Yokohama Off Highway Tires

Improvements Provide Huge Opportunity for Smaller Equipment The federal government recently made a historic commitment to massive infrastructure investment in the U.S. and is just beginning to spend billions of dollars to repair and improve roads, bridges, railways, and airports. These projects will put a lot of machines to work—from massive earth movers to compact loaders—in turn, the role of smaller equipment in day-to-day operations is growing. A lot is riding on equipment (and its tires) as the nation and construction businesses alike make the most of this excellent opportunity. What’s Driving the Need for Smaller Equipment? Unlike past infrastructure projects, many of which were built from the ground up in underdeveloped areas where huge earthmoving equipment could maneuver, most of today’s projects will involve repairing or replacing existing infrastructure in confined urban areas and on existing roads. A good comparison to today’s infrastructure projects is the “last mile” in tr...

Corn, Tires, and Old Adages The saying knee-high by the fourth of July was long used by farmers to judge the success of their corn crops—it means that growing conditions have been favorable, the crops are off to a good start, and big yields are expected come fall—and the adage remains popular today, despite being antiquated. Innovation in everything from seeds and treatments to equipment and tires has enabled earlier planting and faster-growing, higher-yielding corn. Origins of the Adage The roots of knee-high by the fourth of July are debatable. The Farmers Almanac is well-known for sharing old-timey wisdom and folklore and is commonly associated with the popularization of the saying. Many who date the adage to colonial times also commonly claim that the phrase is misinterpreted and that it’s not a measure of corn to a person standing in a field, but rather to that of a person on horseback. Some farmers think the idiom is a more modern invention, and date the saying to the turn of t...

New Alliance Agristar II Radial Tire Size Introduced Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. (YOHTA) announced the release of the new 800/70R38 size of its popular Alliance Agri Star II farm radial tire . The new, larger size features a 173D high-load rating and is rated for speeds of up to 40 mph. The 800/70R38size extends the line to even more 4-wheel-drive tractors, which benefit from the dual-angle lugs, stubble guard compound and high-stability polyester casing of the Agri Star II. "Larger 4WD tractors and combines can really put the performance benefits of the Agri Star II to work," says Blaine Cox, National Product Manager—Agriculture, Golf & Turf for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America. "Our Stratified Layer Technology lugs combine a single-angle layer on top of a multi-angle layer for more versatility and biting edges, reinforced by dual step-tie bars to minimize lug shuffling. Those lugs create a footprint 13% wider than comparably sized radials and overlap...

Best Practices for Safer Winter Ag Tire Inspection In order to ensure everything is ready to roll in the spring, it’s common to inspect the tires of tractors, implements, and other farm equipment in the winter. Farms are filled with potential hazards and winter only ups the ante of something going sideways. Factors like short dark days, bitter cold, slick snow, and treacherous ice all pose additional challenges to farmers, tire dealers, and other ag tire personnel. Ben Franklin famously said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Follow his sage advice and take a few simple steps to improve your safety while working or visiting the farm this winter. Cold-Weather Accidents According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , there were more than 20,000 ice, sleet, and snow-related injuries in 2017 in the U.S. Whether working in the field, yard, or outbuildings, jobs on the farm are more exposed to these types of injuries compared to those in many other occupations. It’s not just...

Best Practices for Safer Winter Ag Tire Inspection In order to ensure everything is ready to roll in the spring, it’s common to inspect the tires of tractors, implements, and other farm equipment in the winter. Farms are filled with potential hazards and winter only ups the ante of something going sideways. Factors like short dark days, bitter cold, slick snow, and treacherous ice all pose additional challenges to farmers, tire dealers, and other ag tire personnel. Ben Franklin famously said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Follow his sage advice and take a few simple steps to improve your safety while working or visiting the farm this winter. The Alliance 551 MultiUse radial excels on tractors working in snow and slush thanks to its block tread, sipes, and special cold-weather compound. Cold-Weather Accidents According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , there were more than 20,000 ice, sleet, and snow-related injuries in 2017 in the U.S. Whether working in the fi...

Preventative Maintenance Helps Farm Tires Last Longer Ag tires are built tough—they need to be to handle the numerous challenges they encounter on the farm, from transferring equipment horsepower to the ground to pulling tillage equipment and carrying massive loads of seed, spray, and commodities. The durability and ruggedness of the best ag tires can make it easy to overlook the demands placed on them, but devoting time to tire maintenance can pay off, especially when you consider that the price of a single tire can run hundreds or thousands of dollars. A little preventative maintenance can go a long way to ensuring the long service life of your tire. Below are seven tips for making the most out of your investment in farm tires . Inflation Pressure Ensuring your ag tires are inflated properly is one of the best things you can do for your tires and a simple tire pressure gauge is one of the best investments you can make on the farm.Overinflation can cause excessive tire wear and can di...

  Compact Tractor Tires to Keep You from Falling Behind This Autumn yohta-blog.yokohama-oht.com Compact Tractors for Fall Cleanup Versatility is the reason why compact tractors are the backbone of many landscape operations and small acreages. These workhorses are able to tackle a wide variety of autumn applications thanks in part to their ability to work with a number of attachments, whether a front-end loader for moving firewood or a tow-behind vacuum for collecting leaves. In the end, a compact tractor can save landscape business owners and hobby farmers a considerable amount of time and effort in the fall (and throughout the year). Five Fall-Friendly Compact Tractor Attachments    Leaf Baggers/Vacuums/Sweepers Raking and bagging leaves can take a substantial amount of manual labor, especially if you’re maintaining a large piece—or multiple pieces—of property. There are a handful of attachments that can help with leaf collection, from baggers to vacuums to sweepe...