Radial implement tires are being used more because the implements and equipment they are used on have gotten heavier and are being used at faster speeds.
“Because of the heavier equipment, OEMs have moved from bias tires to radials to carry the weight at the speed run and minimize tire failures due to overloading and heat,” says Dave Paulk, manager, field technical services, BKT USA Inc.
“Whereas bias tires must be run at near max air pressure, radials can be run at lower air pressures at field speeds to minimize soil compaction. Radial tires offer better load carrying capacity, tread life, traction and less rolling resistance on the road (fuel savings).
“Radial implements can carry more weight than the bias ply counterparts and sometimes rated at higher speeds,” explains Paulk. “Radials are made in standard load indexes as well as in IF and VF versions. On planters and cultivators that fold up to move on the road, the tires on the road are required to carry a lot of weight at higher speeds. When used on sileage trailers and slurry tanks, there is a lot of weight and they can be run at higher speeds with fast tractors. Some of these tractors can run up to 43 mph. This is where the IF and VF versions in radial implements really work well.
“Another benefit is they perform better when having to run them on the road for some distances. They wear longer and have more even wear. They dissipate heat better than bias tires and run cooler. The main benefit is that lower air pressures can be used in radials in the field to minimize soil compaction. The lower air pressures equate to lower ground bearing pressure.
“As a company, we feel that radial implements are now being used at a faster pace than tractor tires,” notes Paulk. “OEMs have driven this business because they choose the tires they feel will work best with the heavy weight, the road speed and the lower air pressures in the field. There are still a lot of bias tires sold on older and lighter equipment, but it seems radials are replacing these on newer equipment. In some instances, where the bias doesn’t work very well, farmers are switching to radials. We are not sure as an industry if this is true, but it is true for our company.”
