How Is Ground Pressure Calculated, and What Values Does Each Surface Require?

Ground pressure equals contact area divided by total machine weight, expressed in m²/t. Recommended targets are 0.08 for hardened orchard ground and greenhouses, 0.10-0.12 for vegetable fields and nurseries, 0.15 for general farmland and earthmoving sites, and 0.20 or above for mud, marsh and riverbank conditions. Agricultural requirements are markedly stricter than earthmoving ones because crop roots are most vulnerable at 200-300 mm depth, where compaction can cost 10-30% of yield in a season, so the figure is set by root protection rather than by traction.