Dynamics of 3 Points Link Hitch (IV)

Rolling of Plow and Tractor

Abstract

Rolling motion of a plow, tractor and also of a hitched plow is discussed here for plowing stability and tractive performance. Gravity center of a plow must be located so that the restoring moment against the rolling motion is expected. Conventional hitch-point analysis should be reconsidered taking account of the rolling moment. When three points link hitching is employed, rolling stability of a hitched plow is maintained largely by rolling resistance of the tractor.
Characteristic frequency of the hitched plow for an example of Massey Ferguson EF-35 system is about 5 and 12c/s and the frequency responce is rapidly decayed over that frequency. This is desirable for pulsive disturbances encountered in the cource of plowing.
Numerical calculus of the rolling motion, which is governed by the differential equatuion of 4th-order, is made using electronic analog and digital computers and gives fair agreement with experimental results.