Agricultural
On 4 August 2022, Aeolus announced it was ready to sign a supplementary agreement with China National Tyre & Rubber Co., Ltd (CNRC). Through that agreement, CNRC has entrusted Aeolus with a 38 per cent stake in Prometeon Tyre Group S.r.l. (PTG).
They are a stoic bunch and nobody has come forward to seek professional help so far, but participants in the Tour de France 2022 may be forgiven for wondering if they’d experienced a collective hallucination during the gruelling 2,081-mile race. For at a strategic location along the 21-stage route between Copenhagen and Paris, cyclists were confronted by the looming presence of an oversized agricultural tyre.
The York-based crop farming operation Wharram and Kay is getting ‘fantastic results’ from its new Bateman RB35 self-propelled crop sprayer having fitted the vehicle with Michelin AxioBib 2 tyres. The company days it has seen vastly improved stability and can run the sprayer on very wet ground thanks to the superb soil protection qualities of the VF 650/60 R38 fitments.
Phase 2 of a US$100 million production capacity upgrade at the GRI specialty tyre factory in Sri Lanka is now complete, and GRI reports being in a position to increase capacity by almost 100 per cent from the present level, up to a daily output of 60 tonnes. This elevated capacity will satisfy the increased demand for farm tyres that GRI has enjoyed since launching agricultural ranges across key markets such as Europe, the USA and Australia in 2018.
Mitas has been named the official sponsor of Mitas Eurocup Series 2022, the agri-flavoured competition organised by the European Tractor Pulling Committee (ETPC). This season, competitors are battling it out at nine outdoor events, with the European Championship taking place in Great Eccleston at the end of August.
Midlands-based wholesaler GB Tyres has grown rapidly despite the challenges of lockdown and logistics during the last couple of years. Indeed, GB Tyre’s annual turnover has skyrocketed from £3 million in 2016 to full-year 2022 predictions of £50 million. Considering the company was only established in 2013, it is fair to say the business has grown to become one of the fastest growing importers and exporters of commercial vehicle tyres in Europe. Tyres & Accessories met up with commercial director Graham Hutchinson to find out more.
Key wear resistance qualities previously found on the Vredestein Traxion+ now feature in the Traxion 70 thanks to a complete renewal of the brand’s 70-series line-up. Apollo Tyres released the first dimensions in the new 15 size, 25 SKU range this month; all are available in the aftermarket, and a number of tractor manufacturers will also fit Traxion 70 as original equipment.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the name Kabat Tyre, chances are that you’ve owned or used products that have a Kabat connection. This is because the Polish company isn’t just the largest manufacturer of inner tubes in Europe and a manufacturer of tyres for the off-highway segment – it also supplies rubber compound to big-name tyre makers.
Trailers play an essential role in agricultural and industrial applications and are tasked with the difficult remit of carrying increasingly heavy loads on a range of surfaces, both on and off the road. Tyre choice strongly influences performance, and BKT has thus introduced a new product for “trailers employed in the toughest transport applications” – the FL 695.
Farmers and agricultural contractors in South Africa are now able to fit their equipment with the Bridgestone tyre range that’s available to their counterparts in the UK and Europe. Bridgestone’s launch offering in South Africa comprises of the VT-combine, VT-Tractor and VX-Tractor.
Taking stock of recent business at Titan International, Inc. (Titan or TWI), chairman of the board Morry Taylor opined that the company’s future is “the best it’s ever been.” He credits this happy situation to a number of global trends.
Kirkby Tyres’ stand in Lamma 2022’s Hall 9 focused on the comprehensive technical tyre support the large tyre specialist can offer to farmers and the Alliance Agri Star II. Kirkby Tyres is the exclusive partner of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires’ (YOHT) Alliance brand in the UK and Ireland, and it describes the tractor tyre as a great success. The company also displayed new sizes of the versatile Alliance 590 tyre for a broad range of transport applications, and the Alliance 372 VF and Alliance 389 VF tractor trailer tyres. On the latter tyres, Kirkby showed evidence presented by Danish SEGES Innovation which evidences the effective soil protection, and therefore yield increases, the tyre combination can achieve during the application of liquid manure.
Agricultural tyre brand Ascenso has appointed Gregg Foster, of Abbey Tyre Co and BA Bush, as the new Ascenso field and sales manager in the UK following a lengthy interview process. BAB Distribution, BA Bush’s wholesale arm which is the official distribution partner of the brand in the UK, and Ascenso jointly state that Foster performed excellently in the interview stage and his passion for the brand is what ultimately led to his appointment.
Lincolnshire-based Tathwell Farms has taken delivery of a New Holland T7.270 tractor and a Horsch Avatar 6.16 drill, both fitted with Michelin’s latest generation agricultural tyres, as part of an ongoing strategy to protect its soil and boost the sustainability of its operation. Supplied by local dealer Lincolnshire Motors, the T7.270 will be the farm’s new frontline tractor and has been specified with Michelin AxioBib 2 VF 600/60 R30 & VF 710/60 R42 tyres. The Horsch drill has been converted onto Michelin TrailXBib VF 710/50 R26.5 fitments, following a recommendation from Michelin agricultural account manager, Ian Whitwell.
The Maxam Agrixtra range of agricultural tyres has been approved for original fitment on select New Holland T5, T6, and T7 SWB and LWB tractors around the world. “The homologation, approval, and commercialisation of our radial agricultural tyres is a significant step in the evolution of the Maxam brand as a long-term supplier to CNH Industrial and New Holland Agriculture,” says Kevin Buckley Maxam OE sales director Europe. The Sailun Group brand added that the approval represents a “major milestone” for the brand and its agricultural tyre series, which was introduced in 2014.
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Source: T&A research
Michelin
Kirkby Tyres
Maxam Tire