Based in Linkardstown, Co Carlow, Paul Murphy runs a one-man agricultural contracting business, specialising in tillage works. This work extends to sowing all types of crops, from cereals, to cover crops, to beans. Paul also offers a square baling service with a Krone 1290 XC. When he’s not in his Fendt 724, Paul is working in his fencing business, which generally is carried out within a 10-mile radius of home.
Located eight miles south of Carlow town, Paul is in the heart of tillage country. Although not farming himself, he has been working with soil since he established his hire business in 1994, and recognises the importance of minding the land, so it can return a decent crop.
With the cost of inputs having risen so much in recent years, yet with farmgate prices having not risen accordingly, farm margins are being squeezed. Identifying, alleviating, but most importantly trying to avoid soil compaction has been recognised in all farming systems as a factor to improving productivity on farms. Paul had been researching tyre technology for some years, and decided to bite the bullet last autumn.
When fitting a replacement set of wider tyres wasn’t an option from a field access point of view, he moved from standard tractor tyres to Alliance very high flexion (VF) tyres on his Fendt, to help spread the tractor’s and implements’ weight load.
The importance of tyres
Tyres transmit power and are key for suspension and steering, but, most importantly, carry the machine’s load and protect the soil in the process. Heavy machines cause huge wheel loads, which threaten the soil’s structure. The size and weight of machinery operating on Irish farms continues to increase.
Tractors, trailers, tankers, ploughs, cultivators, harvesters and so on have all increased in size, and some of the largest kit available is roaming the fields across Ireland. Tyre size and type play a big role in determining if the wheel load damages the soil.
The bigger the contact patch between the tyre and the soil, the lower the ground pressure that is exerted.
Wider and taller tyres will have a bigger contact area and lower ground pressure for a given load than narrower, smaller ones. But tyre inflation pressure also plays a key role as it is the inflation pressure within the tyre, which determines the ground pressure exerted beneath it. Lowering tyre inflation pressure lengthens the contact area and reduces ground pressure, but standard tyres are limited to a certain deflection level before you begin to damage the tyre carcase.
What is IF and VF tyre technology?
The development of tyre carcases with increased flexibility was pioneered by Michelin over 20 years ago with the introduction of the Xeobib range, which targeted combined field and road use. Today, almost all tyre manufacturers offer increased flexion (IF) and very high flexion (VF) high-deflection tyre carcases in an increasing number of tyre sizes.
While the IF and VF technology that underpins these tyres was originally restricted to unique tyre sizes that required different rims, in recent years they have become available in more common sizes that can replace standard tyres on original rims, like in Paul’s case. IF tyres can carry load at 20% lower pressure than a standard tyre, or carry 20% more load at the same pressure. VF tyres can carry load at 40% lower pressure than normal, or similarly carry 40% more load than a standard tyre. This technology in tyres allows a longer section of the tyre to be in contact with the ground, lowering ground pressure and adding traction benefits.
This tyre technology does come at a more premium price in comparison to tyres of similar dimensions, which can vary from 20% to 40% more expensive over standard tyres. However, as the number of manufacturers offering IF/VF tyres increases, this premium is expected to drop.
Retrofitting VF tyres
Paul bought his Fendt 724 new in July 2019. The tractor came fitted with Michelin Multibib tyres, namely 710/70R38s on the rear and 600/65/R28s on the front. Although they aren’t VF tyres, Paul had recognised that compaction on farms was an issue, and was trying to run his then set of Michelin tyres at a lower pressure, around one bar. However, when it came to any bit of roadwork or even cornering, he noted the tractor was quite unstable, and it just wasn’t working out. Last year, he decided he would make the move to a set of VF tyres. He looked at Michelin, Trelleborg, BKT and Alliance, before opting for the latter.
“I did quite a bit of research on the different tyre options, and what was available locally through tyre garages near me. I liked the Michelin tyres, but they were very expensive. In fact, they were twice the price of the Alliance and BKT tyres. To be honest, the Trelleborg tyres weren’t far behind the Michelin’s in price either. At the time, BKT weren’t offering a VF option, so I was leaning more and more towards the Alliance tyres. When I did a bit more research on some trials carried out in the UK, I was happy that VF and Alliance were the route for me to go,” said Paul.
Although Alliance wouldn’t provide us with a buying price on this set of tyres for publication, Paul got a good price for his existing used set of Michelin tyres, which were in good shape. He got €2,300 for the front tyres and €2,600 for the two rear tyres, which totalled €4,900 plus VAT, and said that he didn’t have to part with an awful lot more to buy the new set of VF Alliance tyres.
Was it worth the investment?
Paul fitted the tyres last autumn, during the winter sowing period.
“For the winter sowing, I dropped the pressures in the front and rear tyres from 1.5/1.6 bar to one bar. If moving from field to field within a five-mile radius, I generally don’t bother adjusting tyre pressures, but I wouldn’t be going flat out on the road.
“Firstly, on the road, at the low pressures, I couldn’t get over how sturdy the tractor was, it didn’t knock a stir out of it.
“With the Michelin tyres, which obviously weren’t VF, they were very wavy and dangerous on the road at the low pressures. In the field, I really noticed it when I was setting up my AB line for the GPS.
“When the tyre pressure was reduced, it didn’t sink into the ground near as much as it did when the tyres were inflated,” said Paul.
“I don’t have a central tyre inflation system on the tractor, I just keep things simple – I inflate and deflate the tyres using the tractor’s own air compressor – it’s simple and it does the trick. I sowed away all autumn at one bar, and Alliance told me that the tyre pressures can actually be dropped further, to 0.6/0.7 bar.
“My plan is to try that out this spring. I think that tyre selection is something that’s often overlooked by many, but the only regret I have is that I didn’t make the move years earlier,” concluded Paul.
VF tyres can carry load at 40% lower pressure than normal, or similarly carry 40% more load than a standard tyre.
Based in Linkardstown, Co Carlow, Paul Murphy runs a one-man agricultural contracting business, specialising in tillage works. This work extends to sowing all types of crops, from cereals, to cover crops, to beans. Paul also offers a square baling service with a Krone 1290 XC. When he’s not in his Fendt 724, Paul is working in his fencing business, which generally is carried out within a 10-mile radius of home.
Located eight miles south of Carlow town, Paul is in the heart of tillage country. Although not farming himself, he has been working with soil since he established his hire business in 1994, and recognises the importance of minding the land, so it can return a decent crop.
With the cost of inputs having risen so much in recent years, yet with farmgate prices having not risen accordingly, farm margins are being squeezed. Identifying, alleviating, but most importantly trying to avoid soil compaction has been recognised in all farming systems as a factor to improving productivity on farms. Paul had been researching tyre technology for some years, and decided to bite the bullet last autumn.
When fitting a replacement set of wider tyres wasn’t an option from a field access point of view, he moved from standard tractor tyres to Alliance very high flexion (VF) tyres on his Fendt, to help spread the tractor’s and implements’ weight load.
The importance of tyres
Tyres transmit power and are key for suspension and steering, but, most importantly, carry the machine’s load and protect the soil in the process. Heavy machines cause huge wheel loads, which threaten the soil’s structure. The size and weight of machinery operating on Irish farms continues to increase.
Tractors, trailers, tankers, ploughs, cultivators, harvesters and so on have all increased in size, and some of the largest kit available is roaming the fields across Ireland. Tyre size and type play a big role in determining if the wheel load damages the soil.
The bigger the contact patch between the tyre and the soil, the lower the ground pressure that is exerted.
Wider and taller tyres will have a bigger contact area and lower ground pressure for a given load than narrower, smaller ones. But tyre inflation pressure also plays a key role as it is the inflation pressure within the tyre, which determines the ground pressure exerted beneath it. Lowering tyre inflation pressure lengthens the contact area and reduces ground pressure, but standard tyres are limited to a certain deflection level before you begin to damage the tyre carcase.
What is IF and VF tyre technology?
The development of tyre carcases with increased flexibility was pioneered by Michelin over 20 years ago with the introduction of the Xeobib range, which targeted combined field and road use. Today, almost all tyre manufacturers offer increased flexion (IF) and very high flexion (VF) high-deflection tyre carcases in an increasing number of tyre sizes.
While the IF and VF technology that underpins these tyres was originally restricted to unique tyre sizes that required different rims, in recent years they have become available in more common sizes that can replace standard tyres on original rims, like in Paul’s case. IF tyres can carry load at 20% lower pressure than a standard tyre, or carry 20% more load at the same pressure. VF tyres can carry load at 40% lower pressure than normal, or similarly carry 40% more load than a standard tyre. This technology in tyres allows a longer section of the tyre to be in contact with the ground, lowering ground pressure and adding traction benefits.
This tyre technology does come at a more premium price in comparison to tyres of similar dimensions, which can vary from 20% to 40% more expensive over standard tyres. However, as the number of manufacturers offering IF/VF tyres increases, this premium is expected to drop.
Retrofitting VF tyres
Paul bought his Fendt 724 new in July 2019. The tractor came fitted with Michelin Multibib tyres, namely 710/70R38s on the rear and 600/65/R28s on the front. Although they aren’t VF tyres, Paul had recognised that compaction on farms was an issue, and was trying to run his then set of Michelin tyres at a lower pressure, around one bar. However, when it came to any bit of roadwork or even cornering, he noted the tractor was quite unstable, and it just wasn’t working out. Last year, he decided he would make the move to a set of VF tyres. He looked at Michelin, Trelleborg, BKT and Alliance, before opting for the latter.
“I did quite a bit of research on the different tyre options, and what was available locally through tyre garages near me. I liked the Michelin tyres, but they were very expensive. In fact, they were twice the price of the Alliance and BKT tyres. To be honest, the Trelleborg tyres weren’t far behind the Michelin’s in price either. At the time, BKT weren’t offering a VF option, so I was leaning more and more towards the Alliance tyres. When I did a bit more research on some trials carried out in the UK, I was happy that VF and Alliance were the route for me to go,” said Paul.
Although Alliance wouldn’t provide us with a buying price on this set of tyres for publication, Paul got a good price for his existing used set of Michelin tyres, which were in good shape. He got €2,300 for the front tyres and €2,600 for the two rear tyres, which totalled €4,900 plus VAT, and said that he didn’t have to part with an awful lot more to buy the new set of VF Alliance tyres.
Was it worth the investment?
Paul fitted the tyres last autumn, during the winter sowing period.
“For the winter sowing, I dropped the pressures in the front and rear tyres from 1.5/1.6 bar to one bar. If moving from field to field within a five-mile radius, I generally don’t bother adjusting tyre pressures, but I wouldn’t be going flat out on the road.
“Firstly, on the road, at the low pressures, I couldn’t get over how sturdy the tractor was, it didn’t knock a stir out of it.
“With the Michelin tyres, which obviously weren’t VF, they were very wavy and dangerous on the road at the low pressures. In the field, I really noticed it when I was setting up my AB line for the GPS.
“When the tyre pressure was reduced, it didn’t sink into the ground near as much as it did when the tyres were inflated,” said Paul.
“I don’t have a central tyre inflation system on the tractor, I just keep things simple – I inflate and deflate the tyres using the tractor’s own air compressor – it’s simple and it does the trick. I sowed away all autumn at one bar, and Alliance told me that the tyre pressures can actually be dropped further, to 0.6/0.7 bar.
“My plan is to try that out this spring. I think that tyre selection is something that’s often overlooked by many, but the only regret I have is that I didn’t make the move years earlier,” concluded Paul.
VF tyres can carry load at 40% lower pressure than normal, or similarly carry 40% more load than a standard tyre.
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