'Bigger, badder' ag machinery calls for innovative products

Manufacturers offer new tires, sizes for increased crop yield

By: Lori L. Mavrigian

In a recent test conducted at Purdue University, Michelin demonstrated to farmers how large-volume tires with low air pressure can deliver optimal fuel efficiency and traction and reduce slip and soil compaction. This tractor was equipped with Michelin Multibib radials on the front wheels and Axiobib radials on the rear.

The trend in ag machinery is “bigger and badder,” according to Michael Burroughes, director of marketing, agricultural tires for Michelin North America Inc.  At the same time the equipment is bulking up, it also is getting more efficient, thanks in part to increasingly larger tires.

“We have a strong mantra: large volume tires,” says Burroughes. “There are a number of benefits associated with them, although less soil compaction is key. By virtue of the fact that you have a larger area of contact on the ground, you’re able to transfer the power generated by the engine better into the ground and improve mobility in the field — and improve fuel mileage.

“For highway vehicles, the issue is one of rolling resistance, the amount of energy required to make the machine roll,” Burroughes says. “In the agricultural environment, the concern is a productivity issue — how efficient the tire is and how much it can reduce the time spent in the field.

And, of course, that turns into dollars for the farmer.”

In the February issue we covered new ag products. Here are more.

Farm tires with Michelin’s new Ultraflex Technology can operate at inflation pressures as much as  20% lower than standard radials, or carry up to 20% more load at the same inflation pressures as standard radials. The first tire to feature Ultraflex Technology is the Michelin Axiobib radial. Key Ultraflex design features include a flat crown profile and a special rubber compound that helps deliver long service life and soil protection; reinforced shoulders that reduce casing distortion; and a new carcass profile that increases the deflection zone and enhances the tire’s capacity to absorb deformations.

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Related Topics: Ag tires, East Bay, Farm tires, Greenball, Michelin

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