Agricultural
Steve Hewitt, who boasts 25 years’ experience in the industry at brands including CNH Global and JCB, has joined Bridgestone’s agricultural tyre team at the same time the firm is launching its VT Tractor tyre to dealers. According to the company, the 43 year-old said that the opportunity to work with a blue chip company like Bridgestone – at a time when an innovative new product was being introduced to the market – was extremely compelling:
The latest additions to the Mitas Very High Flexion (VF) agricultural tyre range are set to debut at the SIMA trade fair in Paris later this month. The tyre maker will present two new sizes in its HC 2000 line for high horsepower tractors, namely VF 600/70R30 and VF 710/70R42 fitments. A further introduction in March – size VF 380/105R54 – will add a fifth member to the HC 2000 family.
Michelin’s innovative Ultraflex Technology tyres can save farmers hundreds of pounds in fuel every time they drill a field, a new trial has demonstrated.
Trelleborg’s ProgressiveTraction concept has been a consistent technological eye-opener since its introduction, with European organisations queuing up to bestow awards on the innovation. Now with its arrival as a feature of Trelleborg’s new 70 series radial tyre following stringent testing, the time for the technology to peacock is over, as its application in the field begins. Trelleborg says the TM700 ProgressiveTraction is designed to meet the renewed focus of tractor manufacturers on the performance of middle range tractors and lower overall farming costs.
Now would be a good time to bin any romantic stereotypes of bucolic rural idyll. Agriculture has always been a serious business for those engaged in the sector, and the deployment of technology and new practices to maximise land productivity is nothing new. And while British farmers haven’t more recently experienced the pressure to ‘get big or get out’ as much as their peers in some markets, the drive for greater efficiency has however meant a trend towards larger-sized agricultural equipment. But larger also means heavier, and the extent to which yield is affected by vehicles traversing fields has thus gained a new significance. And this is where our protagonist enters the story.
Mitas has been awarded the overall prize at the Claas Supplier of the Year Awards 2014. The farm equipment manufacturer rewarded Mitas for its development partnership, a cooperation including active participation in logistics and lesser development projects. The gala event took place in January in Harsewinkel, Germany. Mitas won the award from among 900 serial part suppliers.
We’ve mentioned in the past that while most farmers and agricultural machinery operators know the tyres Mitas produces, the Mitas name itself often flies under the radar. But the Czech Republic-based tyre maker is doing everything in its power to change this, and as a result the industry has heard the Mitas name a lot of late. Not only has the company released details of its PneuTrac technology (see the May 2014 issue of Tyres & Accessories for more on this) and trials using alternative sources of rubber, it has launched a programme to ensure the agricultural segment realises that the Continental agricultural tyres manufactured and sold over the last decade are in fact Mitas products, and in future will be known as such.
Dorset-based agricultural contractor, Bernard Cox Ltd is replacing one Michelin CargoXBib for another after the tyre registered five years’ service. The contractor, which works mainly on arable and grassland contracts in the Dorchester area, specified the CargoXBib 560/60 R 22.5s as original equipment on a fleet of new trailers. The tyres are now being replaced as the tread has worn sufficiently due to the intensive work they have undertaken.
Having launched to acclaim in 2014, Trelleborg’s ProgressiveTraction technology has continued to impress award judges. The latest addition to the manufacturer’s trophy cabinet is the LAMMA 2015 ‘Best New Product or Innovation (Environmental)’ gong. Sponsored by IAgrE (the Institute of Agricultural Engineers) the award recognises outstanding contributions to agricultural engineering and the associated industries.
Trelleborg’s ProgressiveTraction agricultural tyre technology will be honoured with a FinOvation Award during the US Farm Machinery show. The striking “stepped” double lug was introduced to European acclaim in 2013. It is designed to homogenise the transmission of force, leading to improved traction and longevity in the field. Farm Machinery will take place from 11 to 14 February in Louisville, Kentucky.
At its press conference at the SIMA agricultural show in Paris on Friday, ATG (Alliance Tire Group) will present, amongst other new additions for 2015, its new 380 VF very high flexion radial tyre. ATG says it decided to introduce VF technology into its 380 pattern as logistics are becoming ever more important in modern agriculture, and agricultural sector operators seek tyres suited to low soil compaction field work and on-road use.
At next month’s SIMA agricultural fair in Paris, BKT will present its new Agrimax Sirio tyre range. The Agrimax Sirio will be shown in two sizes, 710/70 R 38 and 540/65 R 38.
Following its announcement in November that it would soon begin substituting the Continental brand name for Mitas Premium on its European market original equipment agricultural tyres, Mitas shares that the process began in January. Agricultural tyres included in the Mitas Premium product line are those designed for high-horsepower machines, including Very High Flexion (VF) and Super Flexion Tyres (SFT).
As reported last month, Michelin is gearing up to make some changes to its Exelagri dealer network in Europe. In a UK-market press release, the tyre maker describes these changes to its agricultural tyre dealer programme as “ambitious growth plans” and says its enlarged, 1,000 outlet network aims to gain a 50 per cent share of the agricultural tyre market by 2024. While the release does not specify where this growth will take place, Tyres & Accessories understands that Exelagri growth efforts will focus on Eastern Europe.
Olaf Sandeck has joined Mitas’ German subsidiary and will soon take over as manager of the national sales and marketing operation. He began his tenure with the tyre maker in December 2014 and, as of March 2015, will succeed Gerhard Schulterobben, who currently leads Mitas’ German sales unit. Schulterobben will retire after 11 years with the company.
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