Wider row-crop tyres with a bigger rubber-to-soil contact patch have been squeezed on to Bergmann low-bed manure spreaders for growers and contractors who need a narrow overall width configuration.

Alliance 354 Agriflex+ tyres in size VF 480/95 R50 have provided a solution, keeping the manufacturer’s 6-8t capacity 2140 spreader well within 3m.

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But now, Bergmann has gone further by squeezing on Trelleborg’s VF 520/85 R50 from its TM150 range, a tough but highly flexible row-crop tyre originally developed for large self-propelled sprayers.

Spreader setups

Bergmann produces two versions of the 2140 – the TSW with beaters hidden by a shroud and spinners performing the spreading action, and the open twin vertical beater M 2140 E.

Both are 14cu m machines that can be configured for gross weights of 12t, 13t or 14t, depending on equipment and spec, with a 1.8m-wide all-steel vertical-sided body and optional angled greedy boards.

Running gear includes tyres on 38in or 42in rims and, where overall width is an issue, row-crop tyres on 50in rims that enable the machines to travel down narrow country lanes or pass along two-lane rural roads without swiping oncoming traffic.

Alliance VF 480/95 R50 (left) and Trelleborg VF 520/85 R50

Fitting high-specification VF category row-crops makes up for the lack of tread width, Bergmann points out.

This is because the 50in tyre’s inherently long rubber contact patch is further enhanced by the ultra-flexible sidewalls and the ability to run VF tyres at up to 40% lower inflation pressure than a standard radial of equivalent size.

Thanks to a lower profile sidewall – 85mm versus 95mm – the new Trelleborg TM150 option is of much the same diameter as the Alliance at about 2.1m, but the nominal 40mm wider tread of the newcomer gives it the edge in terms of ground pressure, rolling resistance and lateral stability.