High Field Speed Tractors, Why?

As the American farmer continues to substitute capital and technology for labor, his need for more powerful tractors will increase. Utilization of this increased power can be achieved by the use of tools with greater working widths, performance of several combined operations in one pass, and increasing the field speed at which the various operations are performed. This paper explores some of the advantages (and disadvantages) of high tractor field speeds, first from the farmer's viewpoint and second from the engineer's or manufacturer's viewpoint.