The all-new 28in PneuTrac was revealed during SIMA on the front axle of the Case IH Maxxum tractor, with its rear axle fitted with the 38in rim PneuTrac.
Mitas developed 480/65 R28 PneuTrac as the third size of this revolutionary tire concept, while PneuTrac 280/70 R18 and 600/65 R38 are undergoing intensive dynamic tests. PneuTrac received the EIMA Technical Innovation award in Bologna, Italy.
“By mounting PneuTrac on the tractor, we are also unfolding the future of this concept,” said Andrew Mabin, marketing and sales director at Mitas. “The test results of 18in PneuTrac are now similar to those of the standard tire. We are doing our best to make the concept commercially available at the soonest possible time, but it is still early to announce the exact date.”
PneuTrac brings together the best of both worlds in traditional pneumatic tires and rubber tracks. Mitas is intensively testing the PneuTrac concept on an 18in and 38in rim tire and has started static tests on the new 28in rim PneuTrac. Thanks to the new 28in size and with the use of the 38in rim, Mitas is able to fit front and rear axles of a tractor solely with PneuTrac. This enables Mitas to start field tests in the near future and prove the advantages of this concept.
Mitas PneuTrac provides better traction efficiency with lower slippage, resulting in lower operational costs, higher crop yields and less damage to soil compared with standard tires. PneuTrac provides very stable driving at low inflation pressures, ensuring comfort and safety with no need to adjust inflation pressure.
The footprint of Mitas PneuTrac is 53% larger than that of a standard tire, and it provides higher tractive force. This ensures gentle ground-handling with much lower and improved distribution of pressure on the ground with less soil compaction. The lateral stability of Mitas PneuTrac is of a very high level compared with standard tires: 167% higher, to be precise. PneuTrac is mountable on standard rims.
See videos of the system, under the previous CupWheel brand, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59afl0d5yE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPfZoZ02E5c
