Tractor controls
Below is a set of basic controls on a simple tractor
Photo of a different tractor showing the Draft control and hydraulic control.
What the controls do
- PTO lever – this turns the PTO on and off and selects PTO speed. The PTO (power take off is a shaft that comes out of the rear and sometimes front of the tractor and is used to drive implements such as mowers that have been connected to the tractor.
- Differential lever(Diff lock) this is used to lock the rear wheels together to get better grip in muddy conditions when pulling a heavy implement or when you are stuck in the mud. It should only be used when driving in a straight line and never when on the road. When locked it is very hard for the tractor to turn efficiently.
- Hydraulic control lever (this controls the up and down moment of the rear link arms to raise or lower rear mountedimplements such as spikers.
- Hydraulic speed regulator – this controls the speed at which the rear arms move up and down or any items connected to the hydraulic system on the tractor
- Clutch pedal- used to disengage drive so you can change gear.
- Hand throttle –used to maintain a constant speed i.e. when spraying etc, also useful on bumpy ground. Should never be used on the road.
- Creeper gear or knob- used to select a very low gear for a slow powerful forward speed i.e. when using a vertidrain spiker.
- Hi-low range- used to select low or low gearing i.e. you can have 4 forward gears and by selecting high or low you have in effect 8 gears (4 for slow work like towing and 4 for fast work such as driving on the road).
- 4WD selector – this lock all the wheels so they all turn together, useful on slopes for extra grip, muddy conditions or when towing.
- Transmission selector – the gear knob, used to change up/down gear.
- Left right brake- some tractor brakes can be separated so by pressing one side you brake only that side wheel and vice versa. These are used when ploughing etc to aid turning.
Unless you have a good reason for separating the brakes always ensure they are joined, never use separated brakes on the road or during normal work.
- Foot throttle- used to control engine speed and together with the correct gear forward speed
- Parking brake pawl – this is a catch that locks the brake on in effect it is a type of hand brake used on some tractors that lack a normal handbrake. Some tractors are fitted with both systems i.e. a hand brake and a brake pawl.
- Draft control-Draft control senses the amount of strain that the tractor is being subjected to from an implement such as a plough. If the strain exceeds a predetermined level, the draft control will automatically raise the plough just enough to restore normal loading of the tractor. After you get past the hard spot in the field, the draft control automatically returns the plough to the pre-selected, ideal depth. There are two main types of draft sensing in wide use today. They are: lower link draft sensing, and top link draft sensing.