“Often times on machines today, they’re running 50 to 55 m.p.h.,” says David Graden, North American operation marketing manager for Michelin Agriculture. “They’re over speed and overweight. That puts so much stress on tires. So we’re working toward a solution for that with our Xbib. With our testing so far, things are looking great.”

At the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask., Michelin introduced its latest tire offering that addresses both the demands of load rating and speed, the FloatXBib. It’s designed specifically for self-propelled agricultural floater spreaders that have high-load capacity and fast on-road travel speeds.

The FloatXBib is available in IF 1000/55 R32 CFO size. It’s Michelin’s first IF, or increased flexion, CFO (cyclic field operation), flotation tire. The advantage of IF tire design is it has the same rolling circumference as an industry-standard radial tire, but it can handle the same weight at up to 20 per cent less air pressure or allow for 20 per cent more load at the same pressure.

Because compaction is directly related to inflation pressure, reducing that by up to 20 per cent could help reduce compaction problems in fields.

“(The FloatXBib) is the first IF (increased flexion) floater tire on the market,” says Graden. “It’s got an absolute giant carrying capacity and we’ve increased the speed rating of it to 43 m.p.h.”

The new gets a rounded shoulder design and is made from a new rubber compound that reduces heat build up, which allows for faster road speeds. The tire is also more resistant to damage and wear from field stubble.

“The tread design of the product is new,” adds Graden. “It spreads out the weight over more lugs.”

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“In 2012 we launched our first Tweel targeting skid steer loaders,” said Olivier Brauen, VP of Michelin Tweel Technology last year when the company introduced its first UTV-compatible version. “Then we moved to the next product for the turf care industry. In 2017 we launched another application for golf carts. The question now is what’s next. And what’s next is the Tweel for UTVs.”

The first UTV Tweel offering had a 26-inch diameter and was meant as a bolt-on replacement for conventional UTV tire and rim assemblies. Just unbolt the tires and bolt on a Tweel.

That initial Tweel offering included just the two most common arrangements, a 4 x 156 bolt pattern, which fit most Polaris UTVs, and the 4 x 137, which fits Can-Am, Kawasaki and Textron UTVs.

This year that initial offering gets expanded. Now Michelin is offering a new 26-inch UTV 5-4.5 inch bolt-pattern hub for John Deere Gator UTVs and Argo XTVs, as well as a 26-inch UTV 4-110 mm bolt-pattern for several Honda, Kubota, Yamaha and Argo ATVs and UTVs.

When the fist UTV Tweels were first introduced they offered only a top speed of the Tweels is limited to just 37 m.p.h. (60 km/h.). Now, that’s been substantially increased, with a jump up to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h.).

“With the new Tweel SSL2, we kept all the key features and improved in some areas,” Justin Brock, marketing manager for Tweel at Michelin, told Grainews earlier this summer. “One is we moved from a chemical adhesion on the hub to a mechanical connection. That mechanical connection is going to be poured with the polyurethane spokes. Now you can’t have any kind of separation there, and it’s going to improve the robustness of it. Also with the spokes we’re using a different indexing. That’s going to slow down the cracking by up to 10 times what it is today. It makes the spokes more impact resistant. It has a stiffer shear beam as well.

That new manufacturing process allows for increased reliability, hence the greater speed ratings.

“Every application has a different limitation and (top) speed,” added Brock.

This year Michelin also made improvements its skid steer Tweels, making 12 x 16.5 versions that will virtually every skid steer on the market.

“One thing to keep in mind with a Tweel is they come with a rim so the offset and bolt configuration can be a bit different,” said Brock. “Ours comes with a standard eight on eight bolt configuration. That fits 80 per cent of the machines. And if you have to fit the other 20 per cent we have a two-piece Tweel where you can buy the hub separately.”

Capacity for the skid steer Tweels is now 4,400 pounds and 15 km per hour.

For zero-turn mowers new 24- and 26-inch 5-on-4.5 bolt pattern hubs were introduced this year.

Michelin Tweels are available through any Michelin dealer to retail UTV Tweels through its regular dealer network and online at michelintweel.com.

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The CrossGrip, a tire designed for municipal operations like snow removal and mowing was one of the two new tires on display at the Michelin exhibit.

“It’s an agro-industrial tire from Michelin,” David Graden, operational marketing manager. “Its basic design at this point is for municipalities, folks that are mowing, road use. The lug design and the rubber used were specifically designed to be more pliable, have more biting edges in the snow and to give a nice, stable footprint for mowing.”

But the tire Prairie farmers will be most interested in is Michelin’s new AxioBib 2, which is designed to deliver high torque to the ground for maximum pulling traction.

“The AxioBib 2 is a branch off of an older design,” Graden says. “We’ve changed that tire to make it a VF now, so it’s very high flexion. It’s also air systems-ready, so it works with inflation systems. Michelin, as you know just purchased PTG and Teleflow back in November. Now we have a full package to offer with the air systems.”

PTG is a German company, and Teleflow is based in France. Both are specialists in tire pressure control systems.

The AxioBib 2 is designed specifically for mid- to high-horsepower tractors and is available for standard rim sizes.

“Just a couple of sizes are available today,” he adds. “We have a couple of European sizes in North America. However, we’re coming with more sizes very, very soon.”

Says Graden, “We’ve also stamped it with a high-traction stamp that Michelin has recently come out with. And that goes along with the VF rating on the tire. The footprint is much longer and wider than its predecessor.”

The AxioBib 2 is expected to soon be available from the major equipment brands a as factory-installed tire in the near future as more sizes become available.

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The deal, pending regulatory approval, calls for France’s Michelin to combine its off-the-road (OTR) business with Camso in a new division.

“By joining forces with Camso, Michelin will create the world’s No. 1 OTR market player, headquartered in Quebec,” Michelin said July 12.

“As world leader, the new entity will represent more than double the net sales of Camso” including 26 plants and about 12,000 employees, producing for “sustainably dynamic markets.”

For the agricultural market, the deal is expected to create “a unique player providing its customers with a comprehensive range of premium radial tires and tracks.”

Equipment brands featuring Camso tracks today include CNH’s Case, Case IH and New Holland, Agco’s Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra, John Deere, Versatile, Brent, Caterpillar, Claas, Deutz-Fahr, J+M and Laverda.

The new division, Michelin said, will combine the “expertise of Camso’s management team and Michelin’s long-standing presence in Canada” which includes three automotive tire plants in Nova Scotia and operations at Laval, Que.

Michelin today makes its agricultural tires in France, at a dedicated plant at Troyes, southeast of Paris.

Michelin said it has identified “significant opportunities to increase sales and reduce costs” through Camso, thus “unlocking up to US$55 million in synergies by 2021.”

However, Michelin said it has also committed to have the new division’s “decision-making centre” at Camso’s headquarters in Magog, Que., southwest of Sherbrooke, and to maintain a “stable” employee headcount at Camso’s headqarters as well as its existing R+D operations and production jobs in Quebec.

“The new skill sets required to oversee this global business, and the anticipated growth in the division’s net sales, will lead to the creation of new high-quality jobs in the Magog region in the coming years,” Michelin said.

Camso is billed as a “market leader in rubber tracks for farm equipment and snowmobiles, and in solid and bias tires for material handling equipment” and is among the top three in tracks and tires for small heavy equipment.

The company formed in 2010 in a merger of Quebec’s Camoplast and Luxembourg’s Groupe Solideal and rebranded as Camso in 2015. Its operations today include 22 manufacturing plants in 10 countries.

“Joining up with Michelin’s off-the-road teams is a fantastic opportunity for Camso because of the similarity of our cultures as well as our growth potential,” Camso executive chairman Pierre Marcouiller said in Michelin’s release.

“Camso will achieve its ambition to become the global off-the-road market leader and will contribute its dynamic teams, its technical and manufacturing assets and its customer-focused mindset.”

Michelin’s deal, he added, already has the backing of all Camso shareholders. — AGCanada.com Network

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He was talking about Michelin’s new EvoBIB ag tire designed for high-horsepower tractors. It’s designed to work more efficiently both on the road and in the field. It a good match for the on-board central inflation systems some tractors and at least one retrofit product now offer. The EvoBIB is designed to maximize traction and performance at different internal pressures. It can be aired up to a high pressure for high-speed road travel and then deflated to a lower pressure to maximize traction in the field.

• Read more: Titan Tire to build world’s largest ag tire

Although all radial ag tires can work reasonably well within a limited range of pressure settings, the unique thing about the EvoBIB is it is specifically engineered to offer two different effective footprints. A narrower one when inflation is high and a much wider one to decrease compaction and maximize traction when pressure is low. Michelin refers to it as a “two in one” tire.

Using the 710/70R42 display tire at the show as an example, Pantaleo explained how much the footprint changes. “(At high inflation), you’re going to get 710 millimetres of tread on the ground when it’s on the road. We want to minimize the amount of rolling resistance. When it gets to the field (and the pressure is reduced), now the tire actually becomes 860 millimetres in width. And because of the deflection, we’re going to have a very big footprint.”

“The reason we call it a transforming tire is we’ve designed the shoulders to hinge,” Pantaleo continues. “For those that feel you can just take a regular tire and do this, you can’t.”

The gap near the ends of the tread bars allows the sides of the tire tread face to actually hinge down and provide full grip across the expanded footprint in the field. At higher pressures only the central continuous sections of the tread bars grip the road, giving a smoother vibration-free ride, as well as fuel savings and improved safety.

The EvoBIBs will go on sale sometime in 2018.

Right now EvoBIBs will be available in two sizes, 710/70R42 and a 600/70R30. But Pantaleo says the range of sizes will be increased after production kicks off in the coming months.

The EvoBIBs fall into the VF (very high flexion) tire category and into Michelin’s Ultraflex technology suite of tires, which offer, what the company claims, are the highest load ratings for comparable tires in their class.

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In September it added the VF480/80R50 179D SprayBib to its VF (Very High Flexion) high-clearance sprayer tire offerings. “The tire is designed to offer farmers a unique balance between a narrow tire to avoid crop damage and a flotation tire to minimize compaction,” said James Crouch, farm segment marketing manager for Michelin North America, in a press release. The tire can carry a maximum load of over 17,000 pounds and has a top rated speed of 40 m.p.h.

In December Michelin plans to follow up that introduction with the release of an Ultraflex 710/45R22.5 165D CargoXBib High Flotation for its large implement line. It gets a new tread design that improves clean-out characteristics, replacing the current CargoXBib tread pattern that has been available in North America for the past seven years.

When it comes big singles for a tractor, the brand’s seven feet, six inches-tall IF900/65R46 190D AxioBib is the largest farm tire in in the world, according to the company, and it has a load capacity of 24,000 pounds. It was introduced in Europe in 2014 and will debut here in March.

A few months later, in June of 2016, the IF1000/55R32 CFO 188A8 CerexBib will hit the Canadian market. It’s designed for large combines and grain carts.

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Using the Pressure Calculator involves three steps. First, type in the load supported by front and rear axles. Then enter the type of tire using the drop-down menus. Finally, take a photo of the tractor with the smartphone. The app’s built-in camera function calculates load distribution and the length of the overhang measured from the axles. The app instantly works out the most appropriate tire pressure for the desired load and speed.

This app is the only one of its kind on the market, according to the company. It’s free and available on both Android and iOS devices. It’s also available in French.

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There is no standard rule in determining that, according to James Crouch, farm segment marketing manager at Michelin.

“There are a lot of different things that you can consider here,” he told Grainews. “The first one would obviously be a worn-out tire, if your tread depth is really low. But there’s not really a standard of how low it should be before you change it. It’s almost regional. Your soil type and moisture conditions will influence how effective your tire will be. It’s individually specific.”

“If you’re in a really wet region or year and your tire is really worn out, then your (wheel) slip is going to be really high, and it’s going to waste a lot of fuel. If it’s really dry, you may be able to hold off (replacing them) a little bit longer.”

Many newer-model tractors have wheel slip indicators, making it easy to determine what a tractor’s wheel slip rate is. On an older tractor, however, precisely determining that will be a little harder, and it may come down to using your experience as an operator. Looking at how far dirt is pushed backward by the lugs in a tire track when the tractor is under load can be a useful indicator.

“When your slip starts to increase and gets to a point that you know it’s much higher than it used to be, that’s when you need to start looking at changing your tires,” Crouch advises. “Any slip at all is wasted energy. You want to make sure that stays as low as possible and still allows the tractor to do what it is supposed to do.”

“Some of the equipment manufacturers (recommend) from three to seven per cent, three to 10 per cent in some cases,” he continues. “It can be different depending on what your implement is, how much drag it creates. Your machine is designed to work with a little bit of slip. Once you get up to that eight, 10, 12 per cent, you start to waste a little bit of fuel.”

Finding serious damage

Aside from assessing tread wear, finding serious damage is the other factor in deciding when to replace a tire.

“When you start to see cords, it needs to come off,” Crouch says. “Any other damage needs to be looked at on an individual basis. Damage on the shoulder (also) needs to be looked at or repaired. Most of the time if you see enough damage to get your attention, it’s time to call your tire dealer and let them look at it. They can tell you if it can be fixed.”

If it’s time for new shoes on an older machine that still rolls on bias rubber, upgrading to radials could make sense if you expect to continue using the tractor for a few more years. Radials will vastly improve its performance.

“It’ll be night and day different,” says Crouch. “It will change the tractor completely. You’ll never go back to a bias, which is why the market has gone radial so fast. Your initial investment will be much higher, but the longevity will pay for itself two or three times. It will be a complete game changer. ”

“You’re going to be more fuel efficient,” he continues. “The ride quality is so much different on a radial than a bias. If you’re on the road at all, you’re going to see a huge difference in the longevity of the tire, because it’s going to wear evenly as opposed to a bias which is going to wear in the centre because of the construction of the tire.”

And when you replace tires, don’t fall back on internal fluid for ballast, even if the tractor currently uses it.

“We don’t recommend it,” Crouch says. “We would rather see someone put cast iron weights on to get what you need. The reason we do is because when you put fluid into a tire for weight, it changes the entire movement of the tire. Any radial tire is designed to flex. When you put fluid in there, it changes the way the tire is able to move. So it will change the performance of the tire a bit. It will change the contact patch. It will change the way the footprint plays out. It will change the way the tire wears. You lose a lot of the benefit of a radial and you’re starting to backtrack toward a bias.”

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IF tires are capable at operating at up to 20 per cent reduced air pressures and VF radials hit the 40 per cent inflation reduction mark when compared to standard radials. That significantly improves their performance.

This year marks 10 years of Michelin’s trademark Ultraflex Tire production, which includes lines that use both IF and VF technology. To commemorate that anniversary, the company recently conducted tire demonstrations at its research center in Ladoux France in late September. A select group of farmers, tire dealers and “other industry influencers” from around the world were invited to attend the event, which showcased the company’s tire innovations.

At the French facility, a tractor carrying a load of nearly 10,000 pounds was driven over a pit filled with thin layers of soil of alternating colours to demonstrate the impact of tire pressure. In one test, a standard radial tire was used. Then, the air pressure was lowered to simulate an Ultraflex tire. The reduction in soil compaction was noticeable.

Because IF and VF tires operate on lower air pressures than standard radials, they leave a bigger footprint that distributes a machine’s weight over a larger area. That’s what leads to lower soil compaction. The expanded footprints also offer better traction, which translates directly to another huge benefit: improved fuel economy, because wheel slip is reduced.

“Lower air pressure helps spread the weight of heavy farm equipment, resulting in a larger footprint, which reduces soil compaction,” said James Crouch, farm segment marketing manager for Michelin North America. “Lower compaction helps protect crop yields and offers better traction, which in turn improves fuel economy and productivity in the field.”

But getting that benefit from an IF or VF radial ag tire is only possible when inflation pressure is properly set. Determining what pressure settings should be depends on the axle load, and maximum travel speeds, according to Crouch. If farmers can’t determine the axle weights for a tractor from available information, Crouch recommends they weigh the tractor at a grain terminal or other scale to get an accurate number. With that information farmers can refer to tire manufacturers’ published inflation tables for recommended settings based on axle weights and maximum travel speeds.

“The OE manufacturer can give you a pretty good idea of how weight is distributed on that machine,” he added. “With a little math you can figure out how much load is on each individual tire. With that you can look at any (tire) manufacturer’s website and bring up a load table. Our sales force also carries DOT-rated scales in their work trucks. And they’ll actually come to the farm and weigh your equipment.”

Crouch confirmed that service is available in Western Canada. Michelin customers can take advantage of it through their local Michelin ag tire dealer.

And this summer, Michelin announced some additions to both the standard and Ultraflex tire lines.

The SprayBib group grows by one with a new VF420/95R50 177D, a 50-inch model. It’s the industry’s first VF sprayer tire offered in this larger size according to Michelin. It shares all the qualities of the current 46-inch SprayBib range but offers them for bigger sprayers that carry heavier loads.

Available near the end of 2014, the company also introduced the standard radial 480/95 R50 AgriBib rear tractor tire, which provides a taller tire option with enhanced ride and clean-out characteristics for MFWD and four-wheel drive tractors.

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