As farmers continue to pursue the perennial challenge of improving soil health, be it through no-till / regen approaches, carbon retention and credits, yield productivity, or government-funded schemes, many new and innovative products and approaches are being utilised.
Bridgestone Urges Farmers to Be Aware of the Fundamentals of Tyre Selection to Better Improve Soil Health
Along with these products and approaches, understanding the fundamental requirements for tyre selection has never been more critical, according to Bridgestone’s Sales Manager Stephen Lamb, who believes that thousands of pounds worth of crop yield is being lost as a result.
He is now urging farm businesses and contractors to consider tyres as a priority rather than an afterthought, as can often be the case.
Tyre Selection Crucial for Maximising Crop Yield, Says Bridgestone’s Stephen Lamb
Bridgestone’s Lamb said: “Too often we see good intent to improve soil health, but tyre considerations are still much lower down the list of prioritised items. The weight and movement of tractors and machinery across the land is a real contributing factor to soil compaction, soil disturbance and yield reduction. This all impacts on a business’s bottom line. Not only is it important to understand this, but it must be acted upon in order to appreciate the significant benefit gains.”
“If you were to invest the same amount of time you put in to say, selecting the optimum choice of implements for your soils, or the optimum seed varieties, you would see a positive return on that investment. So, the consideration of optimum tyre selection should be adopted as standard practice, especially when talking with your salesperson.
“Yet, in many cases, it is not. How often do you see an expensive new SP Sprayer sporting row crops of a non-VF specification, meaning the sprayer will have a much greater negative impact on the farm’s soil for the whole time the sprayer lives on that farm? Another example is a new tractor fitted with 900s because we want to protect the soil. This is great, but with a small amount of research, maybe VF710’s could have been a much wiser choice?”
Optimising Tyre Selection to Minimise Soil Compaction and Boost Efficiency
Lamb added, “Firstly, we don’t want to go onto the land, but wherever we need to move soil or cut through it, an anchor point (footprint) will need to be established. With the anchor point being the soil’s enemy, we need to make sure it’s as restricted as possible but still capable of its efficient function.
“To help restrict it, look at increasing its length, which could, in turn, help in reducing its width and reducing the tyre to field contact percentage. We want to have the lowest anchor-point operating pressure/ground pressure with the narrowest tyre to carry out the application.
“Also, look at achieving the highest optimum travel speed. The less time the anchor point is directly in contact with the soil at any one moment is beneficial to reducing the degree of compaction generated. The less amount of compaction generated, the less the amount of costly eradication is needed thereafter.
“Once we understand these fundamental benchmarks of any field operation, we can then go on to seeing what tyre sizes and specs will best represent those benchmarks within the framework of the tractor and its application.”
