Development of a dynamometric vehicle to assess the drawbar performance of high-powered agricultural tractors

•Agricultural tractor engine power has been always increasing.•The activity of research on high power tractor is focused on tractor’s efficiency.•Traction efficiency and performance is one of the most studied topic because involving several parts of the vehicle.•The traction test requires a special vehicle able to develop horizontal force at a tractor’s drawbar.•CRA-ING developed a new dynamometric vehicle for high-powered agricultural tractors. Agricultural tractors are machines originally designed to mechanize agricultural tasks, especially tillage and pulling. A large part of research activities have been interested in optimizing tractor efficiency, in particular in terms of emissions and energy. In this frame, the OECD Tractor Code 2 sets out a drawbar test in specific controlled conditions with the aim of evaluating the power of the tractor available at the drawbar. The principal measurement chain relies on dynamometric vehicles (DV) that are instrumented vehicles specifically engineered to develop horizontal force at the drawbar of agricultural tractors. The CREA Laboratory of Treviglio, Italy, engineered a new dynamometric vehicle to test tractors with up to 200kW at the drawbar (245kW at the engine flywheel) and a maximum of 118kN drawbar force. The chosen basis is a FIAT 6605N truck (TM 69 6×6) which has been transformed into a hydrostatic vehicle driven by a hydraulic system and an auxiliary gearbox. The maximum drawbar force was verified up to 122kN. The drawbar power verification (200kW) was successfully carried. The final verification confirmed that the project is valid for the investigation and optimization of the parameters regarding the traction efficiency of agricultural tractors.