Agricultural
We first saw the Ceat Torquemax tractor tyre at Agritechnica 2019, and Ceat Specialty has now expanded the range to include very high flexion tyres. The Torquemax VF, aimed at “farmers investing in tyres that offer greater operational efficiencies” for their high-horsepower tractors, is available in sizes VF 520/85R38 170 D TL and VF 710/70R42 185 D TL.
During the summer Alliance Tire Group began showing off its Alliance Agri Star II and 372 Agriflex+ VF lines. The first of these debuted at the LAMMA show in January, but both tyres came to market during the first corona lockdown. Tyrepress.com saw these products in action on a farm in Germany a couple of months back, but the UK’s second lockdown put paid to plans for a real-world 372 VF launch over here. So instead of togging up in extra-thick jackets and pulling on our wellies, on 1 December we headed over to the virtual farm and caught up with ATG and Kirkby Tyres, who exclusively distributes the Alliance brand in the UK and Ireland.
Goodyear Farm Tires’ European growth has continued in the first full year of trading since the brand’s return to Europe. Manufactured by Titan International, which purchased the European licence for the brand in Europe in 2015, the agricultural tyre supplier has outlined plans to continue its European expansion next year. Agricultural tyres have remained more resilient than almost any other tyre segment despite the pandemic. The Goodyear Farm Tires portfolio was boosted by eight additional tread patterns and 65 new tyre sizes, helping to support its volume growth, and Titan will add a new versatile tyre described as an agriculture, turf and industrial hybrid in 2021.
With the inauguration of a new plant dedicated to the production of agricultural tracks, Michelin aims to solidify its Camso subsidiary’s leadership within the North American agricultural market. The 13,000 square metre (140,000 square foot) plant in Junction City, Kansas is Camso’s seventh manufacturing facility in the region.
GRI is supplying tyres to Joskin, the agricultural Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) based in Belgium. Announcing the news at the end of October, Joskin said it has been in operation since 1968 and is one of the world’s leading producers of agricultural trailers, tankers, and related equipment to meet the changing needs of global farmers.
An arable farm in Ireland is reporting “significant improvements” to its soil health since moving its tractor fleet onto Michelin Ultraflex technology tyres. Coolcroo Farm, in Tipperary, used to run a mix of competitor brands but switched to Michelin following technical advice from local account manager Christopher Eakin.
Following consultations with workers and unions, Bridgestone South Africa (BSAF) has finalised the process to close down its tyre manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. The plant’s last day of operation will be 15 November. Bridgestone announced its intention to close the facility in August.
Goodyear Farm Tires is extending its warranty for product workmanship and material from eight to 10 years on its entire radial range. The extended warranty will apply across the UK and Europe. Lindsay Hart, European tyre sales director for Goodyear Farm Tires, said: “We are committed to providing the best possible product and service to our customers and this is the next phase of that.
26 journalists with expertise in agricultural mechanisation are currently judging contenders for the European Tractor of the Year (TotY) award. Sponsor of the award, off-highway and agricultural tyre specialist BKT, says the details on innovations presented by entrants forms “the identikit of the perfect tractor.” The futuristic developments now available from many equipment manufacturers represent in their totality a vision for what will be possible in a single machine, BKT says. These innovations include data connectivity and digitalisation, high-tech safety features, increased sustainability, and autonomous driving, as well as tyres that assist in delivering such improvements in the field. The TotY sponsor calls its role “certainly the richest experience of 2020.”
Today Yokohama announced that it is consolidating its OTR tyre businesses into Yokohama Off-Highway Tires, which could be read as a prelude to the announcement Yokohama’s bid for the Prometeon tyre business. Roughly a year after the story broke, Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon isn’t the best kept secret in the tyre industry. Tyres & Accessories first heard talk of Yokohama’s bid for the ex-Pirelli industrial and commercial vehicle tyre business back in July 2019. The news was reported world-wide after we broke the story in September 2019, followed days later by third-party confirmation from the Chinese side of the deal. At that time, the deal was set to go public by the end of 2019. A few months later at the start of 2020, the timeframe switched to an end-of-first-quarter 2020 deadline. Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. And in the months that have followed things have gone quiet. So, where is Yokohama’s bid for Prometeon up to? The latest news is that deal is still on-track, but that there have been a few changes along the way. Here, Tyres & Accessories brings an update on the status of the acquisition and offers a different view on the deal by looking at it from a South American perspective.
Global Rubber Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. (GRI) has spent the last 18 years since its foundation cultivating its niche in the industrial, agricultural and construction tyre sectors. With ambitious capacity and expansion plans underway, Tyres & Accessories interviewed managing director Prabhash Subasinghe and learnt more about the company’s plans to build on its growth foundations.
This interview appears in full in the November edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine. Not yet a subscriber? You can change that here.
A new tyre from BKT offers a solution to anyone needing to minimise soil compaction in confined areas. The BKT Agrimax Turf RT 333 is suitable for fitment on small tractors such as those used in gardening applications as well as in orchards and vineyards. The first available sizes in the range are the 280/70 R 16 and 280/70 R 18 front axle dimensions.
Vredestein has expanded its Traxion 65 tractor tyre series. First introduced at Agritechnica 2019, Vredestein has added 15 sizes, covering a complete range from 16 to 42 inches. All 19 tyres are available for the aftermarket and various tractor brands are offering them factory fitted. The Traxion 65 series is Vredestein’s follow-up to the popular Traxion+. It was redesigned to incorporate the latest technologies developed for the Vredestein Traxion Optimall VF. Proven features, including the curved lugs and the large contact area in the middle of the tread, have been retained, with comfort and traction characteristics improved.
Specialty tyre manufacturer GRI is adding a new mixing facility in the Mirigama Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) in Sri Lanka. The new mixing facility will have capacity to produce 200 tonnes day, up from the current capacity of 50 – 60 metric tonnes a day, and is being interpreted as a pre-cursor to increased tyre output.
A virtual ploughing event designed to fill the void of this year’s cancelled matches – and raise vital money for charity – has received the backing of a leading agricultural supplier. Goodyear Farm Tires has become a major sponsor of VPlough ‘20, believed to be the UK’s first virtual ploughing match, machinery show and steam rally. All entry fees and proceeds from the events will be donated to the UK & Irish Air Ambulance Trusts.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
Titan International
Michelin North America
GRI
Coolcroo Farm; Michelin
Goodyear Farm Tires
GRI
Apollo Vredestein
Goodyear Farm Tires