ISO 6720:1989

Overview

ISO 6720:1989 is an internationally recognized standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that specifies recommended working widths for agricultural machinery. This standard applies to equipment used in key field operations including sowing, planting, distributing fertilizers, and spraying. The second edition, published in 1989, replaces the original 1981 edition and provides updated guidelines aligned with tractor track widths defined in ISO 4004. By standardizing working widths, ISO 6720 helps manufacturers and users select compatible machinery for efficient agricultural workflows.

Key Topics

• Scope: This standard covers equipment for primary field operations like sowing and planting as well as subsequent fertilizer distribution and spraying, focusing on defining optimum working widths.
• Working Width Categories: Equipment is grouped based on tractor wheel track widths into three categories:
  • Group 1: Compatible with a 1.5 m track width
  • Group 2: Compatible with a 1.8 m track width
  • Group 3: Compatible with a 2.0 m track width
• Complementarity: Encourages compatibility between machines used in first operations (e.g., sowing) and those used in later operations (e.g., fertilizing), ensuring smooth progression and efficiency.
• Tabulated Widths: The standard includes a detailed table listing recommended working widths in meters for different groups, enabling manufacturers to design equipment with consistent dimensions.
• Flexibility: Working widths for first-operation equipment may be larger than the tabulated values if they match subsequent operation equipment widths as multiples of the tractor track width.
• Power Considerations: Some widths can be adjusted downwards for implements with high power consumption.

Applications

• Manufacturing: Manufacturers of agricultural machinery can use ISO 6720 to design sowing, planting, fertilizer distribution, and spraying equipment with standard working widths that ensure compatibility with standard tractor track dimensions.
• Machine Selection: Agricultural equipment users and farm managers can refer to this standard for selecting appropriately sized machinery compatible with their tractors to optimize field efficiency and minimize overlap or gaps during operations.
• Operational Planning: Farming operations benefit from the standard’s guidelines by aligning machinery widths to improve workflow continuity between planting and subsequent fertilizer or pesticide application.
• Equipment Compatibility: Ensures machinery from different manufacturers can work compatibly in tandem or sequentially in the same fields, reducing downtime and improving field coverage.

Related Standards

• ISO 4004:1983 – Agricultural tractors and machinery - Track widths: This standard defines the tractor wheel track widths that ISO 6720 references for grouping machinery working widths.
• Other ISO technical standards under ISO/TC 23 (Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry) cover various agricultural machinery specifications and safety requirements.

Keywords: ISO 6720, agricultural machinery, sowing equipment, planting machines, fertilizer distributors, agricultural sprayers, recommended working widths, tractor track width compatibility, agricultural standards, ISO 4004, machinery compatibility, farm machinery dimensions.