Tyres top the innovation section at SIMA International Agribusiness Show in Paris
The Michelin Evobib tyre was a gold medal winner because it enables farmers to move easily from field use to road use, while conserving the soil and maintaining good road travel performance.
At the recommended inflated pressure on the road, only the central portion of the tread pattern is in contact.
This portion is specifically designed to target road performance (low rolling resistance, no vibration).
For field operation, the tyre pressure can go as low as 0.6 bar, one of the lowest on the market.
At low pressure, the outside portion of the studs expand to the ground, significantly increasing the contact area. At work, sliding is limited.
The tyre’s soil footprint is 20% bigger than at the road inflation setting.
The Michelin Evobib tyre is the first radial tyre whose contact area expands when the pressure drops.
Until now, agricultural tyres have been compromises, between the specific constraints of hard surfaces and agricultural soil, according to the SIMA innovation judges.
They said this two-in-one tyre is an better option than the remote tyre inflation systems used to prevent heavy machines causing soil compaction.
The other SIMA innovation gold medal went to Swedish tyre maker Trelleborg, for its load-based variable tyre pressure system.
It automatically matches the pressure in a combine harvester’s front wheels to the load in the grain hopper.
Developed in partnership with leading tractor manufacturer Agco Fendt, the load-based variable tyre pressure system automatically adapts its footprint to reduce soil compaction, without driver intervention.
When the grain hopper is being emptied, the valve opens, and the pressure drops to the new load-pressure set point, which might be half the working pressure under load.
As harvesting continues, and the grain hopper is gradually filled, a compressor raises the tyre pressure to the original set point.
This complete wheel system is controlled by sensors measuring tyre deformation, pressure, and temperature. An electronic central processor controls a compressor and a valve to adjust the pressure. The compressor is mounted directly on the tyre’s rim.
According to the SIMA innovation judges, it appears to provide a complete solution for virtually every all-terrain vehicle manufacturer who has to compromise between traction and soil compaction.
All of the components fit inside the tyre rim.
The kit is fully autonomous, and free of the complex and fragile connections of compressed air and rotating joints in some other remote tyre inflation systems.
In some fragile soil conditions, it could be an alternative to investing in a caterpillar track.
Piero Mancinelli, R&D director, agricultural and forestry tyres, at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, said: “Precision farming technologies are, today, in use across over 5% of cultivated land, which is projected to reach 20% within the next decade.
“As a result, driverless machines and robots connected with the internet of things (IoT) are fast becoming a reality in modern agriculture, helping farmers to produce more, with less.
“At Trelleborg, we have looked to establish the role of the agricultural tyre in the precision farming and the IoT framework, and have invested significant time and resource to further enhance the potential of these innovative technologies.
“The VIP [variable inflation pressure] system does exactly that.
“It is a smart, intelligent, self-adjustable variable inflation pressure system capable to determine and adopt the right pressure at the right time, in the right place.
“Just as the precision farming philosophy suggests.”
“By determining and adopting the right tire pressure without manual intervention, farmers can reduce soil compaction over 10%, resulting in a 5% higher crop yield.
