Michelin, Trelleborg earn SIMA gold

PARIS (Dec. 5, 2016) — Group Michelin and Trelleborg Wheel Systems earned gold medals at the recent the SIMA agribusiness expo in Paris for their takes on variable inflation pressure tires.

Michelin was awarded for what it's calling the “2 in 1” tire — a product that performs radically differently depending on the inflation pressure — while Trelleborg earned its honor for its soon-to-be-launched load-dependent Variable Inflation Pressure (VIP) system developed in partnership with tractor manufacturer AGCO FENDT.

Michelin's latest development is a farm tire that combines the low-ground-pressure traction advantages of the company's Ultraflex technology with reduced rolling resistance at higher inflation pressures via “shape-shifting” the tire cross-section to allow the tire to run primarily on the middle continous tread element for on-road performance.

The use of this tire depends on its being mounted on a tractor with an on-board inflation system.

Michelin said it expects to have the as-yet unnamed product commercial-ready by the next SIMA expo in March.

Emmanuel Ladent, director of Michelin's Agriculture Business Unit, called the new tire “a real game changer” along the lines of the company's Ultraflex and Connected tire technologies.

Trelleborg's VIP system, developed in partnership with the tractor manufacturer AGCO FENDT, is described as a “smart and autonomous” wheel combination capable of self-adjusting the pressure of a combine harvester's tire according to its precise load during operation, optimizing the tire's footprint in order to reduce soil compaction.

The VIP system consists of a set of sensors measuring several parameters — including load, pressure, temperature — along with an electronic central processor controlling a compressor and a valve to adjust the pressure. The VIPTM system is directly integrated on the tire rim.

“By determining and adopting the right tire pressure without manual intervention, farmers can reduce soil compaction over 10 percent, resulting in a 5-percent higher crop yield,” said Piero Mancinelli, R&D director, agricultural and forestry tires at Trelleborg Wheel Systems.

“This can be achieved while allowing full connectivity with the farm network, mainframe as well as VIP App interface and machine fleet.”

The system can adjust the presssures in a harvester's wheel front to back as well as left to right, the SIMA judges noted, to account for off-camber field conditions.

Trelleborg said it continues to test the VIP system in the field in preparation for its official launch at the 2017 SIMA Exhibition in Paris, Feb. 26 to March 2.

Mr. Mancinelli said systems such as VIP will help accelerate the implementation of driverless machines and robots, which experts contend will help farmers produce more with less.

“At Trelleborg, we have looked to establish the role of the agricultural tire in the precision farming and the IoT framework,” Mr. Mancinelli said, “and have invested significant time and resource to further enhance the potential of these innovative technologies.