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AgriEngineering
Volume 7
Issue 9
10.3390/agriengineering7090289
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Article

Mass Impact of a Mounted Sprayer on the Operational Balance of an Agricultural Tractor

by
Bruno Passador Lombardi
1,
Alex Portelinha
2,
Igor Cristian de Oliveira Vieira
3,
Breno Santos-Silva
3,
Samir Paulo Jasper
4,
Rouverson Pereira da Silva
3,* and
Tiago Rodrigo Francetto
1
1
Cachoeira do Sul Campus, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Cachoeira do Sul 96503-205, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
2
Rural Engineering Department, Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL), Pelotas 96010-020, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
3
School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, São Paulo, Brazil
4
Agricultural Sciences Department, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 80035-050, Paraná, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
AgriEngineering 2025, 7(9), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7090289
Submission received: 22 June 2025 / Revised: 22 August 2025 / Accepted: 25 August 2025 / Published: 4 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Collection Research Progress of Agricultural Machinery Testing)
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Abstract

The operational stability of agricultural tractors is directly influenced by the mass distribution between axles, particularly when using mounted implements with variable loads. This study aimed to evaluate how different masses of a mounted sprayer (550 kg, 850 kg, and 1150 kg) and tire inflation pressures (151.7–193.1 kPa) affect the load distribution between axles, tire contact area, center of gravity (CG) displacement, and tractor lead ratio. A 3 × 4 factorial design was adopted with a statistical analysis of key parameters across 12 experimental combinations. The results demonstrated that increasing implement mass significantly shifted the load toward the rear axle, reducing the front axle load by up to 46% and displacing the CG rearward by more than 11 cm, thereby compromising stability. Tire pressure, as well as the interaction between mass and pressure, also exhibited statistically significant influence on load distribution and CG positioning while modulating the tire contact area. The lead ratio increased linearly with mass, exceeding the recommended 5% threshold when the sprayer was at full capacity. These findings indicate that while the implement mass exerts a dominant effect, tire pressure management represents a statistically relevant factor for stability, requiring integrated management that considers the interaction between ballasting and tire inflation to mitigate operational risks.
Keywords: mass distribution; operational stability; tire pressure; lead ratio; center of gravity mass distribution; operational stability; tire pressure; lead ratio; center of gravity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lombardi, B.P.; Portelinha, A.; de Oliveira Vieira, I.C.; Santos-Silva, B.; Jasper, S.P.; da Silva, R.P.; Francetto, T.R. Mass Impact of a Mounted Sprayer on the Operational Balance of an Agricultural Tractor. AgriEngineering 2025, 7, 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7090289

AMA Style

Lombardi BP, Portelinha A, de Oliveira Vieira IC, Santos-Silva B, Jasper SP, da Silva RP, Francetto TR. Mass Impact of a Mounted Sprayer on the Operational Balance of an Agricultural Tractor. AgriEngineering. 2025; 7(9):289. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7090289

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lombardi, Bruno Passador, Alex Portelinha, Igor Cristian de Oliveira Vieira, Breno Santos-Silva, Samir Paulo Jasper, Rouverson Pereira da Silva, and Tiago Rodrigo Francetto. 2025. "Mass Impact of a Mounted Sprayer on the Operational Balance of an Agricultural Tractor" AgriEngineering 7, no. 9: 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7090289

APA Style

Lombardi, B. P., Portelinha, A., de Oliveira Vieira, I. C., Santos-Silva, B., Jasper, S. P., da Silva, R. P., & Francetto, T. R. (2025). Mass Impact of a Mounted Sprayer on the Operational Balance of an Agricultural Tractor. AgriEngineering, 7(9), 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7090289

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