The innovative MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® is an airless radial tire that joins the market as an addition to farming equipment across Ontario as well as across the country.
How does it work?
“There is no need for complex wheel/tire mounting equipment. Once the TWEEL unit is bolted on, there is no air pressure to maintain,” explains Justin Brock, Marketing Manager of Construction and TWEEL at MICHELIN North America. “The Michelin TWEEL is designed to perform like a pneumatic tire but without the inconvenience and downtime associated with flat tires.”
The TWEEL tire is of interest to farmers because it provides no flats without the compromises. “The pneumatic tire can obviously go flat and can also create ‘bounce’ when operating,” says Brock. “Foam filled and solid tires can eliminate flats, but these options come with compromises in traction and comfort. With the TWEEL, the farmer will get the best of both since the TWEEL carries the load from the top like a pneumatic tire, allowing the contact patch to flex providing traction, comfort and reduced bounce.”
There will be a demonstration of the TWEEL tires on different farming equipment during Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show this year, on a track located behind the Britespan Dairy Innovation Centre.
Why join the show in such a big way?
“Earlier this year, we participated in Ag in Motion in Langham, Saskatchewan,” says Brock. “This was our third consecutive year of doing a demo at the show. The interaction with farmers and opportunity to showcase our technology has been extremely valuable, and we plan to do the same at the Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show this year.”
According to Brock, a demonstration just made sense. “We do the demonstration because we want to give the users a chance to decide for themselves. They can actually operate the equipment and see how the TWEEL airless radial performs on the machine. Why should we tell farmers when we can allow them to see for themselves in a live demonstration?”
Besides, adds Brock, the demonstration is not only for attendees and farmers. “These demos are educational, not just for the farmers but for ourselves as well.”
Visit MICHELIN at Booth SM-122 and view the tire demonstration during the show on Southeast Mall at 8th Lane S.