Validity of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL) Data for Estimating Drawbar Pull and Fuel Consumption of a Massey Ferguson Tractor Under Field Operating Conditions

The most critical aspect of farm mechanization management is determining the optimal capacity, including the size and type of implements, to efficiently perform agricultural operations within the available time frames while minimizing the operating costs of farming mechanisms. In this study, 30 test reports yielded 353 data points as each test had different values of drawbar pull, forward speed and fuel consumption for Massey Ferguson tractors were obtained from the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL), USA. The tractors chassis type was front wheel assist tractor. These test reports were reviewed for the period from 1997 to 2016, except for 2002. Stepwise regression was applied, and two mathematical models were derived to predict drawbar pull (kN) (R2 = 0.907) and fuel consumption (lit/h) (R2 = 0.911). Through a field test on an asphalt track, data were obtained on the drawbar pull, forward speed, and fuel consumption of a Massey Ferguson tractor, model 440. The values of drawbar pull and fuel consumption were compared with those from the developed mathematical models after incorporating the appropriate independent variables. The average relative error for drawbar pull was found to be approximately 21.25%, and the average relative error for fuel consumption was approximately 12.38%. Therefore, the two developed models can be used in agricultural mechanization management.