With the slurry spreading window just about to open, one of the key considerations, before travelling on land with a loaded tanker, has to be its tyres.

Tyres are particularly important if ground conditions are less than ideal. The results from using incorrect tyres are both obvious and lasting.

Agrigear from Bailieborough, Co Cavan, offer a broad range of tyre and wheel solutions for farmers and contractors.

Agrigear’s experience of slurry tankers varies from small capacity 900-gallon (3,500-litre) capacity machines with a 1.2-tonne empty weight to larger 4,000-gallon (16,000-litre) capacity tankers weighing in at around 5.6 tonnes empty.

The weight of the tanker, combined with the weight of the slurry being carried, can easily approach 20 tonnes, so choice of tyre is an extremely important decision.

The weight of the load being carried, as well as ground conditions in the field, are key considerations when selecting the most suitable tyres for your slurry tanker.

The aim is to minimise field damage and allow for efficient field operation. And suitable tyres are often the answer.

Lower pressure option with Agrimax RT tyres

Jack Donohoe from Agrigear said that the BKT Agrimax RT-600 series tyre is suited for 2,000 to 3,000-gallon (9,000 to 13,500-litre) capacity slurry tankers. Popular on tankers around 2,000-gallon (9,000-litre) capacity is 800/65R32 tyres which replaces size 30.5R32.

According to Jack, the Agrimax RT-600 series has a high load-carrying capacity with a load/speed index of 181A8/178B. This translates into a maximum load capacity of 8.25 tonnes per tyre, while travelling at a speed of 40km/hr.

With a tractor wheel lug pattern, Jack explained that it has more lugs than the Agrimax Teris series. The round shoulders on these tyres helps to reduce and distribute ground pressure evenly, lessening damage to soft soil and grass.

Typical tyre pressures would be 20 psi (1.2 bar) for operating on-road and in-field.

Jack cited one example where running a 2,000-gallon (9,000-litre) tanker on 800/65R32 tyres allows the tyres to be operated in-field only at pressures as low as 14.5psi (1 bar). Lowering the tyre pressure increases the tyre’s foot print and reduces compaction.

These tyres have a 45° lug angle for hillside grip and smooth running on roads. They also claim to have a reinforced bead area for longer service life.

Agrimax RT-600 sizes available – 800/65R32 & 1050/50R32.

Agrimax Teris multi-purpose tyres

Jack explained that the Agrimax Teris series tyres are a multi-purpose radial tyre suitable for harvesters, loaders and of course slurry tankers.

This series has been designed with less lugs than the Agrimax RT-600 series. Fewer lugs allow the lugs to penetrate the ground more easily, making it the ideal tyre for operating tankers on hilly ground, according to Jack.

The series tyre range has a large footprint area, heavy load-carrying capacity and can be used at low ground pressure. It has a newly designed sidewall protector which helps prevent damage to the tyre.

Sizes available – 1050/50R32, 900/60R32, 800/65R32, 650/75R32, 750/65R26 and 620/75R26.

Economy TR-135 cross-ply series

The TR-135 range is an economy cross-ply tyre available in many sizes, said Jack.

It is suitable for slurry tankers of 1,000 gallons (4,500 litres) upwards. It costs roughly half the price of the higher specification Agrimax series tyres.

Road use Ridemax tyres

The Ridemax Fl-693M range is a contractor specification implement tyre for use with heavier loads and where a lot of road work involved, according to Agrigear. It is described as a 50:50 tyre suitable for both field and road work.

A square block-type tread pattern provides smooth on-road operation plus better road wearing characteristics, according to Jack.

He added that the series is ideal for tankers with capacities from 1,000 gallons up to 3,000 gallons (4,500 litres to 13,500 litres).

Jack explained that these tyres operate best in drier, flatter field conditions where the tyre tends not to break the surface.

It also provides a very large footprint and is a radial flotation and transport tyre suitable for trailers, spreaders and slurry tankers.

Ridemax FL-693M sizes available include – 850/50R30.5, 750/60R30.5, 710/50R30.5, 710/50R26.5, 600/50R22.5, 580/65R22.5, 560/60R22.5, 560/55R22.5 and 560/45R22.5.

Wet ground FL-630 Plus tyres

The FL-630 Plus series tyres are ideal for very wet ground, according to Jack. The series has a bi-directional tread design, which Jack described as a cross between a flotation tyre-type tread and a conventional tractor tyre tread.

He said that they are suitable for 1,000 to 2,000-gallon (4,500 litre to 9,000-litre) tankers where a high degree of flotation is required in wet conditions.

The design of the contact area shape is said to minimise the tyre’s impact on soil structure. The open design of tread pattern ensures the tyre keeps rolling in soft ground conditions, giving good self-cleaning properties.

The FL-639 is another option in a radial tyre and it is available in sizes 600/50R22.5 and 560/45R22.5 and is designed for high load capacities at low inflation pressures.

Jack described the FL-648 series tyre as an ‘entry level’ tyre which in its day was ‘the’ slurry tanker tyre.

Now, as an economy cross-ply flotation tyre, it is among the list of implement tyre options for farmers and contractors, for both on and off-road use.

FM-630 sizes available include – 600/50R22.5, 560/60R22.5, 800/45R26.5, 710/40R22.5.

FL-648 sizes available include – 850/50X30.5, 650/60X30.5, 800/45X26.5 and 550/60X22.5.

Agrimax tractor tyre options for tankers

The Agrimax 580/70R38 is a steel-belted tractor tyre that can be used on a slurry tanker to carry a maximum load of eight tonnes per tyre while travelling at a speed of 40km/hr at a pressure of 50 psi (3.5 bar) per wheel.

Wheel options for any age tanker

Agrigear can provide at least three or four different wheel options for almost every tanker out there, old or new, according to Jack Donohoe.

That includes tyre and wheel options for older 2,000-gallon (9,000-litre) tankers with wheels that are not built in.

The problem, he explained, in that situation, is that you cannot go too wide. Agrigear also incorporates a wheel manufacturing and modification facility where wheel centres can be positioned (or changed) within the wheel rim to suit different requirements.

Agrigear can produce custom-made wheels for any agricultural machine. For example, an agricultural contractor or farmer can have an existing set of slurry tanker wheels modified and fitted with different tyres to give less field damage.

You can get more information and tyre specification sheets on the Agrigear website www.agrigear.ie or by talking to the team at Bailieborough.