Purdue University	Mimeo AE-52
Agricultural Extension Service	Rev.
Lafayette, Indiana
DUAL TRACTOR CONTROL
C. L. Hill, Agricultural Engineering Department, Purdue University
Part time additional tractor power can be obtained by bitching any two tractors together in tandem. With such an arrangement, one operator controlling both tractors has as much pulling power at his command as he would with a larger tractor.
Use of tandem tractors could be a boon to the many farmers who have expressed a need for more farm power.
Since the average Indiana farm has three to five tractors, dual operation should involve little extra expense outside of that for larger plows and discs.
The same problems involved in operating single tractors are present in
the tandem tractor unit, but they require different solutions. These are such problems as controlling the clutch, throttle and hydraulic system of the second tractor.
The photographs on the following pages illustrate a method of controlling the throttle and foot clutch of a trailing tractor with a single acting hydraulic ram. This system allows the operator to control both tractors from the lead tractor without turning or reaching for any lever or knob. Figures 2 -6 also show the attaching frame, ignition cut-off safety switch and the manual switch.
Tractors hitched in tandem provide more power and less work for the operator. As pictured here, a farmer can do two normal operations at one time with a tandem unit.