Good tyres improve e ciency, boost operator con dence and aid soil health

Good tyres improve e iciency, boost operator confidence and aid soil health

A Scottish contractor was an early adopter of Continental’s new tyres when he chose to t a set of Tractor85 tyres in 2019. Over 4,000 hours on and the tyres are still performing well, despite the demanding work he expects from them.

Edward Ewan contract farms near Aberdeen and specialises in silage work for beef farms. He also o ers ploughing, drilling and muck spreading within a 15 mile radius of his 140ha farm in Newtonhill. The business was started by his father in the 1970s and his son Gary helps him to run it.

The 520/85R42 rear tyres and 420/85R30 fronts were tted to his New Holland 7210, which has worked 11,000 hours. “We use it for pretty much everything, but mostly eld work these days. It spends a lot of time baling in the season but can also handle a 5f Kverneland plough well on the land we have around here,” he says.

The land is at and some is coastal, so the soils he works on vary from sandy loam to light clay moving inland. “The grassland can be slippery, and having good tyres makes all the di erence to the e ciency of the tractor, the con dence of the operator and the impact the machinery has on the soil,” he comments.

Mr Ewan has been particularly impressed with the self-cleaning properties of the tyres. The lug design is subtly di erent to standard radial tyres enabling better traction. The curved edge of the lugs helps the tyres to self-clean, providing him with more grip during challenging work. “It is really important when we are ploughing for the tyres to grip well and not get blocked up with soil. These tyres have performed very well and there is still plenty of tread, so I am hoping to get another couple of seasons out of them,” he says.

The Tractor85 tyres have o ered excellent grip on grassland, performed well when ploughing, and have been quiet on the road. Mr Ewan chooses to run at 18psi for both road and eld work – a pressure that was advised by Continental’s agricultural tyre specialist, Richard Hutchins. “Eddie is doing a lot of baling work and the tractor is used mostly on quite soft grassland, but also has to travel on the road. By calculating the pressure for load including the weight of his New Holland square baler, I was able to suggest the most e cient operating pressure for the mixture of work,” Mr Hutchins explains.

Continental customers can now calculate the best operating pressure for their tyres using a mobile app. The ‘TireTech’ app holds data on all Continental tyres and only requires the weight of the tractor plus any implements and forward speed to be added in order to calculate the optimum operating pressure. “The app is a handy tool, and we hope that all farmers who choose to buy our tyres will take the time to use it because this will help reduce soil compaction and also make the tractor safer to operate,” he adds.

Mr Ewan also has a Manitou 634 telehander that is in need of new tyres. Following the positive experience with his Tractor85 tyres, he is hoping to t the new CompactMaster loader range that Continental released in 2021. The tyre is the rst to feature Turtle Shield tread technology and a twisted steel cord. The hard shell, and more exible steel wire construction, helps to prevent cuts and damages while o ering greater stability.

“I have been impressed with the tractor tyres and, if the loader ones are as good, I am sure I will be happy. The service from Richard has been second to none and I think it is admirable that he actually visits farms to make sure the tyres are right,” concludes Mr Ewan. FG

Tyres & Tracks Plan ahead in order to avoid delays on tyres

As the market is hit by stock shortages and price increases, tyre retailer and provider The Lodge Tyre Company Ltd provides advice on nding deals and unveils its new branch and dedicated website.

Stuart Sharpe, who leads Lodge Tyres’ AG team, said shortage of stock across all manufacturers means that users need to think ahead. Lead times have lengthened to anything up to three months.

Allied to this and as with many markets, prices are on the rise too. Some manufacturers have raised prices by anything up to 8% already, with others likely to follow suit very soon.

Deals and incentives are still there for the taking however – with Michelin o ering cashback of up to £600 on four tyres, for example. Stuart advises planning early and discussing options with your tyre advisor now.

The Lodge Tyre Company Ltd has continued to grow its geographical area of coverage and now operates from 53 sites across a large part of central England and North Wales.

Believed to be one of the largest independent tyre retailers and service providers in the UK, its buying power with all the key manufacturers, together with its vast wealth of knowledge, helps end users across all sectors make better tyre-related buying decisions.

Hull is the most recent addition to its branch network. Just o Clive Sullivan Way in the city, this site will o er farmers and growers north of the Humber the same great price and service as depots based in Lincolnshire, Lodge says. It is also supported by a state-of-the-art 24/7 call centre.

The Lodge Tyre AG Team continues to be led by Stuart from the farming heartlands of North Norfolk. With Stuart’s 40+ years of experience in the industry, supported by Ian Sharman and Richard Foster, the company’s mission remains to provide UK agriculture with unparallelled support in all its tyre-related needs.

Despite business disruption caused by the pandemic over the past two years, agricultural tyre sales have remained strong at Lodge Tyre. It has expanded its stock holding and capacity at its Fakenham hub, and recently launched a new dedicated AG website: www.lodgetyreagricultural.co.uk where users can nd a wealth of useful tyre information and contact the Fakenham depot manager Andy Frost.

For more information or any enquiries, visit the website or contact the team directly for an informal chat. FG