Mitas ag tyres raises its profile

Czech industrial group CGS hopes to change farmers’ perceptions and raise the profile of its Mitas agricultural tyre brand by adopting the name for its Norfolk-based UK sales company.
Farmers still associate the Mitas name with relatively low-tech products but the range is evolving to include more advanced designs, partly as a spin-off from acquiring the Continental agricultural tyre business.
“All our sales companies were named after the CGS parent group,” says Jon Ward, managing director of Mitas Tyres, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. “But now is a good time for the Mitas division to step into the limelight and be recognised as a major player in the agricultural tyre sector.”
Mitas has operated three tyre factories in Europe (and will soon open a new one in the United States) since CGS acquired Continental’s farm tyre business in 2004. It has kept the two brands running in parallel but since the Continental brand is used under licence, there is growing emphasis on Mitas.
A new range of Mitas row-crop tyres will replace the existing Continental range and some designs, such as the Conti AC, now carry the Czech manufacturer’s name.
The change of emphasis is not surprising when Mitas Tyres claims it accounts for 28% of all OEM sales (ie direct to tractor and equipment factories) in Europe and 19% of replacement radial tyres sold through dealers and distributors to farmers.
“That makes Mitas the world’s fourth-largest producer of agricultural tyres, which I think will come as a surprise to a lot of people,” says Jon Ward. “Also, the business remains an off-highway tyre specialist – we don’t make passenger car or truck tyres – with the farming sector accounting for just over 70% of €322m (£276m) revenues.”
According to its own estimates, Mitas has a substantial share of European OEM business: “We equip around 25% of the tractors built by John Deere in Germany, 26% of CNH production and 36% of Claas output,” says Mr Ward.
“More than 50% of Argo’s Landini and McCormick tractors leave the factory on our tyres, and at SDF Group, the figure is around 70%,” he adds. “I think that puts our market presence into perspective.”
In Britain, sales have grown from £13.25m in 2008 to a forecast £20m this year, thanks to OEM contracts with the New Holland and JCB factories, and a growing share of the replacement market serviced by specialist retailers and machinery dealers.
Reducing soil compaction
Farmers have become much more aware of soil compaction and have a better understanding of how tyre selection and inflation pressure management can help avoid or at least reduce it, says Mitas technical specialist Ron Wood.
“They have a much better understanding of the significance of tyre size and inflation pressure than just 10 years ago,” he suggests. “A set of tyres for a high horsepower tractor is not an inexpensive item, so it pays to take an interest in how to make the most of them.”
Not that things are getting any easier to understand: at one time, a tyre’s aspect ratio – the height of its sidewall relative to its width expressed as 70-series, 65-series and so on – was a good indicator of performance gains. These lower profile tyres can be used on existing rims to provide a wider tread than an 85-series “standard” tyre without increasing the rolling circumference.
That is still true today but improvements in carcass structure design and the materials used mean there can also be performance differences between tyres of the same size.
“With our SVT tyre, for example, we allow a greater degree of sidewall deflection than with the AC 65 design because we know it can cope with the added stresses involved,” explains Mr Wood. “Take a 650/65R38 – to support a load of 3560kg, our AC 65 requires 1.1 bar inflation pressure but the corresponding figure for the SVT is 0.9 bar.
“That translates into about 10% less ground pressure because of the longer and slightly wider contact patch created by the increased deflection,” he points out.
Nor is “low profile” the be all and end all with tyres destined for the highest horsepower tractors; manufacturers have had to develop taller tyres, including 85-series “standard” configuration, that can be used reliably on smaller diameter rims.
The large diameter produces a longer contact patch while the larger volume of air enables the tyre to carry the heavy loads imposed by bigger tractors and implements.
“The point is it’s the air inside a tyre that supports the load, not so much the tyre itself,” Mr Wood emphasises.”
New tyres from Mitas
The Agriterra 03 flotation tyre is designed for use on heavy implements such as slurry tankers. The steel belt radial construction is produced in size 650/65 R 30.5, making it the largest tyre of its type in the range. Speed rating is 65kph but at lower speeds the 03 can carry a maximum load of 7,100kg. A deeper and more open tread pattern than on the existing Agriterra 02 should improve lateral grip on slopes and self-cleaning characteristics. The 02 range itself is expanding to include a 710/50R26.5 size, nominally 18% wider than the largest one built at present.
A harvester tyre addition to the Continental SVT range claims to meet soil compaction targets from a narrower overall width. Built with a strong but flexible carcass producing a relatively longer tyre/soil contact patch, the SuperVolumeTyre CHO in size 800/70 R 32 can operate at inflation pressures up to 31% less than “standard” combine tyres, with a near corresponding reduction in soil compaction thanks to a contact patch up to 24% larger. On all but the biggest harvesters, this will keep the machine’s impact on the soil within acceptable limits without exceeding the 3.5m overall width barrier. The SVT CHO was developed in partnership with Claas, which plans to offer it as an option on 2012 combines.