Dinosaurs, Farm Equipment, and Soil Compaction
Farm Equipment and Dinosaurs Exert a Heavy Toll On Soil Over the past century, mechanization has dramatically improved crop production and efficiency; however, the size and weight of farm equipment have also grown alongside yield and productivity. A new study found that the weight of modern farm machinery rivals that of sauropods, the largest animals ever to have ever lived on land. Farm Equipment and Dinosaur Weights The wheel loads of combine harvesters grew roughly 65% between 1989 and 2009 —and today, fully loaded combines can weigh upward of 80,000 pounds. That is as much as a small herd of elephants and approaching the weight of the heaviest animals to have ever roamed the earth, sauropods, which are believed to have tipped the scales at around 80 tons. Tractors have also been super-sized over the years; a top-of-the-line tractor today weighs nearly ten times more than it did in 1960 , stands taller than an African elephant, and outweighs some sauropods. Combines and tracto