In the last issue of POWERMANAGER, we discussed soil compaction, and some of the research that has been done to compare the impact of tractors with properly inflated radial tires against tractors with single tracks.

You may be surprised to know that a number of university studies concluded that when it comes to minimizing soil compaction, a tractor with properly inflated dual radials ranked even better than single tracked units!

Just as new tractor technology has made gigantic strides over the past few years, so has tire technology. Today’s agricultural tires are engineered specifically for use under load. When a tractor pulls an implement, the rear tires “spread out” to distribute the additional weight. Today’s radial tires increase footprint with increased loads. They have the ability to maintain virtually the same ground pressure with different loads, so they’re a sound, economical choice for good soil management.

Top 10 ways to reduce soil compaction with tires

1. Use radial tires. They can operate at lower psi than bias ply tires, have a larger footprint and reduce soil disturbance.
2. Use the widest and largest–diameter size tires possible for the application to allow the minimum air pressure (example 6 psi).
3. Use the proper tire pressure for the load, speed and application.
4. Check tire pressures regularly.
5. Add duals or triples to help distribute the load and optimize the air pressure.
6. Add large tires to the implement being used. Many times, the implement actually causes more compaction than the tractor!
7. Run the tractor at the lightest ballasted weight possible.
8. Always ballast with iron, not fluid in the tires.
9. Utilize precision traffic. For example, drive in the same tire tracks and keep major traffic on the headlands.
10. Use the correct tires to improve fuel efficiency. Less slip over lots of acres can add up to big savings in fuel usage.