Trelleborg at Massey Ferguson’s “Vision of the Future” Event. Trelleborg tire technology helps farmers to produce more, with less.
Trelleborg at Massey Ferguson’s “Vision of the Future” Event. Trelleborg tire technology helps farmers to produce more, with less.
Trelleborg presents the results of advanced research conducted in partnership with La Salle Institute about the correlation between the footprint of a tractor’s tire and farming productivity at the Massey Ferguson event, “Vision of the Future”, to be held from 19 to 29 August 2014 in Beauvais, France..
Lorenzo Ciferri, Marketing Director, Trelleborg Agricultural & Forestry Tires, says: “For over a year we’ve been running intensive tests, as well as F.E.M (Finite Element Method) analysis, in collaboration with the La Salle Institute, one of Europe’s leading institutes for research into the agricultural industry. This was to quantify, assess and deepen our understanding of the relationship between the tire footprint and productivity of farming operations.
“Our ultimate objective is to make sure farming professionals get the most out of their overall investment in equipment. In other words, we want them to produce more, with less. Together with Massey Ferguson, we’ll show and demonstrate the potential of the correct tire choice along with the consequences of farming practices.
“Simply put, when it comes to tire selection, the wider the tire footprint, the lower the soil compaction and the higher the traction. Reduced soil compaction guarantees the maximum respect of soil aggregates and that air pockets in the soil’s structure are maintained to enable plants to become established and for nutrition to be absorbed. This ensures healthy root growth and preserves the field’s potential, dramatically increasing crop yields in terms of output and quality. For example, recent research demonstrates that a 10 to 12 percent wider footprint can raise crop yield by up to two percent.”
A wide tire footprint can be obtained by adopting the correct tire pressure and selecting the right type of tire fitment. To investigate this, intensive field and theoretical testing has been conducted that compares, for the same tractor configuration, a narrow tire fitment in the standard size 520/85R38 with a wide tire fitment in size 710/60R38.
The test results proved that when the tire goes deeper into the soil, the degree of compaction rapidly worsens using the narrow solution: at a depth of 10 centimeters the soil compaction created by the narrow tire is double that created by the wide solution, while at a depth of 30 centimeters it is almost three times higher.
Demonstrating its commitment in the area of sustainable farming, Trelleborg will further develop these studies directly on the field during the Massey Ferguson event, “Vision of the Future” in front of more than five thousand agricultural professionals from across Europe, as well as specialized media.
During the event’s field sessions, Trelleborg will conduct a workshop using a pair of Massey Ferguson 7616 Dyna-6 Efficient tractors. One will be fitted with the wide Trelleborg 710/60R38 TM1000 High Power and the other with a standard size 520/85R38.
Competing over a 200 meter track simultaneously, the two tractors will be monitored by digital chronometers that will measure the time gap between the two tractors. Two pipes will be set up to show the precise fuel consumption over the run and a computer application will calculate the efficiency savings.
“We expect the trials will prove that by using a wider tire the cost efficiency gap between narrow versus wide tire will be very high. The reduction of operating time will, we believe, be in a range of 10 to 15 percent. Therefore, the total variable farming costs, such as fuel consumption and maintenance costs should decrease by 20 to 25 percent. This should support our calculation that by using the 710/60R38 TM1000 High Power, farmers can save up to 3,800 EUR for a farming area of 500 hectares,” says Ciferri.
In addition, comparing the premium tire alternatives available on the market, for the same size and pressure conditions, the Trelleborg TM1000 High Power demonstrates the widest and largest footprint of the industry.
"This is primarily due to the advanced design of the tire tread along with the implementation of Trelleborg blue tire technology. In fact, the tire width combined with the high flexibility of the sidewall, guarantees a very flat and large footprint at very low pressure. As a result, the tire lugs work better, more efficiently and simultaneously.
“The working lug surface is over four percent bigger and, therefore, ensures better traction and farming cost efficiency. The entire footprint is wider by up to seven percent providing an even and low pressure distribution on the soil as well as better flotation for higher crop productivity," concludes Ciferri.
Results of tests will be published following the Massey Ferguson “Vision of the Future” event and will be obtainable from the Trelleborg website.
Trelleborg tire technology helps farmers to produce more, with less"
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