Goodyear’s Optitrac LSW (Low Side Wall) 1400/50R32 weighs 1.13t (c/w rim), has a diameter of 2.08m and is currently the world’s largest agricultural tyre.
One of the highlights at the Farm Progress Show at Boone in Iowa, Goodyear owner Titan International reckons it cannot make the 1.35m-wide monster tyre fast enough. Some are on combines, but the majority sold so far in North America are fitted to articulated tractors. This includes the Case IH Steiger and John Deere 9R, and the conditions at this year’s edition of the popular show were perfect to highlight the flotation properties of the new tyre on a 9620R.
Most US customers have switched from dual wheels, but the company is also targeting the rubber-tracked market and reckons that the performance of the 1400 is on a par. By North American standards, the relatively compact 3.65m outer width of a tractor on a set of 1400s is seen as a bonus for tractors regularly spending time on the road.
With a rated inflation pressure and load of 1.58 bar and 10.3t respectively, in North America, a set of four 1400s with rims costs around US$50,000. It hasn’t yet been done but the company reckons it is just a matter of time before the world’s largest ag tyre is fitted to a rigid framed tractor.
