Authored by: Tractor tyre expert | 24 May 2024
When the haymaking period approaches, livestock farmers know that the quality of fodder harvested is crucial for animal nutrition. To maximise the quality of the grass harvested, each detail counts, and the choice of agricultural tyre must not be neglected. Agricultural tyres effectively impact the field during numerous passages: cutting, tedding, swathing…
Unsuitable tyres can compact the soil, damage the fodder and have a negative effect on quality by incorporating earth and debris. On the other hand, well-chosen tyres minimise pressure to the ground, do not harm the quality of the stems and leaves or the drying process, which is crucial to avoid mould and maximise the nutritional value of the fodder. By choosing good tyres for the haymaking period, and more generally for mixed crop-livestock farming activities, not only do you invest in lasting equipment, you protect the quality of the fodder which will feed your animals throughout the year.
Agricultural tyres must be kind to the soil to avoid damaging grass fields. If your equipment is not suitable, this can result in soil compaction, which reduces the quality of regrowth following cutting. This is one of the reasons why it is essential to choose tyres that are suited to your soil and to your activity.
During cutting, the grass is scattered to the ground to encourage the drying stage and allow better ventilation of the fodder. Driving over it is almost inevitable and can cause problems. If your tyres are unsuitable, you will destroy part of your work by flattening the fodder to the ground and crushing the stems. This part will be harder to recover during swathing. It’s at this level that a specially adapted tyre, such as a large sized tyre working at a low inflation pressure, will be less damaging for your harvest.
Poor quality tyres with an unsuitable inflation pressure, which slip a lot, can tear up grass roots and increase the risk of incorporating earth in the fodder. The earth will diminish the food quality and potentially introduce harmful spores, such as butyric acid producing spores which are bad for conservation. To avoid this inconvenience, check your inflation pressure regularly and invest in suitable tyres for activities linked to mixed crop-livestock farming.
For fodder harvesting, give preference to tyres that can work at low pressure while ensuring optimal traction and handling capacities. These features reduce soil compaction and guarantee a clean harvest, without contamination by earth particles. By protecting the quality of your fodder, you ensure that your animals get better feed with better yields into the bargain.
Good road handling capacity is recommended for the transport of hay or straw. It will be indispensable to adapt inflation pressure for transport by road (between 1.6 and 2 bar) to reduce rolling resistance on the road surface and reduce tyre wear. This helps you save fuel and reduce tyre maintenance and replacement costs, while ensuring better stability and safety when transporting a load.
The tyres must also be handy on the farm for the storage and of bales of hay, packing down silage silos, feeding livestock and cleaning out stalls. For manoeuvres in the farm courtyard and livestock buildings, higher pressure (around 2.4 bar) ensures tractor stability. You can also lift and move heavy loads on hard ground without the risk of overturning, which improves safety and efficiency during operations.
Firestone stands out due to the exceptional quality of its tyres, in particular their extra-resistant casing. This robustness comes from the incorporation of layers of high-quality fabric and multiple layers of natural rubber in the tyres’ internal structure. This ingenious design guarantees exceptional durability and a tyre that is perfectly suited to multiple different uses in livestock farming.
For work in the fields, it is essential to be able to reduce the pressure in the tyres to avoid squashing the fodder. By going down to a very low inflation pressure, between 0.8 and 1.1 bar, you minimise soil compaction while improving traction. This suppleness is directly linked to the design of the casing which allows you to protect the quality of your fodder.
On the other hand, when you use your tractor to pack down silage silos, you must be able to increase the inflation pressure. By adjusting the pressure to around 2.4 bar or more, depending on the resistance of the casing and the size of the tyres, you will improve the silage quality while working more rapidly. With tyres that can cope with high pressure, you guarantee better tractor stability during lifting and moving operations involving heavy loads. This ability to work at a high inflation pressure for specific needs will be very useful in mixed crop-livestock farming.
Firestone’s Performer Extra 85 represents an optimal choice for farmers working in mixed polycropping-livestock farming. Its specific design provides a perfect match for the varying needs encountered in this field of activity.
This versatile tyre stands out though the quality of its tread. This feature gives it excellent handling capacities, even in difficult conditions. The long asymmetric lugs provide optimal traction, whilst the design of its reinforced casing guarantees remarkable stability. This means that even on rough terrain or wet ground, a tractor equipped with Performer 85 tyres remains constant and reliable, making it possible to conduct all operations linked to livestock farming efficiently.
When it comes to haymaking, the quality of the fodder harvested is vital for the health of your animals and for livestock farming productivity. The choice of agricultural tyres must not be taken lightly. They effectively play an important role in protecting the quality of the fodder, while limiting compaction and making harvesting easier.
While there is no specific tyre for haymaking, certain tyre models, such as Firestone’s Performer 85, stand out for their optimal features and quality work in mixed polycropping-livestock farming activities. During the haymaking period, for cutting, tedding or swathing, loading or unloading, cleaning the stalls…. This multipurpose tyre can be your faithful ally, allowing you to complete your livestock farming tasks with precision and efficiency.
With Firestone, you have the guarantee of tractor tyres that deliver a real advantage, and that in choosing our brand, you can work worry-free.
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