Agriculture Tire Maintenance Checklist – Check it before you wreck it

Extreme temperatures, whether its hot or cold, and direct exposure to the sunlight can severely wreck tires and cause cracks on your tire's sidewall. Even though many agricultural tires, manufactured by trusted providers such as GRI Tires, use anti-aging composites in the tires, exposure to these elements will eventually cause the rubber to become less elastic which will cause cracks on the tire's surface. Another reason for tire cracks are when under inflated tires are used for work. Remember to properly inflate the tires before using them to avoid unnecessary cracks.

As previously mentioned, under inflating tires and even over inflating tires are one of the key reasons as to why many agricultural companies need to change their tires more often than required to. A tire that's properly inflated to the right standard can reduce the consumption of fuel and reduce the depth and degree of soil compaction and field time. Do keep in mind that not one size fits all when it comes to tires, as the "proper" air pressure levels will greatly depend on the type of field work and the load it carries.

Under inflating and over inflating your tires can cause a premature wear and tear on your tire's tread. Over inflation of tires causes the centre of the thread to wear off faster while under inflation of the tires will cause the shoulders to wear off at a faster rate. And some tires cracks on inner surface
Stubble and sidewall damage
Another thing to make sure of is to check the damage of the tires caused by stubble from the world field – the damage is most likely to be in the centre of the tread if stubble punctures the tire. Operators should also check the sidewalls for chips, punctures and scuffs and the tire lugs should also be checked for chips and other debris.

Machine operators should also check for rusted/rusting rims in the tube type tires. If tubeless tires are filled with liquid ballast, then your tire will need to be repaired. Remember that once air gets in contact with liquid calcium, it will begin to rust.

The tread depth will vary depending on the tire type, for example, rear tractor, front tractor or implement tires will have different requirements for proper traction. During time of the field, if there is a loss of traction, and spinning of tire tread wear beyond standard look for liquid calcium leaks signs
At times, liquid calcium could leak at the valve stem, which would mean that the tire tube is failing at a drastic rate and could potentially be dangerous. If you detect rust, this it is most likely due to this reason, and you should consider it as a sign to repair the rim of the tire and quite possibly a new tube.