Goodyear farm tires get award

DES MOINES, Iowa. (Jan. 9, 2015) — Farm Industry News has presented Titan Tire Corp.'s Goodyear farm tire brand a 2015 FinOvation Award for its Extreme Flotation and Low Sidewall (LSW) technology tire lines.

Titan said the award is presented to products and companies that received the most interest from the publication's readers throughout 2014. It was one of 20 such recipients.

As such, the Goodyear tire lines are eligible for the magazine's Product of the Year Award, which is voted on by the public. The poll is open on the magazine's website; the winner will be announced Feb. 12 at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky.

“The fact that the public has shown such significant interest in both Extreme Flotation and Low Sidewall (LSW) technologies — both of which are unique to Goodyear — shows that more than a decade of research, development and testing by Titan to bring these new technologies to market is justified,” said Scott Sloan, agricultural product manager for Titan Tire and Goodyear farm tires.

“Now is the time to challenge conventional thinking about farm tire design, and the award shows that farmers agree. They are looking for new technologies that will help them be more productive, and that is what we're providing. We hope that everyone who has experienced the advantage of LSW will get online and vote.”

Goodyear's Optiterra LSW 1000/40R32 fronts and DT930 LSW 1100/45R46 rears increase contact area by nearly 20 percent, Titan said, compared with a standard factory setup with dual 420/85R34 fronts and dual 480/80R50 rears on mechanical four-wheel-drive tractors.

The increased contact area reduces ground-bearing pressure, which reduces soil compaction and helps maximize yields. Additionally, the Extreme Flotation setup has a reduced overall width, Titan added, which results in easier roading and sharper turning.

Titan claims its LSW technology features a larger rim diameter and shorter sidewall than standard tires and helps reduce power hop and road lope, which have been identified as problems that nearly 50 percent of farmers have experienced on their tractors and combines.