CAGE WHEEL TRACTIVE PERFORMANCE OF 4WD TRACTOR IN PADDY FIELD

In Indonesia, the use of four-wheel drive (4WD) tractors in paddy fields has been introduced, replacing two-wheel tractors. However, the condition of Indonesian paddy fields is commonly deep due to the absence of hard pan layer that make lower tractive performance of 4WD tractors. This research designed a special cage wheel for a 4WD tractor and compared it to a commonly used rubber wheel. The result showed that the cage wheel could increase the drawbar pull by 39.5% and drawbar power by 66.2%. It could also reduce wheel slippage by 21.9% and decrease sinkage by 15.9%.