How New Tractor Tire Technology Can Help Your Farm

Today’s farm tractor tires are marvels of modern engineering with companies like CEAT Specialty Tires spending millions to develop tires that provide dependable traction in the field, smooth ride on the road and long tread wear.

CEAT received the prestigious Deming Prize for quality manufacturing processes.

The first task at CEAT is understanding the needs of farmers and ranchers, the terrain they work on, and their type of equipment. Driven by the core technologies of tire design, engineering, material development and process engineering, the company delivers tires that increase the efficiency of the vehicles and the people they work with, while being gentle enough to protect the crops.

One of the most important developments in farm tires in recent years is IF (increased flexion) and VF (very high flexion) tires. IF tires are designed to carry 20% more load than a standard radial and, alternately, carry the same load as a standard radial at 20% less pressure. VF tires are even more advanced with the ability to carry 40% more load or the same load with 40% less pressure.

Structural and compound innovations in IF/VF tires allow the sidewalls to flex more during operation. By utilizing the lower inflation pressures made possible by IF/VF tires, a farmer can increase the tires’ ground contact area, helping with traction and fuel economy, and also reduce the harmful downward forces that cause soil compaction.

The CEAT TORQUEMAX, designed for high power tractors, is available in both IF and VF versions. This high-tech farm tractor

The CEAT TORQUEMAX for high power tractors is available with VF and IF technologies.

tire features many other innovations such as:

• a stepped lug design that provides better grip and traction.
• a center tie bar gives the TORQUEMAX superior roadability, which is increasingly important these days as farm equipment spends more time on the road traveling from one tract of land to another.
• rounded shoulders which mean less soil and crop damage.
• a tilted lug tip that reduces vibration and noise.
• a wider tread and larger inner volume reduce soil compaction, and the R1-W tread depth ensures long service life.

The CEAT Spraymax VF is specially designed for self propelled sprayers.

The CEAT Spraymax, designed for self-propelled sprayers, is also available with VF technology. Like the TORQUEMAX, the Spraymax VF features a center tie bar which gives it superior roadability. Its rounded shoulders mean less soil and crop damage as it works between the rows.

Tire technology must advance to keep up with farming machinery that is increasingly becoming more massive and technologically sophisticated. While farm tractor and implement tires may look similar, they are not! it pays to know the company behind the tire. With CEAT, you can count on a farm tire that was borne from advanced R&D and produced through the most stringent total quality management (TQM) manufacturing processes.