W Dale & Son has reported impressive longevity from the Michelin BibLoad Hard Surface tyres it specified as original equipment on a JCB Agri Super telehandler.
The agricultural and recycling contractor has clocked up more than 5,300 hours on the durable 460/70 R24 fitments, which still have more than 10mm of the original 33mm tread left on the casing.
Commenting, Nick Dale, partner at W Dale & Son, says: “Usually we would consider 4,500 hours to be a good life for a tyre doing this sort of work. So, to already record the hours we have and still have plenty of life remaining, is really impressive. If the tyres continue to wear at a similar rate, we should be getting up to 6,000 hours out of this set.”
W Dale & Son use the telehandler, which was first put into operation in July 2020, to load trucks and keep the drying plant topped up as part of its biomass recycling business. It’s an integral part of a busy fleet which also includes three tractors, one loading shovel, one self-propelled sprayer, a forage harvester and a combine.
“The JCB is predominantly working on concrete, doing yard work, feeding our dryer and screening plant with timber, plus a bit of straw stacking out in the fields in summer,” explains Dale. “The performance of the tyres is very good. When working on the wood recycling operation, you can pick up a lot of punctures, it’s just the nature of the job. But the BibLoads seem to be quite hardy, the sidewalls are strong and can withstand quite a lot.
Established in 1999, W Dale & Son provides local agricultural contracting services, farming and contract farming operations, and dried biomass supply. The business also specialises in the growing, drying and baling of lucerne for the poultry industry.
