Following the launch of the Michelin Spraybib CFO (Cyclical Field Operation*) range in early 2022, Michelin is now selling a new dimension: Michelin Spraybib CFO VF710/60R46. Designed for self-propelled sprayers, it is the first very-low-pressure flotation tire (1) in the Michelin Spraybib CFO range.
This 2.05 m-diameter tire offers high productivity levels, helps to protect the soil, and offers very good stability to sprayers with large-capacity tanks.
“This is the first flotation tire in the Michelin Spraybib CFO range. It was developed to meet the requirements of equipment users, and manufacturers awaiting a development. Their desire was especially warranted as some constructors had already tested prototypes of these tires on their machines with a view to homologating these as OEM fittings,” according to Ludovic Labeaume, Agricultural Product Category Manager at Michelin.
Higher load capacity for greater productivity
The Michelin Spraybib CFO range increases load capacity by up to 14%** during cyclic operations in the fields, at speeds reaching up to 30 kph. The development of a new casing allows the load per axle to be increased to 1.3 metric tons (depending on the tire dimension).
Developed for use in the fields at even lower inflation pressures, the optimized footprint of the CFO tire allows for up to 20%*** more traction. The speed capacity is also increased, with the introduction of speed index E in some dimensions (up to 70 kph).
Thanks to its crampons, which are wider, more robust, and more numerous than on a standard tire, the Spraybib CFO range boasts a longer lifespan.
Inflation pressure lowered to protect the soil
Thanks to the advanced casing design, which combines the VF**** (very high flexion capacity) and CFO* standards, the inflation pressure for the Spraybib CFO tire can be lowered to 0.7 bar for cyclic use in the fields, in order to reduce soil compaction.
For small sprayers, the minimum inflation pressure for the CFO tires is now 0.8 bar, as opposed to the 1.8 bar for the first generation of Spraybib tires (depending on the dimension).
Low pressure also improving driver comfort
Thanks to its capacity to operate at a low pressure, which is up to 0.7 bar less than its predecessor**, and to the VF**** casing design, the Spraybib CFO tire also minimizes the vibrations passed along to the driver.
This new flotation dimension gives self-propelled sprayers and some other specialized machines a high level of stability. An advantage that is of particular benefit when very large capacity tanks are used or during operations on land that is fragile or difficult to work.
As self-propelled sprayers have increasingly large tank volumes – up to 10,000 liters – and boom widths that can sometimes exceed 50 m, these new tires must be able to carry very heavy loads.
Demands on the tire were very high, due to the desire to reach road speeds of over 50 kph when permitted by local legislation. The new VF710/60 46 dimension allows the rapidly growing user expectations to be met.
The new Michelin Spraybib CFO VF710/60R46 is already available at Michelin dealers. It will also be an OEM fitting on AGCO, CNH and even John Deere machines.
1 Flotation tires are developed to maximize the footprint so as to prevent soil compaction in the fields and maintain crop yield
* The CFO (Cyclic Field Operation) standard allows a VF tire to increase cyclic loads by 13.5% at 30 kph.
** Comparison with a non-CFO tire.
*** Comparison of the Michelin Spraybib and the Michelin Spraybib CFO, in dimension VF 380/90 R46; field study carried out by Michelin under real life conditions on a tractor, in France in November 2021, at identical dimensions and usage.
**** The VF (Very High Flexion) standard allows a tire to carry 40% more load than a standard tire at the same inflation pressure.
