The tractor will now be examined more closely. In a first step it is useful to break it down into its main components (figure 3). As such, the following ten component groups are chosen: engine and engine peripherals, chassis, operation, hydraulics system, lifting gear and power take-off shaft, front and rear axle and the transmission. This initial rough break down does not claim to be complete. A further and more accurate, possibly only partial break down can be undertaken at any time if necessary. However, for the purposes of this paper it is sufficient to characterise these components by their solutions. This characterisation makes evident which solutions represent the state-of-the-art, in which components new developments have been introduced recently and which components have coexistent solutions. Examples for solutions representing the state-of-the-art for the components engine, engine peripherals and chassis are turbo-charging, mechanical engine control and cabin integration. Recent new developments for the components engine and operation are constant power engines and comfortable gearboxes. Examples for co-existent solutions can mainly be found for the components chassis, hydraulics system, front axle and transmission³. These co-existences are especially interesting, as one can assume that each of the named solutions has it

The second step introduces a conception-finding process, in which each of these components is related to new solutions or new developments, which partly are direct results of the previously recognised technology trends (figure 4). Several innovation potentials are the result⁴.

In the engine area, introduction of high-pressure fuel injection is imminent, whereas lightweight engines and turbines will presumably only find application in special areas. In the long term, we can expect combustion engines to be substituted by fuel cell technology.

In the engine peripherals area electronic solid state control will be introduced shortly. In the medium-term, the introduction of integrated starter-alternator damping systems (ISAD) seems possible, which again will lead to electrically-driven controlled cooling pumps.

Regarding chassis and operation, the general introduction of cabin damping and bus systems will take place shortly. In the same way, tractor-sided preparations for precision farming and the possibilities of free programming of work processes will soon be standard. In the long term, remote-controlled field operations for certain applications seem a possibility.

In the hydraulics area, proportional technology will be applied in the near future. On the one hand, with the increase in top speeds there is a need for speed-dependant controlled oil supply, whilst on the other hand the application of electronic transmission controls makes combined lifting and transmission controls a possibility. In the long term a (partial) substitution of the hydraulic auxiliary drives by electrical auxiliary drives as well as an electromechanical lifting gear drive seem feasible. In the same way, the transition to a electromechanically driven power take-off shaft or the (partial) substitution of the mechanical power take-off through electrical take-off points are possible, especially in connection with the already mentioned application of fuel cells.

With regard to the axles, one should check whether the advantages of central drives without cardan joints and linear compensation, tire-pressure controlling units and hydro-pneumatic suspension systems can be achieved simultaneously using multi-functional individual wheel air suspension systems. In order to achieve this, the increasingly voluminous and softer-flanked tires would be used as air dampers and would have to be developed accordingly (e.g. into multiple-chamber or multiple-substance dampers); undamped masses would become completely unnecessary. Regarding the steering a medium-term substitution of the hydraulic actuators by electromechanical components is possible.