Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has released a tire using VF technology (very high flexion) for tanks, trailers, special equipment and other machinery in the agriculture segment that is consistently used in fields and travels to and from fields.
Alliance says its new 380 VF tire is the world’s first VF flotation tire for equipment beyond the tractor fitment. The tire can carry up to 40% more load at the same level of inflation as its conventional radial counterparts, or carry the same load with 30% less pressure.
At the lower inflation pressure, the footprint of the 380 VF is 25% larger than its counterparts, says Trent Wallin, agriculture product manager for Alliance Tire Americas. Lowered inflation pressure and larger footprint are both key factors in reducing soil compaction, a growing concern to farmers globally as equipment manufacturers develop larger, heavier machines.
The company says soil compaction has been identified by scientists as “a global threat to sustainable land use.” According to studies, compacted soil can limit crop yields by as much as 70%, reduce a field’s capacity to store valuable moisture, cause greater soil erosion and lower the fuel efficiency of fieldwork.
“Alliance was one of the first manufacturers to produce flotation tires, and the first to introduce an all-steel radial flotation option,” says Wallin.
“We were also the first to make flotation tires capable of highway speeds. At Alliance, our goal is to develop high-tech tires that solve real problems in the field, and do it at a price that’s within our customers’ reach. The Alliance 380 VF is a great example of how we’re doing this.”
IF (increased flexion) and VF tires require sophisticated design, material and manufacturing improvements to create sidewalls that are flexible enough to operate at lower inflation pressures without overheating. Extra-strong bead packages and other modifications also make IF and VF tires the domain of only the most sophisticated manufacturers, Wallin says.
Bruce Besancon, vice president of marketing for Alliance Tire Americas, says IF/VF tires are known for the tractor-type fitments, including combines, which tend to use tractor tires in different dimensions. “But not every manufacturer develops or markets tires that are aimed at the machines and equipment that go into other avenues of agriculture.”
Alliance has developed some specific VF tires for equipment that is beyond the tractor fitment, says Besancon. “We have to remember that if a tractor has a great set of IF or VF tires, it would not do the farmer well if he were pulling a manure tanker or trailer that had standard bias ply tires – they would compact his field even though the tractor did not.”
The new Alliance 380 VF Flotation Radial has been released in the popular 650/55R26.5 and 560/55R22.5 sizes.
For more information on Alliance tires, visit www.atgtire.com, call toll free (800) 343-3276 or (781) 321-3910.
Alliance is also offering a free white paper on soil compaction and farm tires. Visit the company’s website to download a copy.
