Lincolnshire-based Tathwell Farms has chosen Michelin AxioBib 2 tyres for its New Holland tractor and Michelin TrailXBib VF tyres for its new Horsch Avatar drill.
Michelin’s Ultraflex Technology Allows for 40% Reduced Inflation Pressure with Same Loads for Tathwell Farms
For Tathwell Farms’ New Holland T7.270 tractor and Horsch Avatar 6.16 drill, Michelin’s agricultural technology is helping boost sustainability while protecting its arable crops.
Supplied by local dealer Lincolnshire Motors, the T7.270 will be the farm’s new frontline tractor and has been specified with Michelin AxioBib 2 VF 600/60 R30 & VF 710/60 R42 tyres. The Horsch drill has been converted onto Michelin TrailXBib VF 710/50 R26.5 fitments, following a recommendation from Michelin Agricultural Account Manager, Ian Whitwell.
Chris Done, Managing Director of Tathwell Farms, says: “Our Agronomist Niall Atkinson works with Agrovista, and our journey down the regenerative route was instigated following a visit to their ‘Project Lamport’ trial site. Having witnessed the great research work being done with regards to soil health, cultivations, grassweed control and bioscience, both Niall and I felt that these were all areas that we should be focusing on more to improve overall farm performance.
“One of the biggest things we have been trying to do is get the tyres on our machinery working at lower pressures to damage the soil less. It’s one of the strategies we are working towards, along with controlled traffic, and we are already seeing positive results.
“All of our machinery run on Michelins. Our old frontline tractor was fitted with previous generation XeoBib tyres. These latest VF AxioBib 2s just take us up to the next level, allowing us to run at even lower pressures, and with a larger footprint on the ground. We’ve always had great support from Ian, who sets up all our new machines, ensuring we are getting the very best out of the tyres and the vehicles themselves.”
Both the Michelin AxioBib 2 and the Michelin TrailXBib fitments benefit from the corresponding Ultraflex technology – meaning they can carry considerably more weight than standard farm tyres and operate at very low pressures. Additionally, there is reduced soil compaction and crop damage in the field, with the potential to increase a farmer’s yields by up to 4 per cent.
The robust VF (Very High Flexion) casing of the AxioBib 2 and TrailXBib tyres offer superb endurance, longevity and performance, while also giving a 24 per cent larger surface footprint, helping spread the machine weight over a larger surface area for less ground compaction.
“The tractor will be doing all of our cultivation work, which we are trying to cut down on, but we still have some heavier land, which we need to pull a deeper working Simba DTX cultivator across,” adds Chris. “With the drilling, we are looking for a nice even establishment, and we’re finding that the tyres on the tractors are critical for this. We’ve used the new tractor and drill for some spring drilling already and we are not seeing any wheelings in the emerging crop which is exactly what we hoped for.”
