Improvement of a power tiller cage wheel for use in swampy peat soils

This study was aimed at investigating traction performance of a cage wheel for use in swampy peat soils in Indonesia. The tests were conducted in a soil bin filled with peat soil taken from the swampy areas. A set up was developed to measure tractive performance of a single cage wheel. Deep sinkage and high wheel slip were identified as the major problems of using the existing cage wheel design in swampy peat soils. The results revealed that increasing the lug angle from 15 to 35° and the length of lug improved the tractive performance of the cage wheel significantly, while increasing the number of lugs from 14 to 18 and width of lug did not improve the tractive performance significantly. A cage wheel with lug size 325×80 mm, 35° lug angle, 14 lugs (26° lug spacing), with 2 circumferential flat rings installed on the inner side of the lugs, out performed the other settings for use with power tillers in swampy peat soils.