Disbelief gave way to insight
| “I have been farming in Fuendetodos for almost 30 years, primarily wheat and barley. Planting season is in November, and harvesting takes place at the turn of June and July. Some years back, I was able to earn a living from farming, but recently I’ve taken up other work as well. I use my tractor to pull a trailer at the nearby quarry. When fully loaded, the trailer weighs 22 tons. I clock up 250 kilometres and eight trips there and back every day. When they installe d Nokian TRI 2 tyres on my tractor in December 2009, my first reaction was fear. I just didn’t think the new tyres would work. During the first test drive I pulled a plough on a muddy field, and the tyres slipped. I was not at all convinced. I was pleased with the self-cleaning properties of the TRI 2 tyres but still didn’t fully trust them. I had a few sleepless nights, and then I rang the company that installed the tyres. I asked for someone to come and replace the tyres. But they refused, and asked me to trust them. So the tyres stayed. The winter was col d and wet, and it was not until the turn of February and March that we were able to start work. That’s when I realised that by reducing the tyre pressure to 1.8 – 1.9 bar the tyres worked much better at pulling the plough than I had expected. Similarly, driving on the road with the trailer was considerably more comfortable. It’s almost like driving a regular car. Now I change the tyre pressure depending on the type of work: When I pull the plough I use 1.9 bar pressure, while on the road with the trailer I use 2.5 bar pressure. The tyres seem highly durable. After 700 working hours, the groove depth was measured. The tyres had only worn one millimetre. This translates into more than 9,000 hours of expected service life compared to the 5,000 – 6,000 hours I was previously used to. The tyres have remained intact; I haven’t had a single cut or puncture, even though there are sharp-edged stones everywhere. I’m also saving fuel, especially when pulling the plough. I’ve been able to save up to 4,000 euros a year. The tyres have made me pretty famous in this region.” |
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