Floating tractor demonstrates Mitas tires capabilities

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com 

Tire “flotation” is an important consideration for agricultural equipment.

The ability to move heavy weights through the fields without compressing the soil helps farmers grow and harvest their crops efficiently without hurting yields.

To emphasize the flotation provided by Mitas tires manufactured in Charles City, parent company Trelleborg Wheel Systems is going to take it to an extreme — floating a tractor on water at the 2018 Farm Progress Show later this month in Boone.

Jeff Miller, marketing and communications manager for Mitas Tire North America, told the Press that four huge SFT tires manufactured at the Charles City plant were mounted on an International Harvester T4 tractor rented from Swartzrock Implement in Charles City for the demonstration.

On the back are two 1250/50R32 tires and up front are two 1000/50R25 tires.

The 1250s are among the largest agricultural tires manufactured, according to company literature. Each tire weighs 1,280 pounds and is more than 6½ feet in diameter.

“That Charles City plant has some very large presses that can handle tires of this size,” Miller said. Trelleborg has another tire plant in South Carolina, but it can’t make tires this big, he added.

This will be the first time the floating tractor demonstration will be done successfully in the United States, Miller said. A similar attempt last year in South Dakota was not successful because the tractor was too heavy.

“This year we’ve got a totally different tractor,” he said, adding that Swartzrock is aware of what the company will be using it for, “but we’re not going to lose it.”

“We have test-floated it already and it was successful, so now we’re going to do it at the show,” Miller said.

The spinning tires propel the tractor through the water and even steer it.

“Think of it as four paddlewheels,” Miller said.

Asked if there were any practical applications for floating tractors, he laughed and said, “Only on soil. That’s the whole intent of this demonstration, is really to start the conversation about flotation.

“We know it’s a real extreme example, and it’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but first you’ve got to attract people’s attention and start the conversation.

“Flotation on the ground is important when it comes to soil health, which directly relates to yields,” he said.

Tires of this size could be used on high horsepower tractors, combines or grain carts, for example — things that really require a lot of flotation but also traction.

“Anytime you go larger you are able to carry more load because of the size of air chamber in the wheel. So generally these are high carrying capacity applications, plus where you need low soil impact, minimal ground pressure,” Miller said. “It’s really those high-stress applications.”

Two years ago a similar floating tractor demonstration was done in Offingawier, Netherlands, also using high flotation SFT tires made in Charles City.

That tractor had the same 1250 tires on the back, but smaller 750/55R30 tires on the front.

Miller said the larger tires on the front for the Farm Progress Show made sense for the buoyancy needed to keep this tractor floating.

The 2018 Farm Progress Show will be Aug. 28-30 at the showgrounds east of Boone. The floating tractor demonstration will be in a retention pond on the east side of the showgrounds.