In late October, Galileo Wheel announced it will be rebranding its unique CupWheel brand irrigation pivot, skid steer and tractor tires under the new Trackwheel brand name.
Israel-based Galileo Wheel burst onto the international market in 2011 with its unique inverted sidewall tire design, which flattens out the tread surface in contact with the ground and creates a longer footprint than a conventional tire, making it perform like a track.
Read Also
USask-led startup testing AI insect management app for Prairie growers
An AI-driven insect app identifies pests and beneficials, maps field-level pressure and offers management advice. Its developers at the University of Saskatchewan seek Prairie farmers for winter beta testing.
The rebranded name emphasizes that feature. The company describes it as “track-equivalent traction and weight distribution in a tire that installs on standard rims.”
The Trackwheel tires designed for skid steers and irrigation pivots are also airless, like a track, so they aren’t prone to going flat.
“In nearly 30 years in the the material handling and equipment industry, I’ve never seen 100 per cent customer satisfaction in irrigation applications,” said Chris Rice, executive vice-president of sales at Galileo.
“The rebrand makes the value proposition immediate: it’s a tire that performs like a track.”
Market penetration
According to the company, that satisfaction is due in large part to increased traction and flotation.
“They (customers) say, ‘since I bought the tires, the pivot doesn’t get stuck anymore,’ ” Galileo chief executive officer Armin Schon said earlier this year.
“We expect the same bang from the skid steer tires we’re launching.”
The company says it has sold more than 8,000 irrigation tires in the past few years and expects continued strong demand for them, despite their higher purchase price.
To back up their claim of superior performance and justify their higher cost than conventional tires, the brand is offering an impressive 10–year, 10,000 hour warranty.
Galileo Wheel is also hoping to increase its market penetration in the United States and Canada with recently increased investment funds. It sees the autonomous ag machine market as one emerging area ripe for market penetration, due to the segment’s expected 17 per cent annual growth rate through 2032.
