Michelin introduces new size for its SprayBib CFO range of tyres

This 2.05m diameter tyre offers high productivity levels, helps to protect the soil, and offers very good stability to sprayers with large-capacity tanks.

Gordon Brookes, Michelin’s customer engineering support manager, says: “This is the first flotation tyre in the new SprayBib CFO range. It was developed to meet the requirements of equipment users and manufacturers. Their desire was especially warranted as some constructors had already tested prototypes of these tyres on their machines with a view to homologating these as OEM fittings.”

The advantages of these new tyres are…

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 tonnes (depending on the tyre dimension).

Developed for use in the fields at even lower inflation pressures, the optimised footprint of the SprayBib CFO tyre 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 new tread pattern, with lugs which are wider, more robust, and more numerous than on a standard tyre, the MICHELIN SprayBib CFO range also boasts a longer lifespan.

An advanced casing design, which combines the VF**** (very high flexion) and CFO* standards, means the inflation pressure for the MICHELIN SprayBib CFO 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 is now 0.8 bar, as opposed to the 1.8 bar for the first generation of  MICHELIN  SprayBib  tyres (depending on the dimension).

Thanks to its ability 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 also minimises the vibrations passed along to the driver.

This new flotation dimension gives self-propelled sprayers and some other specialised 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 on.

As self-propelled sprayers have increasingly large tank volumes – up to 10,000 litres – and boom widths that can sometimes exceed 50m, these new tyres must be able to carry very heavy loads. Demands on the tyre are very high, due to the desire to reach road speeds of over 50 kph when permitted by local legislation. The new VF 710/60 R46 dimension allows the rapidly growing user expectations to be met.

The new MICHELIN SprayBib CFO VF 710/60 R46 is already available at Michelin dealers. It will also be an OEM fitting on AGCO, CNH and John Deere machines.

* The CFO (Cyclic Field Operation) standard allows a VF tyre to increase cyclic loads by 13.5% at 30 kph.

** Comparison with a non-CFO tyre.

*** 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 tyre to carry 40% more load than a standard tyre at the same inflation pressure.