Low-pressure tyres on test
The effectiveness of new low-pressure tyre technology in reducing soil compaction was put to the test at Lamport this season.
The trial used a John Deere 6155R tractor with a mounted 3m Weaving direct drill running on Michelin AxioBib 2 VF tyres or and Galileo AgriCup tyres.
The AgriCup is a low-inflation design that, according to the manufacturer, combines the benefits of pneumatic tyres and rubber tracks, producing a 17% larger footprint than a standard tractor tyre.
Tyres were tested on winter wheat and peas drilled after an over-winter cover crop established on soil previously loosened to 15cm.
Independent cultivations consultant Philip Wright says: “The VF tyres were run at 18psi, which is clearly quite extreme, and 11psi, as low as we dare go with the loaded mounted drill. The AgriCups were inflated to 6psi.”
The untrafficked area between the wheelings unsurprisingly looked the best. Of the trafficked areas, the VF at 11psi left the best soil structure and the best crop rooting and canopy for both peas and wheat.
The AgriCup was marginally behind, causing some surface compaction and intermediate rooting but a good canopy. The 18psi VF tyre created the highest surface compaction and poorest rooting.