JCB is fitting Michelin’s new BibLoad Hard Surface tyres as original equipment across its range of telehandlers, loadalls and backhoe loaders.
According to a spokesman for JCB, the decision was made on foot of a number of customer trials in which the BibLoad demonstrated ‘high levels of damage resistance and impressive handling on rugged surfaces’.
One such customer, Rob Rawlins, owner of WH & SJ Rawlins in Wiltshire, UK tested the BibLoad hard surface tyres on a two-year-old JCB 536-70 loadall across a mix of concrete yards, fields and roads, carrying out duties ranging from cattle feeding to spreader loading. Despite having already completed 500 hours in service, totalling more than 2,500 miles, the tyres still have 29mm of tread remaining out of 33mm.
Mike Phillips, Michelin’s Key Account Manager – Original Equipment, explains: “We saw a great opportunity to develop a tyre for these specialist machines that was robust and long-lasting, but which could also be used on the road without wearing too quickly.”
