Yokohama Off Highway Tires

Signs That It’s Time for New Tires Farmers depend heavily on tractors, and how well those tractors perform depends largely on their tires. Tires past their prime no longer efficiently transfer a tractor’s power to the ground and fail to provide adequate traction, which can reduce productivity and add fuel costs. Operating a tractor with tires in need of replacement is also a recipe for costly and frustrating downtime. There’s no standard rule for when it’s time to replace the tires on your tractor, but there are some tell-tale signs that it’s time for new tires. Tire Damage Punctures are one of the most common causes of tire damage, and there are numerous ways that tractor tires are subjected to puncture damage—for example, spear-like stubble, unseen fence posts, and stray nails. While tires can withstand a lot of abuse, older tires simply have less rubber than newer ones, and rubber is the first line of defense against punctures. If a cut, tear, or puncture exposes the body plies or b...

Big Flotation Tires Help at Harvest In years like this, marked with unpredictable and unfavorable weather, making sure you’re in control of the factors you can manage is critical. With much of the heartland battling weather that just refuses to cooperate, being too wet for planting or too dry after planting, many farmers have been forced to replant (with some even having to replant a second time)—highlighting the importance of making sure your operation is running as smoothly as possible to help salvage the season. To ensure your farm is operating as efficiently and productively as possible, you must evaluate everything from preparing your fields to delivering your product. While much of the attention is focused on maximizing the performance of increasingly advanced and massive farm machinery while reducing its impact on delicate fields, it’s easy to lose sight of the largest piece of equipment to enter your fields: big rigs. Whether being driven into the fields or waiting on solid gro...

The new Alliance 590 flotation radial  from Yokohama Off-Highway Tires  features three layers of steel belts under a cut-resistant tread compound—a powerfully puncture-resistant combination for the heavy tankers, wagons and pull-behind sprayers used on farms and construction sites. In addition to providing extra durability, the layered steel belts enable the tire to maintain a flat, even footprint for improved grip and lower rolling resistance, notes Blaine Cox, National Product Manager—Agriculture, Golf and Turf for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. (YOHTA). The non-directional tread pattern of the new Alliance 590 features heavy, deep blocks with open channels that enhance grip and ensure good self-cleaning. "The edges of the outer blocks form deep, aggressive shoulders for extra traction," Cox adds. "That provides added performance in soft ground for agricultural applications while still allowing the Alliance 590 to provide a smooth, steady tow on pavement and ...

Understanding IF/VF Tires IF/VF tires are an increasingly common sight on today’s farms as more and more users discover the numerous advantages they offer. For example, IF/VF tires—like Yokohama Off-Highway Tire’s Alliance AgriFlex/AgriFlex+—can help increase productivity, improve efficiency, lower fuel consumption, reduce soil compaction, and ultimately deliver a lower total cost of ownership. You’ll routinely hear about the many benefits of IF/VF tires, however, highlighted less frequently are how these innovative tires produce such remarkable results.   IF/VF Designations The IF/VF designations given to tires are straightforward. IF stands for “increased flexion” and VF stands for “very high flexion.” IF tires are capable of: carrying 20% more load at the same inflation pressure as a conventional radial tire carrying the same load as a conventional radial tire at 20% less inflation pressure VF tires offer even greater advantages. VF tires are capable of: carrying 40% more load ...

In my role as the National Agriculture Product Manager for Alliance Tire Group, one of the most frequent questions I receive is how to pick the perfect set of tires for a tractor. With so many different technologies, tread patterns, and features available on today’s tires, in addition to a whole host of other variables, it’s easy to see how customers can get bogged down when searching through a company’s catalogue. However, over the years, I’ve developed a simple process for finding just the right tractor tire for you. Lawn Tractor Tires What are you trying to accomplish? Quite often, customers are replacing the tires on their machine in an effort to fix a trait that they are dissatisfied with; for example, they want to increase traction, minimize soil compaction, or enhance roadability—which is why my first question is always, “what are you trying to accomplish by equipping your tractor with new tires?” With just the knowledge of the customer’s desired end result, I can normally whitt...

  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  agricultural and farm tires . Longer Lasting Ag Tires 1. 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 far...

   Understanding Tractor Tire Tread Terminology Tractors are used for a variety of tasks and work in all types of terrain—from farming and landscaping to snow removal and maintaining small acreages. Helping tractors maximize their efficiency and productivity are tires featuring different types of tread, each uniquely engineered to deliver optimal performance in particular applications and conditions. Why Choose an Application-Specific Tire Tread? There are numerous reasons to choose an application-specific tire. For example, they can improve the performance of your T by providing it with the attributes you value most, such as traction, ride quality, fuel efficiency, and impact on the ground. Another great reason to choose application-specific tires is that matching the tire tread to the terrain in which it will operate is a simple way to increase tire life. R-1/R-1W (Ag) Tires R-1/R-1W tires are also known as agricultural or ag tires. As their name implies, they’re commonly fo...