Authored by: Tractor tyre expert | 25 September 2024
Asphalt, which is much more abrasive than earth, acts like sandpaper on your tyres, significantly reducing their wear life. Unfortunately, frequent use of the tractor on the road has become a necessity for many farmers due to the increasing distance between fields.
Tractor tyres are not originally designed for intensive use on the road. The road surfacing, which is much harder than earth, accelerates tyre wear, as well as the frequency of tyre replacements and the related costs. However, for those who travel long distances, it is possible to adopt certain practices to reduce this wear and make good savings.
In this article we present practical advice on how to optimise use of your agricultural tyres on the road. Whether by choosing suitable tyres or by adopting good maintenance habits, there are ways to extend your tyres’ lifespan. These solutions can help you reduce operating costs for your tractor while preserving your equipment.
If you travel by road a lot, you may have the impression that your tractor tyres wear more quickly. It’s not just an impression, it’s a fact! Asphalt is your tractor tyres’ worst enemy.
Far from being a smooth, even surface, asphalt is in fact made up of tiny rough, sharp particles. These micro-irregularities, comprising little pieces of rock, gravel and tar, act like sandpaper on your tyres. On every rotation of the wheel, these abrasive particles rub away a bit of rubber, thus accelerating wear.
If you consider that all the roads in good condition are aggressive for your tyres, imagine the result when the road surface is damaged! Potholes, fissures and distortions of the roadway are a source of repeated shocks for your tyres. These impacts tear off bits of rubber and make the tyre lugs more fragile.
One of the best ways of extending the lifespan of your agricultural tyres is to adjust the inflation pressure regularly. The pressure in an agricultural tyre is not a fixed setting. It must be adapted based on different factors, such as the load transported, your speed and the type of ground on which you drive.
Pressure makes it possible to compensate for the load to avoid squashing the tyre under the effect of the weight. If the load is excessive, there is too much pressure on the tyre structure, which can damage the casing and accelerate wear to the tread when you travel long distances by road.
Pressure that is too low will cause the tyre to overheat, especially at speed. This heat makes the rubber softer and therefore more sensitive to abrasion, which will reduce the tyre’s wear life. The overheating also has a negative effect on the internal structure, causing strain and the shrinking of components. When you travel by road, we therefore advise you to inflate your tyres more to reduce wear.
Correct parallelism is essential to guarantee even and regular wear to your tyres and optimise their useful life.
For good control over tyre wear, it is important to check not only parallelism but also wheel camber.
This is the tilt of wheel inward or outward in relation to the true vertical. Incorrect camber can also cause irregular tyre wear.
Imbalance of the front axis is more likely if your tractor is equipped with a front loader. Which is why regular check-ups are necessary.
The choice of appropriate dimensions for a four wheel drive tractor with different size wheels is vital. A correct lead ratio, which is the difference in rotation speed between the front and rear tyres, is essential to optimise axle synchronisation and reduce wear.
An unsuitable lead ratio can lead to premature tyre wear, either at the level of the front or rear axle.
Driving too fast can have harmful consequences for your tyres. With speed, the tyre’s slip ratio on the ground increases, leading to more friction, heating and wear, which is why we advise you to reduce speed overall.
Each tractor tyre has a speed rating indicated on its sidewall. This rating corresponds to the maximum speed at which you can drive safely with a given load, and with a nominal inflation pressure defined by the manufacturer (ask your professional tyre dealer for this information). If you exceed this limit you run the risk of damaging your equipment.
In addition to complying with the speed rating, opting for a smooth style of driving helps to preserve your tyres. Avoid sharp accelerations, violent braking and cornering at speed. These types of manoeuvre put the rubber under strain and accelerate wear.
The load bearing down on your agricultural tyres is a decisive factor in their wear. Overloading causes irreversible damage and reduces the tyre’s lifespan.
A balanced distribution of the load over the different axles is essential if you wish to preserve your tyres. If the weight is concentrated on one axle alone, the other axle is unloaded, leading to bad road handling capacities for your combination vehicle. The overloaded axle will inevitable suffer premature wear.
The choice of tyre is important if you are looking for a long wear life, especially for frequent use on the road. Firestone’s Maxi Traction tyre, for example, has significant advantages in terms of longevity and driving comfort.
The Maxi Traction tyre was specially designed to balance the demands of traction in the fields and transport by road.
Intensive road use causes premature deterioration of tractor tyres due to the abrasiveness of the asphalt road surface. To extend their lifespan, several measures must be taken such as adjusting tyre pressure based on load, checking parallelism regularly, reducing speed and opting for a smooth style of driving. In addition, choosing tyres that are specially designed for mixed use, such as Firestone’s Max Traction tyres, allows you to benefit from greater resistance to wear and optimal adherence on the road.
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