These traction facts will help you get the most performance from your New Holland tractors.

Radial tires give you better traction. Compared to bias ply tires, radials will improve traction by about 15% in the same conditions. The advantage is greater in tougher conditions such as higher drawbar loads and softer soils.

Lower air pressure is better. Radial tires are designed to perform best at their lowest recommended air pressures for the load. You’ll need to refer to tire inflation charts in your tractor’s Operator’s Manual for your tractor weight and tire size. Recommended inflation levels may be as low as 6 to 8 psi. Consider using larger tires or duals if you must inflate radial tires over 14 psi to meet their weight carrying capacity.

Larger tires are better. You’ll gain a larger footprint, resulting in reduced ground pressure, along with the ability to carry more weight at lower inflation pressures.

Iron is better than liquid for ballast. Iron weights can be added and removed more easily than liquid to help you fine tune your tractor to the task. Liquid ballast makes the sidewalls of the tires stiffer, which causes a rougher ride and more compaction. It also increases rolling resistance. Use iron wheel weights and suitcase weights to get the ballast you need.

A bit of slip is good. Wheel slip in the 8% to 12% range helps tractor tires bite into the soil for maximum traction and provides a fuse for the tractor’s driveline against shockloads. In fact, if your tractor tires aren’t slipping under high drawbar loads, you’re carrying too much weight or you have ample power to pull larger implements.

Less tractor weight is better. You want enough weight on your tractor to pull implements at 5 to 6 mph with 10% to 15% wheel slip. A general guideline calls for 110 pounds of tractor weight per PTO hp, so a 215 PTO hp tractor should weigh around 23,650 lbs.

Duals and triples need equal inflation. All tires used in dual or triple wheel applications should be inflated to the same level. Adding more tires means you can reduce inflation pressures to take full advantage of potential traction and compaction improvements.

Power hop issues can be solved. Steps commonly involve changing front/rear axle weight percentages and tire inflation pressures. New Holland dealers have software programs available to help identify power hop solutions.