With wet conditions and the need to either turn over compacted land, or tread carefully to avoid soil compaction, Continental’s agricultural tyre specialist, Tom Godwin, offers five tips for getting the most out of tyres when pulling heavy cultivation equipment.
Pressure for load
The load a tyre can carry is provided on the sidewall as a number, for the load index, and as a letter for the speed index. Using this and the tractor’s manual to establish its axle weight tolerances and gross weight provides most of the information needed to calculate pressure for load. Using this data and a load/inflation table or a mobile app like Continental’s TireTech App, it is possible to accurately measure the load for each axle. Making this relatively simple calculation can save hours of time and gallons of fuel, whilst protecting soil health.
Reducing compaction
The aim of calculating pressure for load is to increase machinery performance and efficiency whilst reducing soil compaction. This is vital to soil health, crop establishment and machine efficiency. Reducing tyre pressure can reduce slip, which will improve grip and forward speed whilst reducing fuel consumption. It also reduces the impact of the tractor’s weight on the soil. However, when pulling cultivation equipment, the weight of both implement and tractor should be calculated to establish the optimum pressure for the combined load. This will ensure both tractor and implement work to their full potential.
Fuel saving
The price of red diesel is only going one way. Up. Therefore, even small savings can increase to be significant throughout the year. In a test with Continental TractorMaster tyres, we ran a Fendt 724 Gen 6 with a KUHN Optimer at 21 psi and 12 psi. The difference was significant, and saw the slip drop from over 50% to below 10% when the pressure was lowered. If cultivating hundreds of acres in this way, the total fuel saving would be significant and well worth the short amount of time needed to adjust tyre pressures.
Ploughing
There is often a need to plough, whether using an on-land or in-furrow plough, the same need for grip remains. Self-cleaning lugs like the d.fine design of the TractorMaster will help the tyre shed soil. However, more important is the choice of tyre. A narrow tyre will suit in-furrow ploughing, whilst a wider tyre will be better for an on-land plough.
Road and field
Reducing operating pressure when transitioning from road to field will help all aspects of tractor operation, especially in soft, wet conditions. Retrofitting a CTIS, or making the most of an onboard OE factory-fitted air system, can provide significant improvements to grip and operating costs. With grants available for up to 50% of the cost of a CTIS, the benefits far outweigh the investment cost.
