Weight Management and Tire Inflation Study

Can managing equipment weight impact yields?

To evaluate the yield benefit of AGCO’s Fendt® Momentum™ planter, equipped with a Load Logic System. In 2020, AGCO released the all-new Fendt® Momentum™ planter equipped with key agronomic features to help alleviate pinch row compaction. One of those key features is the Load Logic system that includes hydraulic weight distribution and a tire pressure control system. Load Logic uses load cells to determine the available weight per tire, adjusting to weight distribution hydraulically across the entire planter and tractor.

In this study, we compare four different modes on the planter and tractor:

1. Automatic Weight Management + Automatic Low Tire Pressure
2. Automatic Weight Management + High Tire Pressure
3. Weight Management OFF + Automatic Low Tire Pressure
4. Weight Management OFF + High Tire Pressure

Data from 2024 and 2025 indicate that the highest yield of 267 Bu/A has been derived from the combination of using the automatic planter weight management system, in addition to the automatic low tractor tire air pressure. Using this as the best-case scenario (control), we can determine the following:

• Lowest yield of 250.7 Bu/A occurred by turning both the automatic planter weight management system in additional to using high tractor and planter tire pressure, resulting in -16.3 Bu/A yield and -$65.07/A economic losses.
• Turning the automatic planter weight management system off and utilizing only the automatic low tractor and planter tire pressures, minimized losses to only -3.3 Bu/A and -$13.58/A.
• Turning the automatic planter weight management system on and using high tractor and planter tire pressures, resulting in losses of -9.5 Bu/A and -$38.83/A.
• 2-year data might suggest that tire pressure management could offer the highest agronomic advantage in this study, which has not been a widely adopted practice. This early data stands to reason that more attention should be paid to the agronomic benefits of this technology.

Study Details 

Study data collected 2024-2025 at the PTI Farm in Pontiac, IL.