Depth Control with a Plough
The question of how depth is to be managed on a plough, which produces high draft resistance. Pure position control strains the engine when the soil hardens; pure draft control makes the depth fluctuate too much. In practice, mixed control, in which position and draft are used together, is preferred.
The plough is among the implements with the widest area of contact with the soil and the highest drawbar force requirement. For that reason the depth setting determines not only the quality of the work but also the engine load and the slip.
- The length of the top link determines the plough's entry angle into the soil and therefore the actual depth.
- A difference between the right and left lift rods causes the ridge height to come out different on one side.
- Check the slip before increasing the depth; most of the time the problem is that the depth is excessive.
The role of an electronic retrofit kit here must be defined as limited and clear: the kit does not measure drawbar force and does not add draft control. What it provides is raising the plough with a single touch at the headland and lowering it with the same command, and so returning to the same setting on every pass. The decision to change the depth according to soil hardness remains with the operator.
The context where this term is used: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control