MOLINE, Ill. — Tractor and ride-on lawnmower maker Deere & Co. is offering the airless Michelin X Tweel Turf tire/wheel hybrid for standalone purchases.
The Moline-based company came to the decision after being "overwhelmed by the positive response, the airless radial has received from the commercial mowing industry since its initial launch," James Dutton, tactical marketing manager for John Deere, said.
When launched, the Michelin X Tweel Turf radial tire was sold exclusively for John Deere Z Track 900 models with 54-, 60- and 72-inch deck sizes as part of a new machine purchase.
Customers can buy the tires for existing Z track 900 series models providing users with greater performance range, said John Deere.
The Tweel has the same dimensions and bolt pattern as the standard 24x12x12 tire, and features automotive rubber technology allowing the tires to last three times longer than standard turf tires, John Deere said.
Michelin started supplying Deere with Tweels in late 2014 for the ZTRAK zero-turn commercial lawn mowers.
Simon Robinson is editor of Urethanes Technology International, a London-based sister publication of Tire Business.