Agricultural tyres generally appear quite similar irrespective of the brand, which makes it relatively difficult to spot the difference visually between top quality tyres and discount tyres. The price therefore wrongly becomes a differentiating element, as you may get the impression that you are paying for the brand rather than for the tyre, like for certain consumer goods.
Yet there is a huge difference between agricultural tyres at the level of the manufacturing process and the basic materials used to produce your tyre change everything: more resistance to wear, more resistance to perforation and cuts, more suppleness, driving comfort, tractor stability, better soil preservation and safer driving on the road…
In short, even if they look alike on the outside, top-of-the-range tyres are the fruit of the complex blending of very specific high-quality materials which offer you a maximum lifespan and optimal productivity.
A top-of-the-range tyre is the result of mixing very specific doses of raw materials, developed through research and development and making it possible to optimise the tyre’s characteristics.
Here are the principal materials used in the composition of tyres and their role in improving overall quality:
Natural rubber is one of the basic components of tyre rubber, with irreplaceable elasticity, resistance, adherence and impermeability characteristics.
It comes from Hevea tree sap, in the form of a white liquid which is then coagulated to obtain natural rubber. It is perfectly suited to the vulcanisation process which transforms it from plastic to elastic.
It’s the proportional share of this basic ingredient which makes the first difference between a top quality and a low quality tyre.
Discount tyres are essentially made up of much cheaper synthetic rubber which is less durable and not recyclable.
The Bridgestone group has chosen to use sustainably managed natural resources and has its own Hevea tree plantations in Africa, in Liberia. This ecological management of resources allows the group to balance out its supplies with a long-term environmental vision, with the aim of achieving a 100% sustainable use of materials in the coming years.
Derived from hydrocarbons, synthetic rubber is mixed with the natural rubber to improve resistance.
They improve the basic rubber mixture and are essential to obtain a high-quality tyre. It is often on these products that savings are made in discount tyres.
These additives are used to obtain a perfectly uniform and supple mixture which helps to reduce the cost of moulding.
These additives improve the level of quality of the tyre, its resistance, its lifespan…
Vulcanisation is the tyre curing stage, making it possible to create molecular chains which change the properties of the rubber from plastic to elastic.
Apart from the raw materials themselves, what gives the tyre its resistance is the highly technical assembly process, deriving from thousands of hours of tests and research and development, to obtain a top-range tyre with exceptional characteristics.
One of the essential components of tyre resistance is the inclusion of either fabric or metal fibres within the rubber.
To obtain maximum resistance, metal mesh is used which provide excellent resistance to impacts, punctures and flexion.
The disadvantage here is the excessive rigidity of this type of structure, which is particularly suitable for heavy machinery, or special tyres, such as narrow forestry tyres. These metal cables made up of twisted wires are a mixture of steel, copper and zinc.
For use with field crops or in polyculture farming, where soil preservation is crucial, tyres produced using wire cables are less suitable, therefore less common. Nylon, polyester or rayon fibre mesh is used. This fabric mesh has a major advantage in terms of elongation and reinforces the structure of the tyre, while it retains its suppleness and ability to work at very low pressure. These layers of fabric are processed in a latex bath for perfect adhesion with the surrounding rubber.
A top-quality tyre is a complex assembly which takes into account the interactions of each of the components with its environment. The rubber used for the interior of the tyre must have better hermetic characteristics in order to contain pressure, the rubber in the sidewalls must provide maximum suppleness but resist impacts, the rubber in the tread must be ultra-resistant to wear but very stable to transmit tractive force and engine torque to the ground.
Like in all sectors of activity, top quality equipment cannot be judged only based on its external appearance.
Your tractor’s engine power may be very different, even if the external bodywork is similar. The same applies for the quality of tyres, but with extreme differences between tyre ranges, because unfortunately you cannot see inside the rubber unless you cut it. What is visible, on the other hand, is the performance, for which there is no comparison possible between standard tyres and top-quality tyres.
The reinforced casing is a guarantee of resistance to impacts, it makes it possible to increase the load by 40% compared to standard tyres. This category of VF tyre can easily bear variations in load during cyclic harvesting operations for example.
The very special sidewall concept will enable maximum flexion during general use, making it possible to work at very low pressure, while maintaining normal working speed.
The tread design and the overall cohesion of the tyre make it possible to improve traction and reduce slippage.
The very special VT-Tractor technology allows you to work continuously without losing time by having to change tyre pressure when going from road to field or the other way round.
Driving at low inflation pressure on the road will not alter your tyre.
The use of specific materials in the rubber composition makes it possible to extend the lifespan of the tyres by several thousand hours compared to a normal tyre. The rubber compounds increase resistance to cuts and to asphalt abrasion.
All the components as well as adapted profiles allow use on the road at greater speed, in total safety and with more comfort.
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, les Experts du pneu provide a free, highly detailed eBook which explains the essential role of the agricultural tyre in your productivity.
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