While the fall months are certainly known for agricultural abundance, they sometimes bring plenty of rainfall, too. Unfortunately, the combination of precipitation and heavy-duty farm equipment can result in extreme soil compaction, rutting, and pooling water. If you’re hoping to avoid this damage to your property and its detrimental effects on future crops, take advantage of the following tips.

3 Tips for Avoiding Soil Compaction From Farm Equipment at Harvest

1. Limit Your Loads

When loading up your tractors and other farm equipment during the harvest season, it makes the most sense to fill these vehicles to their limit and minimize the workload. However, this will only exacerbate soil compaction. Instead, reduce the weight inside your carts, especially when traveling through the center sections of your crop fields.

2. Inspect Tires

Your heavy-duty farm equipment relies on support from its tires, but have you considered how they’re affecting your crops? To prevent deep, soggy ruts in your crop fields, switch to larger, wider tires with less air pressure. These are more likely to float on top of collapsed soil rather than dig deeper into it.

3. Identify High-Traffic Lanes

Finally, develop a map that all employees must stick to when your farm is at risk of soil compaction. By restricting the heaviest vehicles to a couple of dedicated lanes, you can limit the damage done to the property as a whole. Instead, most of the compaction will be concentrated in these specific areas. Since most compaction occurs in the initial pass, you can rest easy knowing future passes will only add incrementally to the damage.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to ensure your crops and your farm equipment work in harmony, turn to Stanly Tractor Company. This New London, NC, company has over 50 years of experience supplying customers with top-quality tractors, riding mowers, and other essential gear. They also offer parts and repair services, so you can find everything you need under one roof. To learn more about their offerings, visit the website or call (704) 983-1106.