Custom Trailer Uses Michelin X One MaxiTrailer Tyre for 370,000km

A custom-made trailer fitted with Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyres has clocked up an impressive 270,000km with an average of 7 mm tread remaining. In the hands of Devon-based M. R. Horn Transport, the manufacturer estimates that the tyres have another 100,000km of life remaining before they will need to be regrooved. One of a fleet of seven, the trailer is used to carry loads of hay and straw, as well as heavy machinery.

Owner and managing director Martyn Horn, who designed the trailer himself, says: “We drive on a lot of back roads and farm tracks, yet we’ve managed to clock up this impressive mileage without any punctures, and with plenty of tread still remaining.” The 455/45R22.5 tyres were specified for the trailer because of the increased stability and load volume they offer due to their low profile, which in turn affords a low centre of gravity.

“All our trailers are fitted with Michelin tyres,” says Horn, “but when my axle supplier suggested the X One MaxiTrailer tyres to me, I made the decision to design a trailer which would make full use of the additional benefits they offer. Their unique size is ideal considering the height of our loads – and obviously that calls for maximum stability.”

The tri-axle drawbar trailer, built by Turner Commercial Vehicles, is fitted with two slide-out ramps for machinery. Front and rear extensions increase floor length from 23 to 28ft. The trailers are built to carry machinery weighing up to 18 tonnes, or full loads of hay and straw, which reach about 4.9 metres in height. Each vehicle in M. R. Horn’s fleet covers approximately 125,000km a year, operating mainly in the UK, and sometimes Europe.

X One MaxiTrailer s have Michelin’s “Infinicoil architecture”, consisting of up to a 400m steel cord wrapped continuously around the crown to deliver unrivalled robustness, greater longevity and even wear.  

The French giant says the tyre can increase mileage potential by up to 50 per cent in comparison with its own 385/65R22.5 XTE2 tyres. The new tyres also offer reduced vehicle downtime due to longer tyre life. The robust shoulder design protects against lateral scrubbing and the extra cushioning reduces the time required for trailer maintenance by as much as 30 per cent due to the reduction in shocks transmitted to the trailer.

The Michelin X One MaxiTrailer tyre was voted winner of the prestigious Motor Transport Innovation Award 2009.