Although a number of UK-based agricultural shows have been postponed during the COVID-19 outbreak, Goodyear Farm Tires has found an innovative solution to keep the wheels turning on one traditional show highlight for the farming community. The brand, which returned to the UK and European markets in 2019, has staged its own virtual vintage tractor show during lockdown.
JCB set the British Record for the fastest modified tractor at Elvington Airfield near York in June 2019 in a tractor designated ‘Fastrac One.’ It reached a speed of 103.6 mph with motorbike racer, lorry mechanic and TV personality Guy Martin in the driver’s seat. JCB then embarked on an ambitious plan to break its own record and developed ‘Fastrac Two’ – which was 10 per cent lighter, more powerful and even more aerodynamic. Also driven by Guy Martin, Fastrac Two hit a peak speed of 153.771mph on its way to clocking a record average of 135.191mph.
Around 30 years ago, tractor manufacturer Valtra implemented a radical strategic change that resulted in the production of machinery that is amongst the most customisable in the world. Pretty much every Valtra tractor is unique, and a third of the approximately 9,000 Valtra tractors manufactured last year went through a customising studio called Unlimited. Now, for the first time, buyers can select STARCO dual wheels on their new tractor as part of this customisation process.
The pressure to produce higher yields at lower prices is a theme common to most aspects of the agricultural industry; dealing with that pressure is, both literally and figuratively, the task of tyres fitted to the larger, more powerful machinery designed to deliver on this goal. For tyre manufacturers, field tests and demonstrations with the farmers’ and contractors’ own equipment provide the best opportunity to show how their particular products and solutions can help them to achieve increased productivity. It also allows those brands who work most closely with original equipment manufacturers to demonstrate their tyres’ interaction with agricultural machinery and components such as central tyre inflation systems. Tyres & Accessories recently visited Maxwell Farms, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, to see Michelin conduct such a demonstration.
Goodyear Farm Tires