What you can do to avoid and allleviate compaction on your farm. Greg Stewart, Maizex and Alex Barrie, OMAFRA

1. Compaction
Alex Barrie, OMAFRA
Greg Stewart, Maizex Seeds

2. Where have we been?

3. Axle Loads

4. Ballasting

6. Tracks versus Tires

7. Inflation Pressure

8. Controlled Traffic

9. Tire Technology

10. Corn yield response in years
following soil compaction
(20 tonne axle, one time, Fall 1981)
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
Relative Corn
Yield
1982 84 86 88 90 92
Year
Minnesota Data from Voorhees et al. 1996
dry wet wet
Yield Impacts

11. Remediation

12. Where are we now?

13. Soil Compaction = Reduced Porosity
pre
impact post
impact
36 psi
Source: Brunotte et al., vTI13

14. Material Science

15. Material Science
Each tiny piece of the
material has a set of
forces acting on it. These
forces are added up to
determine the force that
will cause the material to
fail.

16. Material Science
𝑁𝑒𝑤𝑡𝑜𝑛
𝑚2 =
Pa 1 Bar
100,000 Pa
100 kPa
14.5 PSI
𝑃𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑖𝑛2 =
PSI

17. Everything is a Spring
• Strain : how much a material has moved.
– Percent change in length.
• Stress – strain curves predict a materials strength.

18. Except when you push it too farStress
Strain or Elongation
Stress-Strain Curve
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒=
𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑒/𝑅𝑢𝑛=𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓
Elastic Region Plastic Region
Yield
Strength

19. Strong soil 1% OM : 5% clay
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
leichter Boden schwerer Boden
(Stundenboden)
Soil strength (psi)
trocken
feucht
nass
light soil heavy soil
dry soil
moist soil
wet soil
Stettler, 2017

20. R² = 0.1772
R² = 0.7505
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
PercentSoilOrganicMatter
Year
All Ontario Essex, Kent Lambton
Change in Soil Organic Matter from 2002 to 2016
All Ontario compared to Essex, Lambton, Kent
Significant Reduction in:
• Waterholdig capacity
• Infiltration
• Aggregate stability
• Nutrient Cycling
• Erosion Protection
• Soil biology
• etc

21. Trends in Ballasted Tractor Weight
Shearer and Fulton,
Ohio State,
CompactionSmart,
2017, Adapted from
University of Nebraska,
Lincoln
Shearer and Fulton, OSU, CompactionSmart 2016

22. Developments – The example of the combine harvester
(Manufacturer: Dronningborg, Randers, DK)
Wheelload(t)
Year of manufacture
TyreVolume(m3)
Tyre-SurfaceContactArea(m2)
Wheel load
tyre volume
Contact area
Source: Per SchjØnning, Aarhus University, DK
Meanground
pressure:7.5psi
Meanground
pressure:19psi

23. What are the loads on soil?
• Axle weight, tire pressure, flat plate area,
length of contact, width of contact all
factors.
• Increased soil
moisture
increases depth
of compaction.

24. What are the loads on soil?
6 inches
12 inches
20 inches

25. What are the loads
on soil?
6 inches
12
inches
20
inches

26. Insert Alex’s talk and slides
26

27. Confidential 27

28. Confidential 28

29. Confidential 29

30. Confidential 30

31. Compaction Risk Ranking

32. Relative Ranking- Equipment Loads
• High Load
• ^
• |
• | Hay wagons, SP Sprayers
• | Balers, Hay equipment, SP forage harvesters
• | Grain Carts, Manure Spreaders*
• | Tractors of all types large to small*
• | Pickups
• |
• V
• Low load

33. Relative Ranking- Equipment Loads
Hay wagons, SP Sprayers
Balers, Hay equipment, SP forage harvesters
• Usually Bias ply tires
• Heavy unchanging load over entire field
• Good opportunity for controlled traffic
– Other ways of avoiding compaction without
modifying tires.

34. Relative Ranking- Equipment Loads
Grain Carts, Manure Spreaders
• Usually better tire choices tires
• Heavy load but changes over field during
operation
• Not well suited for controlled traffic
– Best option to reduce tire pressure as much as
possible

35. Relative Ranking- Equipment Loads
Tractors of all types large to small and
Pickups
• Many options for tires
• Heavy to moderate load with varying draft
forces and ballast
• Not well suited for controlled traffic
– Best option to reduce tire pressure as much as
possible

36. Compaction Case Studies

37. J Rink Farms Port Lambton

38. Field Inflation Pressure:
8 PSI

39. Field Inflation Pressures
4 PSI
7 PSI

40. No Soil Contact Pressure Greater than 8 PSI!?
J Rink Farms, Port Lambton

41. Field Inflation Pressures (PSI)
7 7 7

42. Road Inflation Pressures
7
7
20

43. Thoughts…..Questions?

44. Corn Planter Set-up
Original
front tires- 16.5-16.1
…. 24 psi rec
Rears - ordered with no tire
package. Burnett Farms Belwood.

46. Grain buggy- Unverferth 1000 bu
Originally- 480/80-R42… Rated
at 7940 lbs @ 35 psi
Custom fabricated rims-
IF 710/70 R38- 16500 @ 35 psi
We run them at 13-15 psi
8 PSI
12 PSI
13-15 PSI

47. Burnett Farms, Belwood

48. Thoughts…..Questions?

49. Combine 1250 CFO fronts, 1000 VF rears.
Front 15 psi/Rear 17 psi.
Shawridge Farms, Arthur

50. CTIS on 400 bu air cart. 900/60/32
35 psi on road to 16 psi in field.

51. CTIS on JD 4045 sprayer for both row crop and
floater tires.

52. Is CTIS worth the investment?

53. Thoughts…..Questions?

54. Country Custom Ag. – Cliff Horst, Tavistock

56. Thoughts…..Questions?
Thanks!