Many farmers do not realise the potential impact of correctly – or indeed incorrectly – aligned wheels, so Goodyear’s Farm team has made it their business to inform and educate the market through a day of workshop activities for the members of the Goodyear Farm Tyre Specialist Network.
The company held a similar workshop earlier in the year for members of the press to bring to the attention of the farming industry the importance of wheel alignment. Goodyear says the purpose of events such as these is to ensure that customers are getting the most out of their tyres, offering them better performance and extending tyre life. The Farm Team believes that after the success of the press event, it was even more important to ensure that farm tyre dealers who are part of the Goodyear FTSN were aware of the importance of wheel alignment.
Held in conjunction with Haweka Wheel Alignment Specialists at Tanvic Tyres in Newark, the workshop demonstrated the difference in performance and durability between a tractor which is misaligned, to one which is correctly aligned. When wheels are misaligned there are several issues that become apparent: irregular tread wear due to excessive friction caused by uneven pressure distribution in the tyre footprint area; an increase in fuel consumption due to increased power needed to move the vehicle; increased CO2 emissions; and driver fatigue from fighting steering pull.
Phil Stanton, Goodyear Farm and OTR Manager, stated, “The wheel alignment workshop we held for the press generated a lot of interest from the Goodyear FTSN. Tanvic Tyres in Newark were particularly interested in our demonstration and asked us to run the workshop for them and other local dealers at their head office in Newark. The workshop gave the dealers hands on experiences of how much difference there is in machine and tyre performance when wheels are aligned correctly.”
“Original tests showed that if a tractor were set to 10mm toe out, assuming 50% field work and 50% road use, the tyre life would be reduced by 24%. Based on a tyre costing £400 with fitting and disposal costs of £90 the cost impact of traveling with 10mm toe in would be £235.20. When alignment is set perfect these impacts on tyre wear and costs are eradicated, resulting in better performance for the business,” continued Stanton.
“We want to ensure that farmers are running their tyres at optimum performance level and getting everything they can out of their purchase. Our research and development team is working to continually develop our farm tyre ranges to ensure they provide the performance required by modern farm machinery. It is important that we educate people within the industry to ensure they protect their investment” he concluded.
Goodyear said there will be more workshops organised later in the year. (Tyres & Accessories)
