Agricultural
Trelleborg Wheel Systems has announced plans to increase prices by an average of 5 per cent in Europe and North America. The price hike – the firm’s second in the agricultural and forestry segments this year – is said to be the result of rising raw material costs. The latest round of prices increased will take affect on 1 Septemeber 2010, according to a company statement detailing the matter.
CGS Tyres, which produces Mitas, Cultor and Continental branded OTR and agricultural tyres at factories in the Czech Republic and Serbia, used this year's Bauma trade fair to launch a new specialist crane tyre and promote is relatively new handful OTR line.
At the centre of the company’s efforts was the launch of new Mitas branded CR-01 tyre for mobile cranes. This non-directional tread pattern comes in 445/95 R25 and is designed to reduce tyre noise when used on the road. The CR-01 is homologated according to ECE R54. According to the company, the tyre ensures reduction of fuel consumption (thanks to lower rolling resistance characteristics) and has “higher benefits than most of the tyre competitors in this segment.”
As of August 1, Michelin North America will increase prices on a number of tyre ranges, a measure it says is being implemented as a result of rising raw material prices. Michelin brand replacement market agricultural tyres will on average coast 3.5 per cent more in the US and Canada, while prices for Michelin brand replacement market earthmover tyres sold in the US and Mexico will increase by three per cent.
Goodyear has been publicising its OTR successes, including an excellent performance in the World Ploughing Championship, the growth of its AGRI Club and the introduction of a new crane tyre. Andrew Mitchell Jnr, hailing from Forfar, Scotland, came second in the World Ploughing Championships in New Zealand earlier in the year, using Goodyear Optitrac DT806 tyres on his machine. Mitchell declared himself thrilled to have come in second and Goodyear says it was proud to have assisted this with their DT806 tyres fitted to his Ford tractor. Overall, there were ploughmen and women from over 30 countries competing at the 57th world championships.
Kleber has launched the new 65-series Gripker tyre for 80 to 180 hp tractors. The new tyre is the latest addition to Kleber’s range of tractor tyres and the Gripker name was selected after 3,000 farmers voted for it at the SIMA 2009 trade show. Particularly suited to mixed crop farming and livestock operations, the new Kleber Gripker is designed to thanks to its exclusive design. Its lugs are designed to reduce damage to emerging crops and grasslands, and more rounded, to ensure that mud is effectively expelled from the tread, for self-cleaning.
While the new Kleber Gripker has a particularly modern appearance, it also features the three small interlugs between the tread bars that have been a trademark of Kleber’s tyres throughout the company’s history. In addition, the new range is said to be suited to road use and carries the D speed rating, allowing speeds of up to 65 km/h. The Gripker has updated Kleber’s range of the increasingly popular 65-series tyres and this is highlighted by the fact that sales in this category grew by 70 per cent between 2000 and 2008, according to Michelin data.
Titan Tire Corporation has announced price increases for Titan branded farm and construction tyres and Titan manufactured Goodyear branded agricultural tyres. Increases of up to six per cent will be implemented on June 1. Titan says the rises will “offset rising raw material, energy and transportation costs”, and adds that the prices of certain tyres may rise in excess of six per cent “due to realignment and positioning of the product.”
Fiat Group agricultural machinery company, New Holland, has opted to fit Trelleborg agricultural tyres to the Hydrogen powered tractor prototype it has developed in anticipation of future farming trends. According to the tyre maker, the hydrogen-powered NH2 is a key element of New Holland’s Energy Independent Farm approach. The concept reportedly allows famers to generate energy to run their farms and equipment autonomously. The NH2 features an integrated fuel cell system that turns hydrogen into electricity and therefore doesn’t produce any emissions.
"Our company is particularly recognised as a specialist in the production of OTR tyres," said Landmax International managing director Joe Lee when talking with Tyres & Accessories at Tyrexpo Africa. "We have invested seriously large sums of money in research and development, which has led to a wide ranging selection of radial and bias OTR tyres for various vehicle applications in mining, construction and container handling.
Alliance Tire has released a pair of new products into its agricultural range. The company is already well-known for its flotation tyres, including the 380 series. Alliance also produces the 380 Heavy Duty, a tyre it says incorporates the existing tyre’s known characteristics, including a fabric casing reinforced by steel belts, yet modified to make it suitable for the heaviest of applications, such as slurry tankers and dump trailers for soil and sand transport. Inflation pressure has been raised to 5 bar and load capacities increased. The casing has been strengthened by additional ply and tyre stiffness increased both radially and laterally. Furthermore, the 380 Heavy Duty’s bead bundle has been designed in accordance to new higher load and inflation pressure.
Expansion work has begun at Bridgestone Americas’ farm tyre plant in Des Moines, Iowa, reports Tire Review. New tyre building and curing equipment will be installed as part of the $77 million project, according to the Des Moines Register. The expansion will also add about 50 jobs to the 1,400-employee plant. To accommodate the equipment, designed to build larger agricultural tyres, portions of the 65-year-old plant’s roof are being raised some 10 feet.
North American agricultural machinery operators can now take advantage of a new Goodyear Farm Tires range specifically designed for high clearance, self-propelled sprayers. Known as the ‘Ultra Sprayer’, the tyre features tread bars engineered to carry heavy sprayer loads and a wider lug to promote longer wear characteristics as compared to conventional tractor tyres. These design features, says Goodyear Farm Tires parent company Titan Tire, also provide more stability and a better ride when travelling from field-to-field at road speeds up to 30 mph. A significant increase in lug surface area helps improve lug wear, Titan adds, while increases in lug bracing and surface area combine to deliver improved durability, even under heavier loads. This design is also said to offer superior traction in the field.
Alliance Tire Europe BV has announced that it will implement a price increase of around 4.5 per cent effective 1 April. All shipments after 1 April will be made at the new price. According to the company, Alliance has taken the decision “due to the rising of raw materials,” and “has no other alternative but to increase prices by an average of 4.5 per cent”. As a result some sizes and products will face a smaller increase, while others could increase above 4.5 per cent. “We are in the same situation as all other tyre manufacturers”, Manuel Pintado, president of Alliance Tire Europe BV commented.
Trelleborg tyres will exclusively equip two New Holland special edition Blue Power tractors, the T7070 AutoCommand and the T7060 PowerCommand. The Blue Power was launched by New Holland to celebrate the prestigious 2010 Tractor of the Year award along with the Golden Tractor for Design, repeating the same awards obtained in 2008. New Holland reportedly picked Trelleborg as its partner on Blue Power tractors for its “specialist knowledge of the agriculture sector, its capacity to ensure highly professional technical assistance in the field, and its creative communication.”
Following yesterday’s announcement that the company is opening a Russian and CIS market office, CGS Tyres has stated its aim of becoming “In the long term we are aiming to become the leading importer to the Russian market and the Commonwealth of Independent States in the agricultural and industrial tyre segments,” Jozef Rúček, who will manage the new Moscow office, commented. General manager and chairman of the board of CGS Tyres, Jaroslav Čechura, explained the company’s strategy: “Recent developments at manufacturers of agricultural machinery and equipment in Russia – such as Claas, John Deere and the Same Deutz-Fahr Group – have brought increased interest in our products in the region. The Russian market is huge, and we view it as a great opportunity for further expansion.”
CGS Tyres has increased its operations in the Russian market by opening a new representative office in Moscow. According to the company, the Russian presence enables a better coordination of CGS Tyres activities not only in Russia, but also in the Commonwealth of Independent States. “At the same time CGS Tyres’ Moscow office provides to our local business partners the same level of customized services that the company guarantees on other developed markets,” company representatives said in a statement. CGS Tyres reported aims to become the leading agricultural and industrial/construction tyre importer in the Russian market.
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.
