Customer Stories
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2024/04/09
# Customer Stories
Our tyres are kinder to grass
Patrick Brolly
Patrick Brolly farms at Foreglen in County Derry
When he bought a 2007 New Holland TM 155 tractor the tyres were almost worn out, so he was left with the unenviable task of finding suitable replacements. “The tyres fitted on my previous tractors have offered questionable grip on the hilly land here, especially in the wet. I have also been disappointed with the way some tyres have cut into the land, damaged the grass and compacted the soil,” he explains.
The farm is between 700 and 900 feet above sea level and stretches to 120 hectares of grassland and 60 hectares of hillside. Patrick has a flock of 320 Cheviot Mule ewes with 100 ewe lambs and a further 80 pedigree Beltex ewes. He also has a small herd of 30 cattle, a mixture of Herefords and Simmentals. “The tractor is used for general farm work but the conditions here can be very wet at times and with one tractor doing many different jobs it is important that both it and the tyres are capable,” he says.
The worn tyres on his New Holland were 650/65/38 on the rear and 540/65/28 on the front. “I never gave the size much thought until I came to replace them and started reading about the choice available,” says Patrick. He came across the Continental website having read about our tyres in the farming press. “I contacted Richard Hutchins directly because I wasn’t sure who my local dealer was. Shortly after he contacted me and sent a set of tyres to my local dealer, WH Nutt & Son for me to test,” he adds.
Patrick was supplied with our Tractor70 580/70/38 tyres for the rear and 480/70/28 for the front by our sales manager Richard Hutchins. Reducing the size of the tyres was one factor that helped make the new tyres better on Patrick’s farm.
“The smaller size is a better fit for the rim. Older machines were often specified with wider tyres. However, more recently we have learned that fit and flexibility is more important than size. By reducing the size, we have enabled more of the tyre to contact the ground. With the Continental single bead construction and N-Flex technology it also holds its shape more effectively to give better grip,”
I have seen a real improvement in grip, but the bigger benefit is that these tyres don’t dig in and damage the grass
Patrick Brolly – Farm Owner
Patrick has been impressed with the grip of our tyres, especially on hilly wet ground.
“I have been disking rough ground and had excellent grip. Compared to the old ones these seem to be able to grip without digging in and churning up the land,” he says. Patrick’s previous tyres have dug into the ground because of the fit of the tyre to the rim. This was especially noticeable at the lower pressures needed for wet work and was causing the rim to put pressure through the wrong part of the tyre. “When operating at lower pressures a tyre that is too wide for the rim will spread, causing the rim to dig in. This will be apparent by the rim appearing shiny and clean when the tyre is reinflated. The surface of the rim has essentially been overlapped by the tyre which causes uneven wear, reduces the tyre’s efficiency and its lifespan,” says Richard.
Tractor70 tyres are wider than standard tyres which provides a larger footprint. Our lug design also offers a smoother surface which helps to cause less damage to the ground. “I have seen a real improvement in grip, but the bigger benefit is that these tyres don’t dig in and damage the grass,” says Patrick. The inter linking lug design of our Tractor70 tyre has been developed by us to be smoother. “The rounded lugs grip without the need to dig in like some tyres. It is this, and the change in size of the tyre, that is helping Patrick to get traction without cutting into the ground,” says Richard.
Patrick feels more confident to carry out slurry spreading and use his Lemken 3m disk harrow. “The tractor feels more stable. I can go all over the farm without being concerned and when I’ve finished there is far less damage to the land. The tyres really have made a huge difference,” concludes Patrick.
