Tractors, which came as a revolution in the field of agriculture, greatly facilitated the work of people. Tractors, which can easily perform extremely difficult tasks with their very powerful engines, pave the way for us to cultivate much larger lands with less manpower. Have you ever thought about why the design of tractors is like this? Why are the front wheels of these machines so small while the rear wheels are so much bigger?
Today, we will explain to you why tractors, which are indispensable in the field of agriculture, have larger rear wheels and smaller front wheels. At this point, many issues from cost to technical issues come into play.
Let’s first understand how the tractor works.
Tractors generally have 4×2 traction. There is power in 2 wheels instead of power in 4 wheels. This power is transmitted to the large rear wheels. In other words, we can say that tractors are rear-wheel drive vehicles. Since their usage areas are muddy, rough terrains, they must have powerful engines.
Why do tractors have big wheels on the back?
Tractors using diesel engines come with large wheels at the rear so they can drive on rough terrain without problems. Tires with a large and large surface area located behind the tractors provide traction of the vehicle even on the most difficult surfaces. For example, if a normal car enters a field with soft soil, its wheels will likely sink into the ground and the vehicle will remain stuck in the ground.
Tires on the rear of the tractors, which have both a large diameter and a large surface area, prevent the tractor from being stuck on the ground. In addition, the wide tread of the tractor tires helps it to move without skidding, even if the ground is soft.
If these big tires are so advantageous, why are there small wheels in the front?
Although big wheels are very good at obstacles, they are not very successful when it comes to agility. Having smaller wheels at the front makes the tractor much more agile and able to make sharp turns. The big wheel also causes problems with vision. Small wheels at the front allow the driver to see a much wider area. Finally, small tires are more affordable than large tires.
Although it is advantageous to have large tires, there is no need for large tires at the front. The small tires in the front therefore avoid an extra cost. When factors such as agility are added to the middle, it is more than enough that only the rear wheels are large.
Different wheel sizes also distribute the weight distribution correctly.
You know that the tractor’s engine is in the front. This means that the weight is spread forward. The task of balancing this falls to the rear wheels. The extremely heavy rear wheels prevent the weight from just being on the front. In addition, the larger diameter of the rear wheel means that the axle is higher. This makes the tractor work like a lever. The fact that the tractor is like this further increases the maximum pulling force before the vehicle rolls over. In other words, the rear wheels both enable the vehicle to make the pulling power safely and spread the weight of the tractor in general.
Big wheels also protect the soil.
The natural environment of tractors is fields. Tractors that prepare the soil before the seeds are planted can also compact the soil because they are too heavy. The large surface area of the rear tires also comes into play at this point. Thanks to this width, the weight is distributed on the soil and the tires do not compress the soil too much. Considering that it will be very difficult for plants to grow in compacted soils, we can say that these wheels perform another extremely vital action.
Today we explained to you why the rear wheels are larger than the front wheels on tractors. If you want more content like this, don’t forget to share it with us in the comments section.
Source: Sacrewell, Tractor Junction, Tractor Addict
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