On all agricultural farms, the telehandler has become an essential tool. Versatile, powerful and agile, it takes care of fodder handling, skip loading, pallet moving or building maintenance on a daily basis.
It forms the real backbone of work on the farm, often operating for many hours per day, on varied surfaces: concrete, gravel, earth or even mud.
But the performance of these machines depends more than we might imagine on the quality of their tyres. Too often considered as mere consumables, they actually play a key role in security, stability and productivity. Classical agricultural tyres, engineered for traction in the fields, are not designed to resist the specific constraints linked to telescopic handlers: heavy loads, repeated tight turns and abrasive ground. Faced with these requirements, the need for specialised industrial tyres is multiplied.
It is in this context that Bridgestone has designed a new generation of industrial tyre: the VH-IND. The fruit of a technical innovation stemming from the brand’s agricultural know-how, it pushes the boundaries in terms of load resistance, stability and wear life.
In this article, we will look at:
Not all agricultural tyres are equivalent. A standard agricultural tyre is designed for work in the fields, with a low inflation pressure and supple sidewalls, which preserve the soil structure.
Inversely, an industrial tyre is developed for work on hard ground, heavy handling operations and intensive manoeuvres in the farm courtyard.
On a telehandler, the pressure exerted on the front tyres during lifting or movement with a heavy load is considerable. A classical agricultural tyre, which is too supple, becomes distorted and wears prematurely, increasing the risk of losing balance or punctures.
Standard agricultural tyres guarantee a good level of traction and a large soil footprint, which is ideal for limiting compaction.
But their soft rubber and flexible sidewalls wear away rapidly on hard ground such as concrete or coated surfaces.
Industrial tyres have a reinforced casing, several layers of rubber and a thicker tread.
They offer better lateral stability and cope with the efforts of torsion and repeated loads without distortion.
Their denser rubber and the depth of their superior tread ensure an extended lifespan and optimal grip on all surfaces.
If you fit standard agricultural tyres on a telehandler, you run the risk of:
Industrial tyres, on the other hand, are designed to cope with cyclic loads and maintain perfect geometry during manoeuvres, even with repeated heavy loads.
Telescopic handler tyres are faced with repeated load cycles: lifting, transport, breaking and tight cornering.
A good industrial tyre must therefore offer exemplary structural resistance thanks to a reinforced casing, thick sidewalls and a dense tread.
The VH-IND, capable of withstanding a pressure of up to 4.5 bar, offers a much better safety margin and stability than its competitors.
The lifting of heavy loads transfers all the weight to the front axle.
A rigid casing and reinforced bead are essential to avoid lateral distortions.
The VH-IND tyre offers 8% more stability than its main competitors, thus guaranteeing safety and comfort during the most demanding manoeuvres.
Work on the farm alternates between hard ground and softer surfaces: concrete, gravel, moist earth or mud.
To ensure high performance levels everywhere, an industrial tyre must ensure constant grip and a controlled tractive effort.
The design of the VH-IND tyre, with its central blocks and its double stabiliser link bar, ensures 12% more pulling force and 4% less slip compared to its competitors.
The wear life of an industrial tyre is measured by its resistance to wear and external aggressions. The best models contain premium anti-abrasion rubber, enriched with natural rubber and plant-based oils for more elasticity and shock resistance.
The VH-IND’s higher rubber volume (+20%) contributes directly to slower wear and better profitability over time.
On farms where the machines operate daily on hard surfaces, this longer lifespan leads to a significant decrease in the cost of use.
When it comes to heavy handling operations, there’s only one criterion which really makes the difference: the load resistance.
A telehandler can lift several tonnes at the top of the boom, which places considerable strain on the front tyres. They must cope with these repeated loads without losing their shape, without any loss of balance and with no damage to the internal tyre structure.
It’s precisely at this level that a premium industrial tyre makes the difference: its reinforced casing and its ultra-solid bead allow it to cope with high inflation pressures of up to 4.5 bar, where a standard agricultural tyre can handle a pressure of 2.5 to 3 bar.
This extra pressure capacity is the key: it makes it possible to increase the load carrying capacity by around 500 to 600 kg per tyre, while guaranteeing greater stability during lifting or moving around.
The resistance capacity is not limited to load. It also concerns durability over time.
Industrial tyres such as Bridgestone’s VH-IND have a multilayered casing— up to six reinforcement layers— and a thick tread belt which absorbs chocks without distortion.
This design reduces material fatigue, improves puncture resistance and extends the tyre wear life, even in the most abrasive environments.
The result is less stops, less tyre replacements and optimised productivity for the farm.
Stability is a major security factor during lifting. A tyre capable of maintaining its shape under the weight of a heavy load guarantees optimal machine balance, even at great heights.
The VH-IND tyre, tested compared to the competition, offers 8% quicker stabilisation and better lateral stiffness, thus reducing the risk of tipping over.
Le Bridgestone's VH-IND marks a new step in the tyre makers’ agricultural range.
Specially developed for telehandlers and agricultural loaders, it is currently available in size 460/70 R24, the most common on the market, covering almost 50% of needs.
The secret of its performance lies in its reinforced structure:
Thanks to this design, the VH-IND offers better stability and fluid manoeuvrability, which are essential in confined spaces within buildings or on farm floor slabs.
Tests carried out in 2025 by the independent PCLT centre in Belgium have confirmed the superiority of the VH-IND tyre:
Faced with its main competitors, the VH-IND is clearly the benchmark in terms of resistance, comfort and security.
The VH-IND tyre is made using ENLITEN technology, developed through Bridgestone’s R&D programmes.
This innovation combines security, performance and sustainability, by reducing the consumption of raw materials and CO₂ emissions linked to the manufacturing process.
The rubber compound uses certain plant-based oils which replace the traditional petroleum oils, improving resistance to abrasion.
ENLITEN also extends the tyre wear life and improves the total cost of ownership - a significant argument for farmers looking for long-term efficiency.
Agricultural farms require increasingly high-performance equipment that is capable of following the rhythm of the intense and varied activities. With the VH-IND, Bridgestone has made a major breakthrough: a tyre that is capable of carrying the heaviest loads, remain stable in all conditions, and withstand wear on a long-term basis, while offering remarkable driving comfort.
The VH-IND is not only an industrial tyre, it’s a high-performance tool for demanding farmers who want to get the most from their telehandlers.
Choosing the right tyre means optimising every hour of work on the farm – and with the VH-IND, Bridgestone has produced the absolute benchmark for the sector.
The Bridgestone-agriculture.eu blog is written and administered by tractor tyre experts who are available to provide you with the advice you need on the subject of your agricultural tyres. They allow you to maximise your productivity with information on all subjects linked to tyres: Technical data for agricultural tyres – Agricultural tyre performance – Air pressure advice, Solutions to avoid soil compaction – Sprayer tyre pressure – Why and how to ballast your tractor tyres – etc.
To take it one step further and increase the profitability of your farm, the blog Bridgestone-agriculture.eu provide a free, highly detailed eBook which explains the essential role of the agricultural tyre in your productivity.
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