VT-Tractor, Bridgestone's first "agricultural" tyre

Baptised with the name VT-TRACTOR, this newly designed tyre - sold in 28 to 42 inch sizes - marks the debut of the Bridgestone brand in the agricultural machinery sector, where the Japanese multinational has up to now been present with the Firestone brand. "The philosophy behind Bridgestone’s new agricultural tyre range  - said Lothar Schmitt,  Director Agricultural and Off-the-Road tyres, Bridgestone Europe - is about striking the perfect balance between farming efficiency and environmental care. The "Soil Care by Bridgestone" label is a guarantee of tyres that enable farmers to work faster, more efficiently, more economically and above all, more sustainably". The VT-TRACTOR is in fact designed for farms that use technologically advanced equipment for heavy duty operations, activities which demand high efficiency and very low soil compaction. Thus when developing the new tyre, Bridgestone's designers concentrated mainly on reducing the contact pressure and increasing the contact area with the ground (+ 26% compared to other tyres in the same category, according to the manufacturer's data*). This means that VT-TRACTOR tyres are able to operate not only with less inflation pressure but also with a larger contact area on the ground, features that not only reduce the effect of soil compaction, but optimise traction (the machine works faster) and contribute to control consumption (a savings of 36 litres per 50 acres, according to the manufacturer**). In short, the agricultural sector debut of the multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo was one done in style.

 

 

*Based on Bridgestone internal testing conducted at Bernburg (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) in March 2014 with sizes IF 600/70 R30 & IF 710/70 R42 (at inflation pressures 1.2 & 1.0 bar) and VF 600/70 R30 & VF 710/70 R42 (at inflation pressures 1.0 & 0.8 bar) under same load conditions using XSENSOR™ pressure imaging technology. For more information contact Bridgestone at www.bridgestone.eu.

 

**Based on Bridgestone internal testing conducted at Bernburg (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) in March 2014 with sizes IF 600/70 R30 & IF 710/70 R42 (at inflation pressures 1.2 & 1.0 bar) and VF 600/70 R30 & VF 710/70 R42 (at inflation pressures 1.0 & 0.8 bar) under same load conditions using a volumetric fuel measurement system. For more information contact Bridgestone at www.bridgestone.eu.