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In a hurry to slurry?

An Ascot-based agricultural contractor is seeing the benefits of getting out in the field earlier to do slurry work without damaging subsoil, thanks to Michelin’s XeoBib and CargoXBib flotation tyres.

Shorts Agricultural Division Manager James Winfield says his clients, which include the Royal Farms at Windsor, are pleased after Shorts employees were able to start their slurry injection work as early as January this year.


“When it comes to slurry injection, Michelin’s flotation tyres can save time and money,” says Winfield. “Spreading slurry has gone from an abstract art to a precise science over the years, but it means our clients are getting ever more demanding. Along with new injection methods to reduce odours and run-off, we’ve had clients keen to get started with their slurry work as early as January. And thanks to Michelin’s agricultural tyres, we’ve been able to do it for them this year without damaging the subsoil.”
Winfield endeavours to order only the best equipment. His team pull a 20,000 litre Joskin Quadra slurry injector with a John Deere 6190R tractor and both machines use Michelin’s flotation tyres.
The John Deere tractor is fitted with Michelin’s VF 600/60 R 30 and VF 710/60 R 42 XeoBib tyres, which offer increased ground protection as they are designed to carry heavy loads at lower pressures, minimising rutting and soil damage. They can also be operated at a pressure of just 1 bar in the field and on the road, meaning pressure adjustments are not needed between jobs.
“We were buying the best machines, so I went for the best tyres on both and you can’t touch them for quality,” Winfield says. “The XeoBib tyres, in particular, have been worth their weight in gold because the Ultraflex Technology ensures the footprint in the field is unbeatable.”
At the loads being carried, Shorts Agricultural has the front tyres inflated to just 8psi and the rears at 12psi, both on the road and in the field.
The Joskin slurry injector is fitted with Michelin’s 750/60 R 30.5 CargoXBib tyres, running at 26psi. These offer a significantly larger footprint than remould truck tyres commonly used on farm trailers, which are often inflated to 90+ psi; thereby helping to reduce subsoil damage without compromising grip.
“Our Michelin account manager showed us that the XeoBib and CargoXBib tyres were just the way to go for this application,” Winfield says. “Once you have the pressures set correctly, they’re the best tyres for the job, and our clients have been pleased with the results.”
The John Deere 6190R spends approximately 70 per cent of its time operating with the slurry tanker. Together, the combination operates within a 35 mile radius of the company’s base in Lyndhurst Road, Ascot.