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Proper care and maintenance of your tractor tyres

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 | PRODUCTS

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Tractor tyres, like all other components of a machine, will not only perform better if looked after, but will be safer to work with and will last longer too. And well cared-for tractor tyres will also have a positive impact on the tractor’s value when it’s time to trade in the machine for a replacement. All this adds up to lower operating costs and improved margins, lengthening tractor tyre life and stretching the periods between the times when you need to search the internet for ‘tractor tyres for sale’ or ‘tractor tyres near me, or trawl through a tractor tyres price list to buy new tractor tyres. So what are the key care and maintenance points to follow?

Check pressures regularly and adjust as needed

This is the most basic of tractor tyre care principles. Not only are the correct pressures crucial to tractor tyre performance and to safety, but checking and adjusting them where necessary as part of regular care and maintenance will help maximise their lifespan. Over-inflated tractor tyres are at greater risk of damage from stones on hard land, and from greater wear during road travel at speed on tarmac. Meanwhile, under-inflated tractor tyres are at greater risk of sidewall damage, with the sidewalls unable to support the tractor’s weight. Make pressure checks a fixed part of your regular tractor maintenance at least every week, using a good quality pressure gauge, and at the same time inspect the valve for damage.

Inspect carcase condition daily

Before beginning the day’s work with your tractor, examine the circumference and both sidewalls of each tractor tyre to check for signs of damage such as splits, cracks and bulges. Provided they are not embedded so deeply in the tractor tyre that they could cause air leakage or rapid decompressions, remove any significant stones, flints and foreign objects in the rubber, before they can do further damage.

Regularly wash your tractor’s tyres and wheels

If your work involves especially muddy conditions, such as root crop or maize harvesting, pressure-wash the wheels and tractor tyres often as part of the tractor cleaning process. This will not only aid tractor tyre performance, as it will keep the areas between the lugs free of mud, but will also keep them free of the stones and flints – potential puncture material – this mud may contain. In addition, it will allow the sidewalls and inter-tread areas to be examined for stone/flint ingress and damage.

Try to minimise wear

Ensure that, if one is fitted, the wheel-slip management system of your tractor is correctly set. This will not only protect the soil and save fuel, but also minimise slippage against potentially-damaging stones and flints. On the road, ensure you leave plenty of time and distance when braking for junctions, and try to avoid postholes and kerbs

If you follow these care and maintenance points as part of the daily, weekly and monthly elements of checking over your tractor, you should maximise the life of your tractor’s tyres and minimise its running costs, while lengthening the time before you next need to search the web for ‘tractor tyres near me’ and ‘tractor tyres for sale’, or peruse a pile of tractor tyres price lists.