Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Announces Firestone-Brand Radial All Traction RC Tires

Radial All Traction Row Crop tires designed to carry more load at lower pressure

NASHVILLE, TN--Jan. 29, 2013: Bridgestone Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales (BAAG), manufacturer of Firestone-brand farm tires, announced the launch of Firestone-brand Radial All Traction RC tires specifically for use on today's high-capacity, self-propelled sprayers. The Firestone-brand Radial All Traction RC tires are made with AD2 technology, which allows them to carry more load at lower pressure than conventional radial sprayer tires.

"The Radial All Traction RC tires are specially designed to address the load and compaction problems producers face with today's large, self-propelled spraying equipment," said Tom Rodgers, who directs sales and marketing efforts for Firestone-brand farm tires. "The specially-designed, wider tread bars on these tires create an application-specific tread pattern that provides both a smoother roading at faster speeds, as well as a longer and better-wearing tire. The AD2 sprayer tires are rated up to 40 m.p.h so producers can get more done in less time than with standard tires."

The Radial All Traction RC tires are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of crop protection and fertilizer applicators. Compared to equivalent-sized standard radial tires, the sprayer tires deliver additional performance benefits, including:

IF- and VF- designations that can carry more load at the same pressure or the same load at a lower pressure, resulting in a larger footprint and reduced soil compaction
wider tread bars for improved distribution of ground pressure from the bar face
a curved bar design for a smoother ride
20 percent deeper R-1W tread bars than industry standard vs. R1 tread depth ā€“ for longer wear and added performance in wet soils

The Firestone brand Radial All Traction RC tires are extensively tested for durability and performance at the Firestone Farm Tire Test Center in Columbiana, Ohio. Thanks to Bridgestone's $151 million investment that provided tire-building capacity as well as the components to successfully build out the IF and VF sizes, these tires are manufactured at the company's primary agricultural tire plant in Des Moines, Iowa.