Mitas brings new products, expert advice to Cereals
Mitas Tyres Limited claims to offer the UK’s largest range of high-spec row-crop tyres, and the company showed the latest products from its range at Cereals 2012 together with Case IH. The company also provided visitors with advice on correct row-crop tyre selection.
Featuring 17 row-crop tyres from 270/80R32 (AC90) up to the latest 320/90/R54 (AC85), the Mitas row-crop tyre range includes the high load capacity 320/85R32 (142A8) AC85, which the company developed specifically for use on self-propelled sprayers. At Cereals 2012 the 320/90R32 and 340/85R48 AC85 row-crop tyres were demonstrated on a Case IH Puma 160CVX as the row-crop substitute for the standard 540/65R28 front and 600/65R38 rear tyres.
Speaking at Cereals 2012, Ron Wood, automotive engineering manager for Mitas Tyres Limited stated: “The increasing size, weight and speed of tractors, self-propelled equipment and trailed machinery, makes it critical for farmers to select the correct row-crop tyres. The extensive Mitas range enables them to do so.”
Fitting incorrect row crop front/rear combinations could, Wood pointed out, have severe consequences, both in terms of equipment failure and in breach of legal obligations. Thus he stressed it is vital to obtain good advice from the tyre manufacturer or specialist tyre and wheel supplier. Mitas opines that row-crops should not be used for haulage work, as they are not designed for that, but if this cannot be avoided then farmers should choose a combination of the widest-possible tyre and strongest wheel.
Ron Wood’s advice to farmers who are switching to row-crops is:
• Ensure that front and rear tyre rolling circumferences are compatible with the tractor’s inter-axle ratio. This prevents transmission damage caused by ‘wind-up’. Always check with a dealer to ensure the ratios are correct before specifying the same tyre combinations on similar tractors, as it can vary.
• Establish a suitable tyre combination then weigh the tractor, taking measurements of the overall weight of the combination and individual axle loads.
• Get the pressure right. Identify the tractor’s maximum speed, then cross-reference this with the maximum load that each wheel and tyre will have to support. A row-crop tyre can carry the same weight as a conventional one, but is notably narrower, so a significantly higher inflation pressure is required.
• Buy from a reputable manufacturer with a wide range of tyres that includes exactly the right one for your intended application.
• Use cheaper, more durable fixed-centre rims rather than adjustable ones, unless it is necessary to adjust track width.
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