Warwickshire-based agricultural contractor, Mill Farm Ashorne has reported positive results from its Michelin RoadBib tyres, specified as original equipment on its new Fendt 828 tractor.
Providing a nationwide variety of services – including hedge cutting, seeding and grassland work – Mill Farm Ashorne’s tractors cover a lot of road miles and require a tyre that can stand up to the intense work.
Opting for the 600/70 R30 and 710/70 R42 Michelin RoadBibs, owner Chris Gardner says: “The tyres are really smooth on the road, very quiet in comparison to traditional lugged agricultural tyres. When you’ve done a long drive, they feel cooler than the tyres we’ve run in the past which says to me they won’t wear as fast. We’ve also seen an early reduction in fuel consumption. They are delivering everything we’d hoped for in that respect.”
Specifically designed to provide high performance, longevity and traction on farm machines used intensively on the road, RoadBib tyres feature a unique tread design comprising 52 tread blocks to maximise traction – allowing 40 per cent of the tyre to remain in contact with the road surface – a 60 per cent increase versus a traditional Michelin lugged agricultural tyre – whilst increasing driver comfort and extending tyre life.
Mill Farm Ashorne has equipped its new Fendt 828 with VarioGrip technology that allows the driver to optimise the RoadBib pressures depending on the tractor’s requirements of the tyre, at the touch of a button.
Gardner explains: “With traditional ag-style tyres, working at the slower speeds required for hedge cutting, the tractor can rock from cleat to cleat, and you get a bit of a bounce. A tiny rock in the tractor becomes quite significant at the end of the long arm of the hedge cutter. However, with the pattern on the RoadBibs, when we have them pumped up you’ve essentially got a smooth tyre, which means no bounce and much better finish on the hedge.
“In the field, when we drop the pressures down, they don’t chew up the grass as a traditional agri tyre might – on the headlands for example. We’ve also done a little bit of work on cultivated ground and dropping the pressure down gives you excellent grip, with no wallow or slippage. So far, they really are ticking every box.”
