Michelin North America has unveiled four new agriculture tires for tractors, sprayers, harvesting equipment and large implements. The tiremaker also announced a new mobile app that calculates the proper air pressure for tractor tires and a satisfaction guarantee for its Ultraflex line.
All four new tires feature Michelin’s Ultraflex Technology which allows the tires to operate at up to 40% lower air pressure compared to standard radial tires resulting in a larger footprint and reduced soil compaction, Michelin said.
The four new tires are the Michelin VF480/80R50 179D SprayBib, Michelin 710/45R22.5 165D CargoXBib High Flotation, Michelin IF900/65R46 190D AxioBib, and Michelin IF1000/55R32 CFO 188A8 CerexBib.
The VF480/80R50 179D SprayBib is an expansion of the tiremaker’s VF high-clearance sprayer tire offering. The tire can carry a load up to 17,000 lbs. and offers a top speed of 40 mph, Michelin said. Available in September 2015, the VF480/80R50 179D SprayBib is designed to balance between a narrow tire to avoid crop damage and a flotation tire to minimize compaction, the tiremaker said.
The Michelin 710/45R22.5 165D CargoXBib High Flotation is a large implement tire. The new tread design provides improved clean out and will replace the current CargoXBib design, Michelin said. The tire is available in December 2015.
The Michelin Michelin IF900/65R46 190D AxioBib offers the highest levels of load capacity and lowest levels of compaction for a front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive machine, Michelin said. The tire has a capacity of 24,000lbs. Introduced in Europe in 2014, the tire will be available in North America starting March 2016.
All Ultraflex tires now come with a promise plan. Farmers can try Michelin Ultraflex replacement tires risk-free for a whole year and return the tires for a refund if they are not satisfied, the tiremaker said.
The Michelin IF1000/55R32 CFO 188A8 CerexBib is designed for large harvesting machines and grain carts. The tire will offer a massive load capacity and a giant footprint, Michelin said. It will be available starting in June 2016.
In addition to its new tires, Michelin announced a mobile app for its farm tire customers—the Michelin Pressure Calculator. The app allows users real-time agricultural tire pressure, the tiremaker said.
The app is used in three simple steps, Michelin said:
- Type the load supported by front and rear axle.
- Enter the type of tire fitted to the front and rear of the tractor using the drop-down menus.
- Take a photo of the tractor with your smartphone. The application’s built-in camera function precisely calculates load distribution and the length of the overhang measured from the wheel axles.
The app is free on both Android and iOS devices and is available in English, French, German and Spanish.
