STARCO has updated its dual wheel solution to fit the new Fendt 900-series and Claas Axion 900 high-performance tractors. The dual wheel solution is tailored to fit seamlessly with the TW Profi-Grip 42- and 44-inch rims designed for high-power 300HP+ tractors.
Mitas high-horsepower tyres helped a Claas Axos 320 tractor weighing four tons to “walk on water”. Thanks to careful calculation and Archimedes’ principle, the tractor successfully navigated the port and then returned to dry land without the captain getting his feet wet. Mitas, part of Trelleborg Group, and its partners carried out the unusual stunt in the Netherlands. One of the world’s largest agricultural tyres, Mitas1250/50R32 SFT, was fitted on the rear axle and Mitas 750/55R30 SFT on the front axle of the floating Claas tractor.
Trelleborg has been selected as official sponsor and original equipment supplier for all the tractors on show during the Claas Roadshow Event in Turkey. The roadshow started on 26 July and will stop in seven different locations around Turkey to meet approximately 5,000 farming professionals. Trelleborg field demonstrations will be held during the day to showcase the importance of selecting the optimal tyre inflation pressure for specific farming operations, as recommended using the Trelleborg Load Calculator (TLC).
Mitas has been awarded the overall prize at the Claas Supplier of the Year Awards 2014. The farm equipment manufacturer rewarded Mitas for its development partnership, a cooperation including active participation in logistics and lesser development projects. The gala event took place in January in Harsewinkel, Germany. Mitas won the award from among 900 serial part suppliers.
Mitas has announced that the Czech tyremaker signed a long-term agreement with Claas at the recent Agritechnica event. “Our cooperation with CLAAS is excellent. We are continuing our collaboration, which dates back to 2004, when Mitas acquired the Continental farm tyre manufacturing division,” said Andrew Mabin, Mitas’ marketing and sales director.
The Agritechnica show has begun in Germany, and yesterday Trelleborg attended the Tractor of The Year awards 2014 as official partner. Commenting on the tyre maker’s involvement in the awards, Paolo Pompei, president of Trelleborg Wheel Systems’ Agricultural and Forestry Tires business unit, said “we are extremely proud to associate our brand with this important award scheme for the agricultural machinery industry.
A Market Harborough-based agricultural contractor has become the first in the country to fit four Michelin AxioBib IF 900/60 R42 tyres to a single machine – its Claas Xerion 5000. Family-run business J Beaty and Sons operates a fleet of six tractors, two self-propelled sprayers and one telescopic loader. Having already fitted Michelin’s AxioBib 800s to two John Deere tractors, owner Richard Beaty opted for all four wheels of his Claas Xerion to be fitted with Michelin’s newest and largest farm tyre as original equipment.
Czech tyre maker Mitas has signed a contract with CNH-Kamaz Industry LLC, the Russian manufacturer of Case IH and New Holland tractors and harvesters, to supply tyres throughout the remainder of this year and in 2013. The deal was signed at the Agrosalon agricultural show in Moscow in the presence of Czech agriculture minister Petr Bendl. “I welcome the Czech company’s pioneering of the Russian agricultural sector, which has great potential,” stated Bendl.
Two new sizes have joined Michelin’s CerexBib agricultural tyre range, and the French manufacturer says these additions will address the “emerging needs of entrepreneurs, farmers and grain producers.” The latest CerexBib fitments are IF 800/70 R 38 CFO and IF 900/60 R 38 CFO, and Michelin says these new large-diameter tyres give farmers the option to operate without investing in costly four-wheel-drive or caterpillar tread equipment. The two new sizes have already been approved by John Deere, Case, New Holland, Claas and Laverda and fitted on their harvesters for the new season.
A trial conducted by an independent soil scientist has shown the benefits of Michelin’s Ultraflex technology in its CerexBib combine harvester tyre in terms of reducing soil compaction – a significant factor in plant root growth and yield potential. Philip J Wright of Wright Resolutions used a Claas Lexion APS Hybrid Combine at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Saxham to test the CerexBib against conventional agricultural tyres commonly fitted to combine harvesters, such as Michelin’s MegaXbib and MachXbib with standard fitments from two other tyre manufacturers.
Farmers today are harvesting crops during the short peak maturity period in an effort to increase yield per hectare, and harvester productivity plays a key role in this. This is increasingly common practice as farms increase in size and farmers come under pressure to carry on in less than optimal weather conditions. During wheat harvests, today’s machinery covers six hectares an hour, compared with just one in 1965.
Michelin’s signature on an agreement to extend its cooperation with agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas was somewhat pre-empted in June when the French tyre giant held its Agricultural Contractor Panel (MACP) in association with Claas, using the latter company’s UK base on Saxham Business Park in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Tyres & Accessories saw the panel meet for its tractor in field fuel saving workshop, where Michelin demonstrated the importance of the correct tyre choice, proper tyre maintenance and the benefits offered by the company’s XeoBib tyre, which has been developed using the company’s patented “Ultraflex” technology for “larger farming and contracting operations”. In terms of cost and environmental pressures, fuel preservation is one factor constantly near the forefront of many businesses, especially as a potential route to improving profitability and productivity.
A three-year cooperation agreement recently signed between Michelin and German agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas is expected to strengthen the two company’s collaboration in several areas, such as research, development and market intelligence. According to Michelin, the agreement demonstrates the two partners’ “confidence in today’s changing farm markets and their shared commitment to developing their operations in this sector.”
