Traction tests have shown generally better tractive performance for belts when compared to tires. However, total vehicle tests measuring field productivity and fuel consumption have shown little difference between belt and rubber tire tractors. Recent tests of both type of tractors by Southwest Texas State University and the Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre have used Power Delivery Efficiency, or percent of input horsepower available at the drawbar as a measure of overall tractor performance. This paper will show why this is a valid procedure for making total tractor comparisons.

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Traction performance tests were run by Alberta Farm Machinery Research Centre personnel on fourwheel drive tractors with single, dual and triple rubber tires and on track tractors with two and four rubber belt tracks. Traction power delivery efficiency was compared in various tilled and untilled soil conditions representative of the Northern Great Plains. Various ballast setups and tire inflation pressures were tested. Power hop problems, steering performance, ease of setup and overall system costs were also evaluated.

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