient electric power to run electrified implements. A solution to this issue is powering eventual electrified implements with an external electric generator powered by the PTO and mounted with the front three-point linkage. This study aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of using this combination with respect to PTO powered implements. The types of implements analyzed in detail in this study were a sprayer and a mulcher. Field tests were performed acquiring performance, operational, and environmental parameters. Results show that on the electrified implements, the absence of the cardan shaft and hydraulic remotes shortened the time required for the hitching phase and reduced the in-work noisiness. Field tests demonstrated that the electrified implements permitted an improvement of the fuel consumption per hectare, up to 33.3% and 29.8% lower than their PTO-powered homologue for the sprayer and the mulcher, respectively.

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In the last decades, heavier and more powerful tractors were introduced to the market and they require bigger tyres in order to exert higher traction forces but also to limit soil compaction. Therefore, different solutions were proposed by manufacturers to increase the footprints of traction elements, so that a higher drawbar pull is allowed especially in cohesive soils. However, these solutions have provided a limited increase in the traction efficiency. Recently, Trelleborg have developed a tyre named PneuTrac. The main feature of this tyre lies in the fact that the carcass is radially flexible like a standard radial tyre, but still able to support cornering loads like tracks. This allows the tyre to run with a very low inflating pressure. The aim of this paper was to compare the tractive performance of a set PneuTrac with that of an equivalent set of standard radial tyres. Both types of tyre were mounted on the same tractor, equipped with a CAN-Bus data logger, a load cell and a GPS receiver to measure the drawbar pull and other vehicle operating parameters. Drawbar tests were carried out in three different soil conditions. Results show that PneuTrac performance was slightly less affected by soil conditions than in the case of traditional radial tyres. Overall, PneuTrac tyres permit to increase the drawbar pull up to 5.7% and to reduce slip. PneuTrac tyres also provided a 7.7% increase in the power delivery efficiency with respect to traditional radial tyres.

Manufacturers are looking for innovative solutions to improve the sustainability of their products in terms of environmental, economic, and social issues. Many studies demonstrate that conservative tillage techniques can be more advantageous for the environment and farmer profits than conventional tillage techniques. However, conservative tillage tools have certain disadvantages, including challenging weed control and stagnation issues in humid conditions due to low soil porosity at depth. In this study, field tests were conducted comparing the performances of a conventional tillage technique, using a ripper and a rotary tiller, and the usage of an innovative rotary ripper (Rotoripper). The comparison was performed in terms of energy requirements, through data acquisition during tillage operations, tilled soil quality, through soil sieving and cone penetration tests, and ownership costs, through acquired field data and literature databases. The results indicate that increased porosity of the soil in the deepest layer and increased cost-effectiveness are the main advantages attainable with the use of the Rotoripper instead of conventional tillage equipment. However, because of the low soil segregation level achieved with the Rotoripper, additional tillage activities are required before planting.

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