All new Fendt 200 and 300 series tractors will now be available with Continental TractorMaster tyres. The partnership between the two German manufacturers is yet another boost to the investment Continental has made to produce tyres with new technology at their dedicated agricultural production facility in Lousado, Portugal.
“This partnership with Fendt further strengthens the Continental tyre range for agriculture. It also demonstrates that the research and development we have carried out at our production plant in Lousado has attracted the interest and support of one of agriculture’s most influential brands,” says agricultural tyre specialist Richard Hutchins.
The TractorMaster tyres feature N.Flex Technology, a patent pending, heat-treated nylon that sits beneath the tyre rubber to help it return to its original shape after impact and heavy use. A further technological development is in the wire, or ‘bead’, that helps the tyre hold the rim of the wheel. Many agricultural tyres use as many as ten individual wires to create one bead which can cause weaknesses at the joins. The Continental bead however is made of a single wire construction wrapped around the circumference of the tyre up to one hundred times creating an agricultural tyre that holds the rim, even when run at very low pressure.
Mr Hutchins adds: “The bead is as important as the rubber and nylon in a tyre. Our research showed that tyres with a single wire bead can operate at up to 3 psi lower. In field operations this increases the footprint area which reduces soil compaction.”
Fendt, which originates in Marktoberdorf, Germany, has been part of the US agricultural machinery group ACGO GmbH since 2009. Fendt is therefore the second OEM from ACGO that Continental has been able to partner with, after Valtra, whose tractors have been equipped with Continental tyres since 2018.
Reacting to the partnership, Fendt’s UK Marketing Manager, Charlotte Ellis said: “We welcome partnerships with innovative suppliers who can help our products perform more efficiently in the field and on the road. Tyres are an extremely important part of any tractor and the new technology in Continental’s TractorMaster tyres shows how research and development is helping to drive agricultural efficiencies.”
Available tyre sizes for the Fendt 200 and 300 series from Continental include 600/65 R38 and 540/65 R24 as well as 540/65 R34 and 440/65 R24. These are now available and can be specified on all new models in the range.
