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For a farmer, there’s nothing more important to his operation than the soil, and there are greater demands on that soil all the time. There’s only a finite amount of soil in the world, and it has to produce crops to feed over 7 billion people worldwide. It’s important that your ag equipment is as gentle as possible on your farm’s soil, but modern equipment continues to be heavier, more powerful and more technologically advanced. Ag tires have had to keep up with these advances in equipment.

Tires for tractors, combines and other heavy ag equipment have to be able to distribute the vehicle’s weight over the soil surface with minimal soil compaction, while still delivering traction. They also have to be able to operate on pavement at moderate speeds, to cover the distance between fields. As the equipment evolves, tires have become more specialized; for instance, tires for grain carts or sprayers need to have lower contact pressure and soil compaction, while still being able to carry heavy loads.

First, chemists and engineers work on the right recipes for rubber formulation for purpose-built ag tires, which contain more than 30 compounds (compared to 20 in a passenger tire). A 3-D printer can produce a sample of tread pattern, and computer drafting can aid in design factors like the number and type of body plys and belts, the tire shape and compounds used. Computer models can simulate soil conditions in the field, based on actual samples that range from clay to muck to sand, and designs for lugs can be drawn up from those results. This is all before a mold for an actual tire is even built.

The design and development process has become so advanced that test engineers can simulate a few years’ wear in just three months. A tractor might be tethered to a post, started up and run in a circle with the throttle wide open for 48 hours, then run for 48 hours in the other direction; these tests re done on concrete, blacktop and limestone surfaces, with instruments on the tractor and tires to check for wear and malfunctions. Other tests are done using a ¼-scale tractor, checking various tire compounds for stubble resistance as the little machine runs over a variety of surfaces to simulate field conditions.

Vibration testing can simulate the rigors of furrow or terraced/hillside driving, and engineers can eventually do real-world testing on fields of up to 400 acres. Every aspect of the tire’s performance is scrutinized, including sidewall strain, downward pressure and heat buildup. Destructive testing cuts and dissects the tires, giving engineers a chance to look at the physical stresses on the tire’s construction.

For you, the operator, your concerns are reliability, operating costs, return on investment and impact on your farm’s soil. It’s all part of the effort to get the most crop yield, and ag tires are certainly part of the picture.

At Dean Tire & Lube, we thought you might like to know a little bit about what goes into designing the tires for your tractors, combines and ag equipment. We’ve been around for almost 60 years, serving the unique needs of rural customers and farmers around Springfield, TN – give us a call and make an appointment for your ag tire service!