Energy Consumption Assessment of a Tractor Pulling a Five-Share Plow During the Tillage Process

Reducing the fuel consumption of tractors has consistently been a critical challenge that the agricultural machinery industry must address. To investigate the energy consumption during the plowing process of tractors and enhance their economic efficiency, this study conducted comparative experiments under varying plowing speeds and depths. In this experiment, the CAN bus protocol was utilized for the collection of engine operational data, such as rotational speed and fuel flow. A GPS positioning system was adopted to measure the plowing speed of the tractor and combined with the data from the tractor coasting test, and then the energy consumption for operating the plow was determined. In addition, a tension sensor was installed on the three-point hitch to measure the horizontal pull force exerted by the five-share plow during plowing, thereby facilitating the calculation of the energy consumption of agricultural machinery. The findings indicate that when the tractor’s plowing speed is maintained at 5.7 km/h, both the average fuel consumption and the fuel consumption per unit area increase as the plowing depth increases. If the plowing depth is fixed at 23 cm, the average fuel consumption rises with an increase in plowing speed, whereas the fuel consumption per unit area decreases. The experimental data show that during the actual tillage operation of the tractor, the brake thermal efficiency of diesel engines ranges from 21.76% to 28.57%. The energy consumed by agricultural implements accounts for only 11.79% to 17.04% of the total fuel energy. The energy consumed in operating the tractor-drawn plow accounts for merely 7.87% to 13.66% of the diesel engine output energy. Approximately 23.24% to 38.69% of the effective power of the diesel engine is lost during the transmission process. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing the performance of tractors during operation.