The chart below shows the results of a decade-long study measuring yield loss from deep soil compaction. As you can see, the soil compaction that occurred on year one slashed yields for more than a decade. When margins are tight, you need every bushel in your grain tank. And sometimes getting more bushels is as simple as running with the right tire air pressure.

Take the Pressure Off Your Fields and Boost Your Yields with a Central Tire Inflation System

If you subject your fields to deep-soil compaction, your yields and profitability will start to suffer in year one. And then, the negative effects of tightly packed soil can carry through for a decade or longer. This very problem has fueled the rise of central tire inflation systems (CTIS) across Europe, with some farm equipment manufacturers offering them as standard equipment from the factory. 

We'd like to introduce you to central tire inflation systems, which will allow you to take advantage of your tires’ abilities to handle high loads in road gear and minimize compaction in the field.

Avoid A Common Tire Tactic that Costs You Money

To operate your equipment safely, you have to set your tire pressures, on both your tractor and implements, for the worst case scenario you’re going to face for the day. For most growers, this means setting tire pressures for roading. Run with too little air in your tires down the road and they may overheat and fail, or at the very least you’ll wear them out much faster than if they were properly inflated. High air pressures give you less rolling resistance, a smaller contact area, and a higher load capacity for safe and efficient high-speed travel. 

The problem is, tires inflated to a safe roading pressure will eventually hurt your yields if you run them across your fields. In the dirt, you want tire pressures as low as possible to facilitate a large, long, stable tire footprint to minimize compaction. (As tire sidewalls deflect at lower pressures, your tire’s footprint actually grows longer for better traction and less ground pressure.) As we mentioned above, studies have shown that deep-soil compaction not only impacts your yields in year one: you may feel the yield loss in your pocketbook up to a decade later.

Some growers attempt to solve this problem by compromise: they pick a number between their tires’ ideal road pressure and field pressure and run with that all day. This is far from ideal. Your tires will be both underinflated for the road and overinflated for the field—not a recipe for prolonging tire life or fighting compaction. Your tires will probably wear faster and you won’t see a meaningful reduction in compaction. Plus, overinflated tires inflate your fuel bill in two ways: One, from increased slip. Two, from your tractor working harder because it’s climbing out of its own ruts as you travel across the field. 

Extend Tire Life. Save Fuel. Safeguard Your Soil Health.

Want to extend the life of your implements’ tires as much as possible? It makes financial sense: 

Regardless of whether you’ve outfitted your equipment with the latest VF radials or high speed floats—or even if your equipment is running with more middle-of-the-road tires—you don’t want to see the money you’ve invested in tires wasted. This is the first reason why farmers invest in central tire inflation systems. By running your tires at the exact pressure necessary for both safe road travel and lower-impact fieldwork, you’re helping your tires run longer.

You’ll not only avoid premature tire wear with a CTIS; you’ll save your soil from deep-soil compaction.  PTG, a leading manufacturer of CTIS systems, first broke into the European market on manure tankers. This is a perfect example of an implement that will benefit from a CTIS—heavily loaded for traveling to the field but progressively lighter as you unload it. This is where it would be helpful to drop your tires’ pressure at the touch of a button as you turn into the field. Are you going to step down from the cab, manually let air out of your tires, then use the air compressor you brought along to inflate them again once you’re ready to turn back onto the road? That’s pretty unlikely. 

On the other hand, with a CTIS, you simply adjust the pressure of your tanker’s tires to a pre-set value at the touch of a button as you enter the field. The tanker’s tires deflect, creating a long, stable footprint that will help minimize compaction. Ready to travel down the road? Inflate the tires to maximum pressure for low rolling resistance and easier pulling.

3 Applications for CTIS

There are 4 applications where a CTIS system could benefit your operation. 

1. Tankers: These implements often have to travel long distances over the road . . . plus they carry an enormous amount of weight. The larger the tire volume, the more opportunity to vary the inflation pressure between road travel and field operation. 

2. Sprayers: Narrow sprayer tires can be notoriously bad for compaction, especially since you need sufficient air in them to travel down the road at high speeds. PTG notes that its central inflation systems can boost road fuel economy by up to 15% while allowing faster speeds in the field due to decreased power demand. The less your tires sink into the soil, the less power you’ll need to keep moving forward.

3. Planter Tractors & Planters: Today’s large center-fill planters hang heavy on a tractor’s rear tires when folded for transport. Once the planter is unfolded and in the field, the amount of pressure on the tractor’s rear tires decreases dramatically and you can safely lower the pressure. Michelin has even designed a tire model—the Evobib—with CTIS applications in mind. The tire incorporates two tread profiles: one for optimum performance on the road and one for field use at lower speeds and pressures. The same reasoning applies to the planter’s tires as well. Whether you’re running stock planter tires sourced from the semi world or newer technology such as Alliance’s 381 Agriflex+, you can fight excessive compaction by lowering your pressures in the field.  

Trust a Central Inflation System that Won’t Leave You Flat

At NTS, we sell central tire inflation systems from two manufacturers: AgriBrink and PTG. AgriBrink's system was designed by a farmer and is headquartered in Iowa. Germany-based PTG is owned by Michelin and has 30 years of experience building and designing inflation systems for agricultural machines. There are several design differences between the two systems. For example, PTG runs two air lines out to each equipped tire—one air line to supply air to the tire and one air line to control a valve at the wheel, which remains closed unless the system is adjusting the tire's pressure. This means that if an air line would break, you wouldn't lose any air from the affected tire. AgriBrink uses a simpler single-line design, which means the system is pressurized all the time. However, AgriBrink also has a safety valve at the wheel that would prevent a tire from completely deflating in the event of a line break.

If you want to safeguard your soil, prolong tire life, increase traction, and improve fuel economy, consider a central tire inflation system on your manure equipment and tractor(s). Now is the time to start experiencing the benefits these systems can bring to your operation. Call NTS Tire Supply and speak with a CTIS expert today and Drive Your Farm Forward.

What an Inflation System Can Add to Your Farm