TIRES VERSUS TRACKS
TIRES VERSUS TRACKS BY J.R. WILSON
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ifty years ago, tractors rode on large tires and for track sales, with cost and maintenance being major tracks were rarely seen outside of construcfactors in some customers moving to tires. tion sites. “Some of the larger operations will try to stay on In recent years, however, tracks have gained a foottracks. But with up to a $110,000 difference, the hold in the agricultural market, albeit one that seems guys who are on the fence or really trying to reduce to have reached its peak. costs will turn to tires. That’s where we have an “Tracks have been around since the late 1980s opportunity, as we develop flotation tire options in agriculture, but it never really stuck because they designed to perform equally as well as tracks, but at were expensive and just not practical. But they a much lower cost.” perform better and are much more economical Michelin North America, a long-established name now,” said James Crouch, national agriculture in tires, recently added track manufacturer product manager for Alliance Tire Group. “The Camso, based in Quebec, to its business line. equipment makers were kind of forced into “Now that we have Camso, that makes us making tracks. a track company,” said Michelin agriculture “The quad track is everyone’s reference when marketing manager David Graden. “My stance “Tracks have you think about tracks in agriculture. It was is very much the same: tracks have their place, introduced and popularized when commodity their place, tires tires have their place; it depends on what the prices were high, around 2008 to 2011, when have their place; end user is trying to achieve. farmers had a lot of money and were willing to “Where there has been rapid growth in it depends on try new things. Tracks were sold as the ultimate tracks, that will level off and there will be a solution, so farmers saw that almost $90,000 better balancing of the two. There will be a what the end update cost as a kind of insurance.” continuing increase in tracks in the South When the quad track really got popular, the user is trying to and Southwest, but tracks will level off in the horsepower range for big tractors was from Midwest as CTIS [Central Tire Inflation System] achieve.” 380 to 500, and now is up to 600-plus, he becomes better known and used.” explained: “When you look at putting that Covering its bases, Michelin also recently much power to the ground, tracks do very acquired two CTIS companies – German-based well. There also is a gap in the understanding PTG and Téléflow in France – both leaders in of tires, which are taken for granted. More than systems that enable fully automated pressure 75 percent of tractor tires are overinflated, which adjustment to vehicles while on the move. shrinks the footprint, and slip increases. So there is The key reason for the regional market difference an education gap between proper tire maintenance in tire versus track sales is soil composition – clay and tracks.” and sand in the South, sand in the Southwest, both While the commodities market, especially for of which are far less vulnerable to compaction than corn, has dropped, some pockets of demand for the rich dark soil that blankets most of the Midwest. tracks remain strong, while others may begin In a list of factors farmers must consider when trending towards tires, according to Scott Sloan, weighing tires versus tracks, recent studies (largely global agricultural product manager for Titan done by or for tire manufacturers) have given the International, which produces the Goodyear line of edge to tires in most categories. farm tires – but no tracks. Graden explained the most common results: “Case is running about 60 percent quad tracks INITIAL COST – “Tires are less expensive at and John Deere has maybe 35 percent going out as initial purchase, even with the addition of a CTIS. tracks,” he acknowledged. “It will be an ongoing battle On a quad track – and it depends on the machine
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