## 1 Introduction  
The consistent use of heavy machinery in agricultural fields in past decades caused an increased risk of soil compaction [1; 2; 3; 4]. According to various authors, this phenomenon is accentuated by the intensity of transits [5; 6; 7], the increase in the axle load of agricultural machinery [8; 9], and the rise in power and traction capacity of tractors [10; 11; 12; 13]. The row crop systems, in which agricultural machinery frequently transits between rows during the entire growth cycle, also lead to a high risk of soil compaction [14; 15; 16]. Soil compaction results in several and variously interconnected detrimental outcomes, such as air reduction, increased water reserve and nutrient absorption by plant lowering, and crop yield diminution [17; 18; 19; 20]. In this context, controlled traffic farming (CTF) systems represent an excellent solution to this phenomenon, whereby traffic-induced soil compaction is minor, as the cultivation area is separated from the permanent traffic lanes (PTL) [21; 22; 23]. The crop area is thus not touched by the machinery wheels, which instead run only on the PTL [24; 25]. In this way, it is possible to optimize the performance of both the cultivation zone and PTL [26]. The effectiveness of controlled traffic farming (CTF) in agricultural production has long been proven and its basic requirements have been formulated [27; 28; 29; 30]. One of the requirements is the precise motion of all equipment on permanent traffic lanes (PTL). For this purpose, it is recommended to equip the technical means with a rather expensive GNSS (global navigation satellite) RTK (real-time kinematic) system [31; 32]. Moreover, the accuracy and reliability of the GNSS-RTK system depend on weather conditions and the terrain [33]. In this regard, the scheme of the machine-tractor unit has a certain influence on the efficiency of the GNSS-RTK system [34]. However, the CTF method is still implemented without using satellite navigation systems in many countries, including Ukraine [35; 36]. In these contexts, the PTL tracks are arranged earlier so that they will be detectable during the full crop growing cycle and then be used by the wheels or tracks of all implements and tractors for cultivation works. Furthermore, existing CTF systems are mainly used in a single field [37]. At the same time, the long-term use of the same PTL in the appropriate crop rotation is of interest. In Ukraine, the following variant is very promising: <<sunflower>> <<black fallow>> --owner wheat>>. To implement CTF in such a crop rotation, it is desirable that the PTL are highly visible and deep enough. Otherwise, they may become almost undetectable after the first year of use. This problem has been solved by using a special machine-tractor unit, which the authors have developed [38]. This machine used a special front device, equipped with two plow bodies spaced as wide as the tractor gauge, to plow the PTL at a given depth. However, the question arises: \"Is it possible to form PTL tracks of a given depth without using a special machine, but with solely a wheeled tractor?\"  
PTL depth (\(h\)) depends on some tractor and soil parameters, and it is obvious that the greater the value of the parameter \(h\), the greater the soil compaction. The influence of many of the tractor's design parameters on soil compaction has been studied in some detail. For example, soil compaction has been estimated as a function of the inflation pressure of the tire and the vertical load on it [39]. Furthermore, in studying this problem, the bearing capacity of the soil has been proposed to be evaluated by a special index, the field compaction capacity (FCC) [40]. The sealing effect of the tractor undercarriage system type has also been examined [41]. In addition, the effectiveness of changing the inflation pressure in twin traction vehicle tires has been analyzed [42].