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The equipment being pulled has become smarter and smarter over the years allowing a lot of control over the planting which has increased yields. They're necessa

by rtkwe 4y ago

The equipment being pulled has become smarter and smarter over the years allowing a lot of control over the planting which has increased yields. They're necessarily heavier to contain more sensors and actuators though which requires a larger/heavier tractor to reliably haul them around fields. The tractors have also gotten significantly more advanced from tractors used in the past; enclosed cabs with climate control, autosteer to follow a programmed path, etc.

Zigurd 4y ago
> They're necessarily heavier to contain more sensors and actuators though which requires a larger/heavier tractor to reliably haul them around fields. I'm not buying this causal chain: Sensors do not weigh much; I don't see a reason why the number and weight of actuators should change because the machines have more smarts. I suspect tractors and implements get bigger because that's an obvious path to higher operator productivity.
- cogman10 4y ago
  You suspect correctly. Tractors weigh more because they have steadily increased in size which decreases the number of passes a tractor needs to make over a field. Like having a 20 inch lawnmower vs a 50 inch lawn mower. The 20 inch mower can be self propelled with a tiny HP engine. The 50 inch mowers are pretty much all riding because the extra drag and engine size increase to cut the grass is large enough that adding bigger wheels and a steering wheel makes more sense than having someone push it. Obviously, the 50 inch mower will work a lot faster.
cogman10 4y ago
> They're necessarily heavier to contain more sensors and actuators though which requires a larger/heavier tractor to reliably haul them around fields. This is a bad assumption Tractors are heavier because they have larger engines to be able to handle larger equipment which in turn allows them to do the same job in less time. The weight add for creature comforts and sensors is insignificant, easily less than 500lbs in a 20k lbs machine. They are heavier because they are themselves wider or can handle wider equipment. In effect, their "drag" has been steadily increasing which increases the size of the engine to overcome it.

by rtkwe 4y ago

Zigurd 4y ago

> They're necessarily heavier to contain more sensors and actuators though which requires a larger/heavier tractor to reliably haul them around fields. I'm not buying this causal chain: Sensors do not weigh much; I don't see a reason why the number and weight of actuators should change because the machines have more smarts. I suspect tractors and implements get bigger because that's an obvious path to higher operator productivity.

cogman10 4y ago
You suspect correctly. Tractors weigh more because they have steadily increased in size which decreases the number of passes a tractor needs to make over a field. Like having a 20 inch lawnmower vs a 50 inch lawn mower. The 20 inch mower can be self propelled with a tiny HP engine. The 50 inch mowers are pretty much all riding because the extra drag and engine size increase to cut the grass is large enough that adding bigger wheels and a steering wheel makes more sense than having someone push it. Obviously, the 50 inch mower will work a lot faster.

cogman10 4y ago

> They're necessarily heavier to contain more sensors and actuators though which requires a larger/heavier tractor to reliably haul them around fields. This is a bad assumption Tractors are heavier because they have larger engines to be able to handle larger equipment which in turn allows them to do the same job in less time. The weight add for creature comforts and sensors is insignificant, easily less than 500lbs in a 20k lbs machine. They are heavier because they are themselves wider or can handle wider equipment. In effect, their "drag" has been steadily increasing which increases the size of the engine to overcome it.