Pivoting Ballast Weight for Tractor Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural tractors face challenges with traditional ballasting methods, which often result in a high center of gravity, limited maneuverability, increased fuel consumption, and safety risks due to fixed or inefficiently adjustable ballasting weights, making it difficult to adapt to varying working conditions.
Innovation Solution
A ballasting device with a pivoting mechanism that allows the ballast weight to move from a position close to the vehicle to a position further away, with the center of gravity below the pivot axis, enabling optimal mass distribution on the front wheels and easy handling through a three-point hitch system, reducing overall mass and enhancing safety and maneuverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ballast weight is arranged at a predetermined location on the front part of the vehicle body, then the ballasting is permanent and stable, but the adaptability to varying working conditions is limited and the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast weight is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be repositioned between a first position (close to the vehicle) and a second position (remote from the vehicle). This dynamic repositioning capability enables the system to adapt to varying working conditions while maintaining ballasting functionality, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
2Force
If the ballast weight is arranged at the front part of the vehicle body, then the additional mass is applied to the front axle, but the vehicle length increases and maneuverability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast weight can be dynamically repositioned between a first position (close to the vehicle, reducing protrusion and improving maneuverability) and a second position (remote from the vehicle, providing maximum front axle load). This dynamic positioning allows the system to optimize between maneuverability and front axle loading based on operational requirements.
3Force
If the ballast weight is arranged above the vehicle axis, then the additional mass compensates for front axle load, but the center of gravity increases and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast weight is positioned in a first position (close to the vehicle) where it assumes a lower center of gravity, reducing the harmful effects of high center of gravity and improving safety. The system can still provide front axle load compensation when needed by repositioning the ballast weight to the second position (remote from the vehicle). This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between load compensation and safety.
4Device complexity
If a fixed position ballasting system is used, then the structure is simple, but the adaptability to varying payload requirements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides a movable ballast weight that can be repositioned between a first position (close to the vehicle) and a second position (remote from the vehicle). This dynamic capability allows adaptation to varying payload requirements without requiring a completely complex reconfigurable system, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The system (36) has take-up pins that are extended from sides of a balance weight, where the take-up pins are oriented coaxially along a common pivot axis. The balance weight is movable in a taken up position from a position with respect to center of gravity (S) of the balance weight. Pivoting devices pivot a balance weight about pivot axis, so that the balance weight is moved from a position close to the vehicle to a position distant from the vehicle, where the balance weight is located at a lower position than in the position distant from the vehicle.