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Key to working at very low pressures with your tractor tyres
Tue, 22 Nov 2022 | PRODUCTS
Modern tractor tyre developments mean that with certain otherwise-standard designs it is possible to work at lower pressures in the field to help maximise traction and minimise compaction. Perhaps you are already operating IF or VF tractor tyres – or perhaps you are searching the internet for ‘tractor tyres for sale’ or ‘tractor tyres near me’, or comparing tractor tyres price lists. Either way, read on for some tips on operating your tractor tyres at low pressures.
Standard tractor tyres must be operated at exactly the pressures recommended by the manufacturer, for reasons of safety, performance, reliability and efficiency. Deflating standard tractor tyres by even a small amount to try to enhance traction and/or flotation poses a significant dangers of the tractor tyre bead becoming detached from the wheel rim, with potential in-field consequences for machine damage and operator safety. If pressures are low when travelling on the road, the dangers extend to the safety of other road users. Conversely, overloading tractor tyres designed to work to certain maximum weights at particular pressures risks damaging tyre stability and integrity, and poses safety risks.
However, the relatively recent development of increased flexion (IF) and very high flexion (VF) tractor tyre carcase designs allows much greater flexibility with tractor tyre pressures. Reducing tractor tyre pressures where possible increases the length and – to a certain extent – the width of tyre tread in contact with the ground. This enhances traction, thereby reducing fuel use, and at the same time, because the tractor’s weight is spread over a greater area, reduces weight imposed per square centimetre, cutting compaction.
Increased flexion tractor tyres can not only bear 20% more weight at the same pressures than standard tractor tyres of the equivalent size, but alternatively can be operated at 20% lower pressures than the equivalent-size standard tractor tyres. With very high flexion tyres, this figure is doubled in both cases to 40%. Only IF and VF-marked tractor tyres possess this capability. Therefore, the key to working at very low pressures with your tractor tyres is relatively simple – you must do this only if you have specified, fitted and are operating a tractor with IF or VF tractor tyres.
The benefit of IF or VF designs is that this flexibility is available without the need to compromise. Whether you are working with your tractor in the field, or moving between jobs on the road, IF or VF tyres can be operated at these respective 20% or 40% lower pressures in both circumstances without the need for adjustment, regardless of surface or of travel speed. There is no need to inflate IF or VF tractor tyres to their standard pressures when on the highway.
So if you want to work at very low pressures with your tractor tyres, the next time you search the internet for ‘tractor tyres for sale’ or ‘tractor tyres near me’, or are scanning through tractor tyres price lists, look for those that are available in IF and VF formats, such as CEAT Specialty’s flagship Torquemax range. This is the key to the benefits of lower pressures, including more ground contact area and reduced compaction – without compromise.
