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PHOTO: BAS VAN HATTUM PHOTO: MICHEL VELDERMAN


TYRE TECHNOLOGY ▶▶▶


Traction and stability test: PneuTrac vs radial tyres


BY BAS VAN HATTUM E


xpectations are high for the PneuTrac: a tyre that converts from a ‘normal’ tyre into a track as the tyre pressure de- creases. This innovation is of interest


on plots where capacity, weight, moisture, soil compaction, and cost price are constantly in conflict. We were given the opportunity to test out a set of PneuTracs – an opportunity we seized with both hands. After days of tests, analyses and comparisons, we concluded that the PneuTrac surprised us in three aspects: namely traction, stability, and comfort. As far as the footprint (and therefore ground pressure, weight per square centime- tre) is concerned, the PneuTrac performs no better than a state-of-the-art radial tyre. We should mention here that the name PneuTrac illustrates the combination of tyre and track; this article will refer to the product name and ‘track tyre ‘ interchangeably. In addition, Pneu- Trac track tyres are indicated by a ‘T’ (for track) instead of the usual ‘R’ (for radial), so we say 480/65 T28 rather than 480/65 R28.


17% greater traction Traction can be measured most purely by meas- uring the tractive force between a pulling and a braking vehicle during motion. The independ- ent Italian research institution CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics) has a ve- hicle that can be used to perform such measure- ments. It tested the traction at various slippage percentages, using the PneuTrac (650/65 T38, and 480/65 T28 at the front) and comparable ra- dial tyres – Trelleborg TM800s. The measure- ments showed a 12 to 24% increase in traction using the track tyres – 17.6% on average. Ac- cording to CREA researcher Maurizio Cutini, you could also regard this increase as a direct saving in terms of fuel and/or time. The greater the tractive force required, the greater the increase in traction. This means that the increase with PneuTrac will be even greater when ploughing, but barely discernible when mowing grass.


28


We had the unique opportunity to be the first in the world to test out two sets of PneuTracs in the Netherlands and in Italy. The conclusion: the PneuTrac seems to offer unbeatable traction and remains stable regardless of the pressure. However, the accelerated development of modern, flexible tractor tyres could stand in the PneuTrac’s path.


Say a tractor performs around 3,000 hours of pulling work over 10,000 operating hours with an average hourly consumption of 22 li- tres. The PneuTrac would save you a tidy 11,000 litres of fuel, a lot of money. Trelleborg also claims that the fuel saving was even greater in multiple tests, and this was en- dorsed by the winegrower we spoke to (see box: ‘PneuTrac beats steel track’).


No larger footprint How can a PneuTrac provide greater traction while the footprint is barely larger? The only explanation that we could think of is that it always has an ultra-smooth and even foot- print, regardless of the tyre pressure. No radial tyre can match that. As the pressure decreases, the PneuTrac


deflates into a track. You may think that its footprint is much larger than a standard tyre, but if we look at the footprint measurements of the small 480/65 T28, that is not the case, so it cannot be explained by lower ground pres- sure either. To begin with, the state-of-the-art radial tyre can flatten in two directions: length- ways and widthways. Yet there is a lower limit; if tyre pressure decreases too much, a radial tyre will run on its ‘shoulders’. A PneuTrac how- ever does not flatten laterally, only longitudi- nally. It is not yet possible to say how this will turn out with larger track tyres in the future.


Comfort equal to state-of-the- art tyre In order to test the extent to which a PneuTrac is actually more comfortable, a tractor was


Traction test in progress. ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 22 February 2019


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