#Agriculture

Providing longevity and comfort with our tyre technology

Our d.fine lug design

Agricultural Tyre Topics - Part 4

Our d.fine lug design - explained

The new d.fine lug design of the TractorMaster tyres has a five percent larger surface area than a standard radial tyre. This spreads the weight of machinery to protect grassland and offers greater traction when carrying out cultivation work. Therefore, the TractorMaster is better suited to field work than the Tractor 70 or Tractor 85 tyre because it has a wider footprint, and the lug doesn’t bite into the ground.

This lug design extends the life of the tyre and offers the operator a more comfortable ride on the road. Road use is increasing as farms grow in size and spread over larger areas. Farming contractors are also increasing the areas they are willing to cover because technology has enabled machines to travel and work more efficiently.

d.fine is unique because the lugs are offset at a 45-degree angle to improve the self-cleaning properties of the tyre. Tyres need to shed soil in order to maximise grip, therefore we have developed d.fine to be more efficient at self-cleaning. This also helps when transitioning from field to road as more soil is deposited at, or near, the gateway to reduce the amount that reaches the road.

The d.fine lug is designed with a parabolic curve to help the lug bend and flex. This also helps the tyre to eject the soil without cracking and helps the tyre to return to its original shape.

d.fine lug technology

Since introducing this lug design in 2017, we have also developed a hybrid tyre. The VF TractorMaster Hybrid is a tyre for modern farming, designed to operate more efficiently on the road and, with very high flexion (VF) technology, it can also be run at lower pressures in the field.

It is the perfect tyre for silage-making because it can be used to carry 40% more load than a standard radial tyre at the same pressure on the road, which makes it more fuel efficient, and it can carry the same load in the field with 40% less pressure to alleviate compaction.

The hybrid uses a block pattern which has enough grip for field work but is more efficient on the road. It is more comfortable and stable than a traditional tractor tyre lug pattern and enables the tractor to feel more planted at speed.

Since launching the VF TractorMaster Hybrid we have also developed a new tyre for telehanders and loaders which has an alternative tread pattern to help with static turns. Compared to a standard agricultural tyre pattern, the new lug design of the CompactMaster AG tyre provides five percent more surface area.

This lug design further enhances grip and will also contribute to the tyre wearing more evenly, which can improve the hours and mileages the tyre will deliver. It also has a land-sea (L/S) ratio of 30 percent which means a larger portion of the tyre stays in contact with the ground. This ratio is particularly important on hard surfaces such as concrete where a loader tyre is mostly used because it provides a larger contact area to offer greater stability.