Effect of hitch height on traction and longitudinal stability during haulage operation using 2WD tractor
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Abstract
It was observed that height of hitch of trailer plays important role on the haulage performance of tractor. A test tractor fitted with variable hitch height system was used to conduct haulage performance test and found that weight transfer from the front increased with the increased in hitch height thereby reducing wheel slip and enhancing tractive efficiency. Further, hitch height did not affect on draft, however, vertical force decreased with the increase of hitch height. Contrarily, lowered hitch height reduced the weight transfer from the front axle resulting in better longitudinal stability. Similar observations were made for paved and unpaved road conditions at various slopes. The longitudinal stability was estimated through measuring the front axle dynamic load by instrumenting the front axle. Therefore, it was concluded that the haulage performance of the tractor can be maximized by varying the hitch height to achieve better traction and stability
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