How tyre choice can reduce compaction and sward damage

Continental is one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers and offers a wide range of products for passenger cars, commercial and specialty vehicles as well as two-wheelers.

Shortening weather windows, heavier machinery and challenging ground conditions can lead to irreversible soil and sward damage if the correct tyres and tyre pressures are not used.

Continental agricultural tyre specialist Tom Godwin explains how tyre choice can help mitigate the effect of heavy machinery during green harvest.

"Whilst soil health, grass varieties and the number of cuts are always important decisions, the machinery used to harvest grass is sometimes not given enough attention.

"Continental returned to agricultural tyre production in 2017 and has since brought out a full range of tractor, harvester, and loader tyres to help improve operational efficiencies.

"These include VF and hybrid tyres that are excellent options for reducing soil and sward damage during green harvest work," he says.

The only part of the tractor that is in contact with the ground is the tyre and this is where Mr Godwin believes huge benefits to silage production can be enjoyed.

Tom Godwin, Sales Manager Specialty Tyres, Continental UK & Ireland © Continental Tyre Group Ltd

"Wheel slip and not transferring the power from machinery smoothly can cause sward damage which will affect subsequent cuts and overall yield.

"Operators who fail to choose the correct pressure for load, or use inefficient tyres, will also use more fuel, and take longer to cover the same acreage."

Continental has a wide range to help operators fit machinery with tyres that will reduce compaction and fuel consumption while providing essential grip for potentially slippery surfaces and undulating land.

However, with such choice available, how can operators choose the best tyre for their work?

"Tyre choice can be baffling with radial, IF and VF options, along with varying tread patterns and the gulf of difference in cost," Mr Godwin suggests.

"For contractors looking to provide a top-class service, VF tyres can help save time, reduce fuel consumption, and improve silage quality over multiple cuts."

VF tyres have the potential to carry 40% more load at the same pressure as a standard radial tyre. Alternatively, a VF tyre is capable of running at 40% less pressure under the same load as a standard tyre.

This advantage can more than offset the greater cost of VF technology. However, Mr Godwin is keen to stress that VF is not for everyone.

"Continental has also developed radial tyres with increased flexibility, reducing the risk of cracking, and new lug patterns with smoother cleats, to narrow the gap between standard and VF or IF.

"For livestock farms or contractors looking to replace tyres on existing tractors and harvesters, VF could be an expensive option and Continental TractorMaster tyres may be more cost-effective if the machine is not expected to be with the owner for the lifetime of the tyres."

Further developments in tyres for farm machinery have led to hybrid-tyre options becoming available.

Continental's VF hybrid tyre has a block pattern tread to make it more fuel-efficient on the road, and with VF load-carrying capability it can also be run at lower pressures in the field.

"Our VF TractorMaster hybrid tyre is a huge step forward for carting silage. Whilst we wouldn't necesarily advocate using hybrid tyres on a tractor that is cutting grass, the hybrid is an excellent option for tractors collecting grass in the field."

In 2023, heavy spring rain has caused the top layer of soil to be soft. However, below, the ground is still quite hard due to a dry winter.

This combination presents the greatest challenge to machinery operators looking to minimise damage to the sward in wetter conditions.

It also presents concerns over compacting wet ground into harder layers below, making it more difficult for grass to recover.

To avoid negatively impacting silage quality, stunting grass regrowth, or damaging machinery, operators should undertake regular equipment checks throughout the day to ensure machinery is correctly set up.

"Tyre checks are essential before working on grassland. Calibrating tyre pressure to the load of the implement, and any tractor ballast needed, will help enable equipment to travel at the optimum speed and height.

"By choosing lower operating pressures, tractors can also maximise forage quality and quantity, whilst minimising sward damage," says Mr Godwin.

A stubble height of 5cm is considered the optimum to encourage regrowth. Cutting lower can hamper a quick recovery for following cuts and nutritional quality is poorer at the base of the plant.

If a tractor is operating with tyres set at too high a pressure there is a danger that tyre slip and damage to the sward, or the stability of the tractor, will be compromised, leading to an implement cutting or operating too low.

Fitting pressure monitors to harvesters can help prevent costly tyre failures © Continental Tyre Group Ltd

On undulating ground there is also the risk of mower blades becoming blunted, and silage contamination from soil and stones is likely to be higher, which could also increase the potential for introducing harmful bacteria.

The continual flow of traffic through gates to transport crops from fields can lead to soil contamination.

Continental's hybrid tread holds less material than a conventional tyre, which makes it less likely to deposit contaminants from other areas on the land.

Access areas, such as gates, can often become churned up and can hold rainwater, which also leads to greater risk of contamination.

By transitioning from field to road more efficiently, the Continental VF Hybrid tyre reduces soil damage and the risk of contaminating the crop.

To further reduce soil compaction and improve operational efficiency, Continental offers the agricultural TireTech app.

The app accurately calculates the optimum pressure to inflate the tyre to when using implements. By entering the weight of the tractor and implements, it recommends the pressure for road or field use.

The mobile app stores the specification of every tyre in the Continental agricultural range and, by inputting the load on each wheel and the forward speed, it provides a suggested operating pressure.

The app is particularly beneficial to machines that are used for field applications, and while the hybrid tyre is well suited for the road and field, a conventional tyre set to the optimum pressure for load could be a more cost-effective option.

Using an app, operators can calculate the optimum pressure for load, based on the tyres and the load of any implement © Continental Tyre Group Ltd

"A tractor with triple mowers will often be stationed in the field for most of the silage-making season. A mid-horsepower tractor with the added weight of three mowers can weigh in excess of 10,000 kilos.

"On soft ground this can cause compaction and sward damage which can lead to decreased yields for further cuts. Adjusting and monitoring the pressure of a standard radial tyre can mitigate this without the need for IF- or VF-tyre technology."

Continental tyres can also be specified with ContiPressureCheck, a sensor which reports the tyre temperature and pressure in real time to the operator to enable the operator to make adjustments.

Underinflated tyres on the road increase fuel consumption and can increase tyre temperature, leading to failure, while overinflated tyres in the field lead to increased soil compaction and fuel consumption due mostly to tyre slip.

By using a handheld device or a terminal in the cab to receive data from the sensor, the operator can monitor tyre pressure to prevent this by running the tyres at the optimum pressure.

In the case of forage harvesters, the use of pressure-checking technology can prevent costly blow outs and VF technology can help to protect the sward, especially at headlands.

The added load-carrying capacity of the VF tyre enables the weight at the rear to be carried more efficiently.

Pressure sensors in tyres send data to a display in the cab to constantly monitor heat and pressure variation © Continental Tyre Group Ltd

"The price increase of forage harvesters is leading to operators keeping machines longer. During this time, tyre choice will play a gradually increasing role.

"Changing tyres to optimise both field and road hours will increase the life of the blades, reduce fuel consumption, and enable the machine to cover the ground faster. This will only be amplified if both front and rear axles are running VF tyres."

Whether operating a tractor with 10,000 hours or a brand-new forage harvester, the potential for tyres to make a significant difference to forage quality and yield is undeniable.

Replacing tyres on ageing machinery can offer greater operational efficiencies without the need for such high levels of investment, while specifying the best tyres for the job on a new machine can offer greater flexibility and economy of operation.

Maximising forage potential with machinery clearly starts from the ground up.