A fleet of 13 new 140hp, four-wheel-drive Claas Arion 610C tractors have had their original factory-fit tyres replaced with Mitas row-crop tyres before being delivered to Cornwall’s leading vegetable grower and packer. The tractors were supplied by Hamblys, the longest-serving Claas dealer in the South West, to Southern England Farms Ltd at Leedstown for use in the production of field-scale vegetable crops.
The replacement Mitas row-crop tyres, 380/90R46 AC85 on the rear wheels and 380/85R30 RD-01 on the front wheels, were fitted by Geoffrey Harris Tyres in Liskeard, a 42-year-old family-owned business which is now one of the largest tyre distributors in Cornwall. The business, which supplies a huge range of agricultural tyres to fit anything from vintage tractors to the largest of today’s agricultural models, provides a professional fitting service to farmers throughout Cornwall, South Devon and the Isles of Scilly.
Michael Harris, who has more than 25 years experience and a wealth of knowledge in the agricultural sector, states:
“We received the order from Hamblys in January, fitted the first Mitas row-crop tyres when the initial Claas Arion 610C models arrived in April and are currently equipping the last of the 13 tractors. Mitas tyres are ideal for this application but when choosing the correct row-crop set-up the starting point must always be to consult a specialist supplier such as ourselves which has a detailed knowledge of the agricultural sector.”
Richard Berryman, Sales Manager for Hamblys’ Redruth branch, one of five across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, says that Hamblys has a long-standing relationship with Geoffrey Harris Tyres and chose Mitas tyres on their recommendation. Mitas offered the best value for money and were ideally suited to the intended application.
Southern England Farms, which farms in excess of 5000 acres of vegetables and cereals, has a significant number of Claas Arion tractors running on Mitas row-crop tyres, which meet their specialist requirements for working in high-value field-scale vegetable crops. In recent years Southern England Farms has become a year-round supplier, selling local produce such as cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes and broccoli to major UK supermarkets and processors, as well as to Scandinavia.
“Mitas supplies most leading farm machinery manufacturers as original equipment, helping to ensure that their machinery operates to its full design potential,” states Malcolm Smith of Mitas Tyres. “The Mitas range includes a wide range of row-crop tyres, including six new sizes 270/95R32, 300/95R46, 320/85R34, 320/90R50, 380/90R50 and 320/90R54 so there is one to suit every requirement. When fitting any agricultural tyres it is critical to use the correct ones in order to maintain performance and safety. With downtime becoming increasingly costly the benefits of investing in premium tyres such as Mitas are significant. Ensuring that expensive equipment both remains operational and achieves its full potential cannot be overstated.”
