You likely have main tractors that you depend on for the toughest jobs on the farm. Maybe that’s pulling a chisel plow, disk or field cultivator. Or if you’re a no-tiller, maybe the largest tractor on the farm pulls the planter. You likely have one or more other tractors which, while important to your success, don’t see as many hours each year and aren’t used in situations that demand the ultimate in performance and traction. Perhaps you haul grain with these tractors or use them in livestock operations.

You may not think of them as “secondary tractors,” but Firestone Ag uses that terminology to distinguish them from tractors that rack up the most hours doing the toughest jobs on the farm. You know you need the best-performing, highest-quality tires on those tractors, and you’re typically willing to pay for them. But what about secondary tractors — the ones you don’t use as much? What tires do they need?

“We’re bringing out a line of tires just for those tractors,” says Matt Frank, product marketing manager for Firestone Ag. “It’s the Performer EVO line. We already sold a Performer line, and this is the next step. ‘EVO’ stands for evolution.”

Quality tires
These tires will be at a different price point than Firestone’s premium tire line for the hardest-working tractors. When you hear “lower price,” you may assume lower quality. Frank assures customers that’s not the case.

“These are quality radial tires,” he says. “They offer all the advantages of radial tires over bias tires, including higher productivity and longer life.

“The primary difference between this new line for secondary tractors and the premium line is that these tires aren’t designed to run at low inflation pressures. You typically don’t need to do that with tractors which won’t be pulling as heavy loads as most primary tractors. We’re meeting the needs of tractors which don’t do the toughest jobs, and which aren’t used as many hours, and providing quality tires for those tractors at economical prices.”

Eight sizes of the Performer EVO line were already available by midsummer, Frank says. By the end of 2018, 14 sizes will be available in the new line. Sizes will be geared more toward medium to larger secondary tractors, in the 40-to-250-hp range.

Tire maintenance
The secret to longer life for any type of tire is proper maintenance, Frank says. The same concept applies on the new Performer EVO line.

“The biggest thing you can do when it comes to maintenance of tires is check tire pressure regularly,” Frank says. “It’s important for the life of the tires that you operate tractors with tires at the correct inflation pressure.”

Radial tires typically can run at a lower inflation pressure than bias-ply tires, he notes. It’s important to remember, however, that this new line of Performer EVO tires for secondary tractors isn’t designed to operate at ultra-low pressures like some premium tires.

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on tire pressure, Frank says. Once you know the proper pressure, check it regularly and maintain correct pressure in all tires.