9 August 2016, 10:45
Trelleborg successfully hosted the second Chinese stop of its 2016 Field Days in Shihezi, Xinjiang, on July 26th. More than 300 visitors, including professional farmers, tractor dealers, trade media and local farm management attended the event.
Andrea Manenti, Country Manager China, at Trelleborg Agricultural and Forestry Tires, says: “It is becoming crucial for modern farms to reduce fuel consumption and protect the soil. It was an honor for us to have professional farmers from Xinjiang witness how our tires can protect the soil, reduce fuel consumption, and increase efficiency.
“We are dedicated to the China market, bringing it our premium technology for radial agricultural tires and promoting sustainable farming; consciously supporting our customers with our local team and production facility.”
As part of its Field Day, Trelleborg hosted multiple field demonstrations highlighting the impact of tire technology, size and footprint on speed, fuel consumption, soil compaction and farming efficiency.
Speed and fuel consumption tests involved two John Deere 2204 tractors with a 2.5 meter wide sub-tiller, as well as the same transmission shift and RPM. One tractor was fitted with standard radial tire 420/90R30 and 480/80R46 TM600, while the other tractor was fitted with Trelleborg radial tires 540/65R30 and 650/65R42 TM800. Over a track of 200 meters, the tractor with Trelleborg TM800 radial tires was 5.5 seconds faster and consumed 0.21 liters less fuel, equal to a 14.5% of saving on fuel consumption.
Footprint comparison was measured during the test. The 480/80R46 TM800 tire inflated at a pressure of 1.6 bar, resulted in a footprint area of 4000 cm2, while a 650/65R42 TM800 tire inflated at 1.3 Bar had a footprint area of 5400 cm2. The wider tire increased the footprint area by 35% and the larger footprint resulted in lower soil compaction, higher crop yield, increased traction and better work efficiency.
For the pulling Test, a CAT Challenger MT865C tractor was pulled by two John Deere 2204 tractors connected with a steel rope on a pulley, with the same transmission shift and RPM. One tractor was fitted with 420/90R30 and 480/80R46 TM600, the other tractor was fitted with 540/65R30 and 650/65R42 TM800. The tractor with the wider tires reached the end of the line 16.5 meters ahead of the other one, demonstrating that a wider and larger contact area better transfers the tractor’s power to the ground, providing more traction.
Source: Trelleborg Wheel Systems