Since the introduction of four-wheel drive (4WD) and especially front wheel assist (FWA), many studies have been conducted on the optimal weight distribution between tractor front and rear axles because this influences traction efficiency. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the traction and efficiency advantages in the adoption of mechanical ballast position adjustment devices. The tested device is an extendable ballast holder mounted on the front three-point hitch of the tractor, able to displace the ballast up to 1 m away from its original position. An estimation of the fuel consumption during ploughing with the extendable ballast holder in different configurations was performed. Tractive performance was evaluated through drawbar tests, performed on loam soil with a 4WD tractor having a maximum engine power of 191 kW and a ballasted mass of 9590 kg. Results show that changing the tractor weight distribution over the range allowed by the extendable ballast holder produces limited effects in terms of tractive performance and fuel saving. The adoption of such devices is thus ineffective if other fundamental factors such as tyre pressure, choice of the front-to-rear wheel combination and lead of the front wheels are not considered during tractor setup.

中文翻译：

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用于质量分布调整的机械设备：真的方便吗？

自从引入四轮驱动（4WD）尤其是前轮辅助（FWA）以来，已经对拖拉机前后轴之间的最佳重量分配进行了许多研究，因为这会影响牵引效率。本文的目的是评估采用机械镇流器位置调节装置时的牵引力和效率优势。被测设备是安装在拖拉机前部三点悬挂装置上的可扩展压载物支架，能够将压载物移位至距其原始位置最多1 m。对可伸缩压载支架在不同配置下进行耕作期间的燃油消耗量进行了估算。牵引性能通过拉杆测试进行评估，使用最大功率为191 kW和压载质量为9590 kg的四轮驱动拖拉机在壤土上进行的试验。结果表明，在可扩展压载支架允许的范围内改变拖拉机的重量分布，在牵引性能和节省燃料方面产生的效果有限。如果在拖拉机安装过程中未考虑其他基本因素，例如轮胎压力，前后轮组合的选择以及前轮的前导力，则采用此类设备将无效。