Simulation of Agricultural Tractor-Trailer System Stability

An analytical study of the dynamic behavior of agricultural tractor-trailer combinations is conducted to investigate the stability and handling characteristics. Equations of motion reflecting the characteristics and parameters of the combination in terms of stability and handling are developed. The influence of changing the combination operating and design parameters on the lateral stability of the system is investigated with an eigenvalue analysis technique and a time-domain integration technique. The simulation results showed that forward speed of the combination and the properties of the trailer substantially affect the lateral stability of the tractor-trailer combination.