First replacement brand – Maxam Tire as a premium alternative

Anyone who struggles to remember names won’t only dread pre-dinner drinks and small talk, they’ll also have a tough time keeping abreast with the agricultural tyre market. Recent years have seen brands appear and reappear in all segments, presenting no small challenge to anyone struggling to keep tabs on who is doing what. But a name worth committing to memory is Maxam. We caught up with the latest from the Maxam Tire team at Agritechnica this week.

Highlights on Maxam’s 140 square metre stand during the agricultural fair included the latest AgriXtra, AgilXtra, FlotXtra and MS ranges. Arguably the highlight of these highlights was the AgriXtra XL, a new VF product that Maxam Tire displayed in size 710/70R42. More about these tyres later on.

Better cost per hour

But first – why is Maxam Tire a name to remember amongst the many jostling for a slice of the agricultural tyre pie? Because Maxam is the off-highway brand of Sailun Group, a firm that tyrepress.com ranks as the world’s 12th largest tyre maker. The brand first made a name for itself in the OTR radial sector and is well positioned for growth there thanks to original equipment partnerships with the likes of Caterpillar.

Filipe Brito, product and pricing manager at Sailun Europe, tells us the company is now looking to grow Maxam’s agricultural tyre business by following a similar strategy. It already supplies Case IH and New Holland factories in Europe, and during Agritechnica 2023 spoke with other manufacturers regarding original equipment supply from next year.

“We started with the basic agricultural range of 85, 70 and 65 series, and instead of focusing on smaller, cheaper tyres we then progressed to developing tyres that can be fitted to 200hp+ tractors,” says Brito. He emphasises that Maxam wants to become the ”first replacement brand” for end users. “Whenever farmers don’t want to spend premium tyre money, they can buy a Maxam tyre and still be confident they’ve made a very good purchase.” According to figures that Filipe Brito shares, Maxam agricultural tyres deliver performance that’s ten or, at worst, perhaps 20 per cent lower than their premium rivals, but they only cost 50 to 60 per cent as much. “Performance is very close and provides the end user with a much better cost per hour.”

With tyres such as the AgilXtra, Maxam has its eyes firmly on farmers seeking an alternative to premium brands (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)

A big chunk of the specialty segment

Maxam Tire’s strategy of being a high-quality manufacturer with a low-cost price isn’t a recipe for speedy growth. Brito concedes that this means growing more slowly in the specialty market than some other up-and-coming rivals. “But it is sustainable growth as the people who buy our tyres usually buy them again.”

Kirkby Tyres is the Maxam range’s exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland. Brito comments that “distributors are happy to be with us as their clients only call them back to buy again, because they don’t have claims and are very happy with the quality. We are known in the market as the future brand for taking over a big chunk of the specialty segment.”

EcoPoint 3 awaits

Sailun Group is proud of its EcoPoint 3 technology and extended this to the Maxam brand last year when introducing the MS600 press-on solid tyre. At present, Maxam only employs EcoPoint 3 in selected material handling and forklift tyres, but the intention is to extend its application into other product lines, probably starting with OTR before continuing to the agricultural tyre range. “We cannot discuss much for now but have surpassed the premium brands in some tests. The results are above expectations.” Brito adds that Sailun will evolve its ranges with EcoPoint 3 once certain it can do so without increasing costs for the customer.

The Maxam VF agricultural tyre range boast local engineering (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)

New additions to the Maxam range

• Maxam AgriXtra: The AgriXtra XL high-volume R1W tyre is intended for high-performance tractor applications. Maxam says the 45° lug pattern provides excellent traction and minimises vibration while driving. The low pressure and wide footprint reduce soil compaction. The same applies to the AgriXtra H, a R1W tyre that Maxam designed specifically for harvesters and the narrow AgriXtra N tyre for tractors and sprayers.
• Maxam FlotXtra: An all-steel radial flotation implement tyre for agricultural tanker and trailer applications. A belt-stabilised tread provides long tread wear, high stability and resistance to punctures and field hazards. Maxam says the optimised non-directional block tread pattern provides excellent traction in the field while minimising vibration at travel speeds.
• Maxam AgilXtra: A radial flotation tyre for agricultural tankers and trailers that Maxam considers ideal for mixed applications. It too features a belt-stabilised tread that provides long tread wear, high stability and resistance to punctures and field hazards, as well as an optimised tread design for excellent traction in the field and minimal vibration at all speeds. Steel belt construction provides high puncture resistance and a self-cleaning tread pattern improves traction.
• Maxam MS: Maxam says the MS910R delivers excellent road suitability, with all-steel radial construction providing maximum durability, stability, traction and comfort. It features a self-cleaning design with bumped mudguard. The MS930 and MS 931 are intended for use on demanding forestry machines and feature a solid, belt-stabilised design that provides excellent traction and flotation for heavy logging operations. A heavy-duty shoulder and sidewall provide maximum protection from cuts, bumps and punctures. Extra wide footprints provide flotation in muddy, wet ground conditions. For graders and telehandlers that require high traction, there’s the MS905. An optimised R4 tread design with self-cleaning mud breakers and centre tie rod reduces vibration during overtaking manoeuvres and the tyre’s deep lower tread improves puncture resistance. Then there’s the MS709, a solid rubber tyre for telehandlers that offers maintenance-free performance and a very long service life. Maxam says the tyre’s extra deep, non-directional tread pattern impresses with excellent traction and its reinforced centreline prevents tread breakage and tearing. MS709 is available as a tyre only or as an assembled assembly for most telehandlers.