Firestone has introduced a free Europe-wide smartphone app to help farmers maintain their tractor tyres at the right pressure.
When the Tyre Pressure Calculator app is downloaded, users can simply select their tyre size and then see the correct tyre pressure for the load and speed of their tractor.
Operating a tractor at incorrect pressure shortens tyre life and can unnecessarily increase soil compaction, which reduces crop yield. When changing farming activity (for example between field work and road transport) the app can help farmers maximise tyre life by adjusting to the recommended tyre pressure.
Firestone officially launched the app at Agritechnica 2011 where it was only available for the iPhone, but an Android version is also now available extending its appeal to a much wider range of smartphones. A web-based version is also under development.
Bridgestone Europe‘s Rafal Spirydon said thestandard advice to farmers when they asked about tyre pressures was to refer to the manufacturers’ technical data book. But few farmers have these books, so they’re left in the dark.
“We decided to do something about this and, with the growth in smart phones, an app is the ideal solution,” he added.
Soil compaction is a serious issue for farmers. When soil is compacted, it loses the ability to store air and water, both of which are essential for seed germination and crop growth.
“The ground contact pressure of the tyre footprint depends strongly on the tyre’s inflation pressure,” Mr Spirydon said. “Therefore reducing tyre pressure also reduces soil compaction, helping to improve farm crop yield and profitability.
“Tests conducted by Firestone show that the size of a contact patch increases by more than 40 per cent when tyre pressure is reduced from 22.4psi to 8.4psi. However many farmers over-inflate to compensate for the bulge at the bottom of a large radial tyre, unknowingly reducing tyre life and increasing soil compaction.
“Firestone’s new phone app solves this problem by enabling farmers to correctly match inflation pressure to the load, helping them to improve farm efficiency.”
For more information visit: www.firestone.eu.
