Road Transport and Hillside Operation Compatibility

The weights of the tractor, seeding tool, air cart, and any rear implement affect the road transport and field hillside compatibility for braking and steering control. The fill level of the cart also affects the compatibility for braking and steering control. Recommended fill levels of the cart for road transport vary with commodity density but are less than 1/2 full for some combinations of tractor and trailing implements. Tow-behind carts also require less than full tanks when operating on sloping terrain.

Ratio of the tractor weight to towed weight is important for road transport due to the effect of towed weight on tractor braking and steering control. Additional tractor ballast increases maximum towing capacity. However, cart tire capacity is reduced as speed increases and is also a limit on cart fill during transport. (See Calculate Maximum Commodity Weight for Road Transport in this section.)

Terrain slope and ratio of seeding tool weight to combined weight of cart and any rear implement are important for field operation due to effects on the seeding tool tracking. Cart operation on steeper slopes results in lower recommended tank fill levels. (See Calculate Tow-Behind (TBH) Commodity Cart and Implement Compatibility in this section.)

No reduction of cart fill is typically necessary for field operation of tow-behind carts on slopes up to 9% grade (5 degrees). However, avoid holes, ditches, or other obstructions which affect stability. (See Operation or Transport on Hillsides in the Transporting section for more information.)

Do not exceed the rear hitch capacity on the cart.