“It was fantastic to see optimism returning to the agricultural tyre market in 2007. Despite all the problems that farmers faced last year, the better wheat and milk prices seem to have steadied the ship,” comments Barry Coleman, Firestone’s marketing manager. According to Coleman the UK agricultural tyre market looks like it has turned a corner compared with the broader trend seen in recent years. “Over the past few years the market demand has been in steady decline, but in 2007 demand was about the same as the previous year. However, the market is changing with sales of the traditional standard 85 series tyres diminishing as sales of specialist agricultural tyres grow.”

“Firestone has a continuous stream of new products to meet these specialist demands. In November we launched Maxi Traction, a range of large tyres designed specifically for high horse power tractors,” Coleman continued, adding: “Maxi Traction is designed to operate at 2.4 bar which means the load carried is significantly higher than a normal tyre can carry. The main original equipment tractor manufacturers have already started to fit Maxi Traction as standard fitment to new machines.”