Comparing Conventional and Modified Cage Wheel Performance in Lowland Conditions

Abstract

In agricultural production, significant cost consumption from tillage due to high energy input and low work performance may be reduced by improving the design of hand tractor components, specifically tractive devices. This study aimed to compare the field performance of conventional and modified cage wheels for hand tractors in terms of field efficiency (FE), wheel slip, and fuel consumption (FC). Using the Philippine standard methods of testing for walking-type tractors and a two-tailed t-test to analyze the data, results showed that the modified cage wheel had an FE of 90.09%, wheel slip of 7.78%, FC of 0.22 L/h, and FC per area of 0.71 L/ha while the conventional cage wheel had an FE of 86.90%, wheel slip of 13.37%, FC of 0.40 L/h, and FC per area of 1.11 L/ha. The reduced wheel slip and FC values prove that utilization of the modified cage wheel in wetland conditions is more suitable in improving field performance than the conventional cage wheel.