A popular OEM fitment on new high-horsepower 4WD and MFWA equipment, the award-winning MICHELIN® YieldBib™ radial is now available in more sizes and as a replacement tire
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Feb. 13, 2013) — Michelin North America Agricultural Tires announced at the 2013 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky., it is rolling out two new sizes of its AE50 Award-winning MICHELIN® YieldBib™ radial tire and expanding the tire’s availability to the replacement market.
For the first time, farmers now can order all four sizes of the new tire as a replacement for their current tires or as an option on new machines. Honored in January by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for its technological advancement, the MICHELIN® YieldBib™ radial tire now comes in these sizes for 4WD and MFWA high-horsepower tractors:
- VF380/85 R34
- VF420/85 R34
- VF480/80 R46
- VF480/80 R50
As competitors first begin to expand their offerings in the higher-flexion ag tire category, the new MICHELIN® YieldBib™ radial is the fifth high-flexion tire from Michelin, which was the first to introduce both an Improved-Flexion (IF) radial and a Very-High-Flexion (VF) radial. It introduced the MICHELIN® XeoBib™ for tractors in 2003, and the MICHELIN® AxioBib™ for tractors in 2006, the MICHELIN® SprayBib™ for self-propelled sprayers in 2011 and the MICHELIN® CerexBib™ for harvesters in 2012.
“We’ve identified the needs of the market, and with YieldBib, we’re making sure we meet those needs,” said James Crouch, farm segment marketing manager for Michelin. “Equipment is getting bigger, speed requirements are increasing and so are load ratings. And stubble continues to be an issue tire manufactures need to confront. With YieldBib, that is Michelin’s answer. We are getting in front of the needs of equipment manufacturers and farmers.”
In addition to being a VF classification, all MICHELIN® YieldBib™ tires are protected by the new MICHELIN® Stubble shield™. Michelin tires designated with MICHELIN® Stubble shield™, including the MICHELIN® YieldBib™, leverage proprietary tire compounds developed specifically for longevity in extreme stubble conditions with Michelin’s exclusive lug design to repel stubble. In addition, MICHELIN® Stubble shield™ offers an industry-leading, four-year warranty, which includes free replacement in the event of tire failure due to stubble damage in the first year of use, and pro-rated replacement for the remaining three years.
“Stubble isn’t getting any softer,” Crouch said. “It’s something tire manufacturers have to confront, and help farmers combat. “We’ve developed a tire that we can demonstrate holds up better against stubble while also getting you into the field when you need to be there, giving you the traction you need, and delivering the footprint to carry your load while reducing your soil compaction.”
In fact, the VF-class MICHELIN® YieldBib™ is designed to operate at up to 40 percent less air pressure than standard radials, Crouch said.
“This is the first VF-class standard-size radial,” Crouch said. “Farmers can now get all the advantages of a Very-High Flexion tire plus the stubble-fighting protection of MICHELIN® Stubble Shield™ without having to change rims. And opening the replacement market to the MICHELIN® YieldBib™ is important, because it gives farmers an opportunity to upgrade their tires to improve the performance of their current machines.”
“Thoroughly tested in the field prior to launch,” continued Crouch, “the MICHELIN® YieldBib™ received rave reviews from the farmers on all aspects – tire durability, stubble resistance, soil compaction and even fuel savings. At the end of the day, that’s what matters – providing the best tires for the farmers to help them get the most out of their operations.”