High Voltage Electric Tractor-Implement Interface

In the agricultural production process the tractor still has a vital role. It moves, carries, and powers agricultural implements that carry out the actual tasks like tilling, seeding etc. The tractor and implement therefore represent more of a system rather than two individual machines. The control of the increasingly large variety of functions calls for electronics. Current tractors transmit power mechanically and hydraulically. With the introduction of John Deere's E Premium series the first tractor with significant electric power became available. Such a tractor was modified to provide a controlled electric interface for implements to evaluate electric drives in this type of application. This paper presents the approach taken for the electrical interface, describes the ideas behind it, and will introduce some first results from simulation and prototype testing.