New tyre sizes broaden agricultural applications
Continental’s agricultural tyre division has extended the range of its CombineMaster tyres to bring very high flexion (VF) and cyclical field operation (CFO) technology to a wider variety of farm machinery.
“The CombineMaster name disguises the virtues of this tyre to other machines including loaders, tankers and other types of harvesting machines," said Continental’s Tom Godwin.
"Originally developed to help combines perform more efficiently in arable crops, the CombineMaster’s CFO and VF technology and unique hexagonal bead core has proved transformative to other agricultural applications,"
The Hexa-bead bead core was developed to help the tyre grip the rim at lower pressures. Some tyres in the range also feature CFO, which offers a 55 per cent load carrying capacity when the tyre is being used in a cyclical condition and operating at or below 10 mph.
“Cyclical means that the load on the tyre is constantly changing which is normal for a combine during harvest but also applies to slurry tankers and other heavy load carrying machinery,” said Mr Godwin.
VF technology in some sizes of the CombineMaster tyre enables machinery to run at 40 per cent lower pressure than conventional tyres, which has the added benefit of reducing soil compaction.
“The 800/65 R32 tyre is now a popular size for large slurry tankers including the twin and triple axle models with capacities of up to 20,000 gallons,” he added.
The CombineMaster tyre is also helping some of the largest loaders and articulated loaders such as the JCB TM420 telescopic loader to handle greater loads.
“The Claas Torian can be fitted with 750/65 R26 VF tyres that enable it to carry 40% greater load at the same pressure as a conventional tyre. This additional capacity helps to reduce the time each task takes, which reduces fuel and labour costs,” he said.
Load carrying capacity has been extended for a variety of harvesting machinery including forage and sugar beet harvesters.
“The 650/57 R32 tyre is well suited to forage harvesters and the 900/60 R38 has been working well with sugar beet harvesters like the Vervaet self-propelled machines,” continued Mr Godwin.
He suggested that many machines can also benefit from onboard air and tyre monitoring systems to help adjust tyre pressure to meet ground conditions and load capacities.
“With grants available for retrofitted onboard air systems and ContiPressureCheck Lite, a wireless tyre pressure monitoring system, operators can reduce soil compaction and improve fuel efficiency,” he concluded.
