II. Wear characteristics of an experimental chisel coulter

Abstract

The wear rate typical of soil engaging tools is especially pronounced in direct drill coulters. Several examples of an experimental non-rolling coulter which had shown agronomic promise (especially in dry untilled soils) were subjected to a range of arc welded hard facing treatments. Differences in measured wear rates between treatments were substantial in field operation, but few clear trends were apparent and correlation coefficients between wear rates and hardness values were surprisingly weak. Visual observations, however, suggested that wear patterns had occurred in a manner not easily characterised by weight measurements alone. Measured wear rates of coulters tracking in the tractor wheel marks and those not doing so were similar.