SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE WITH THE ALLIANCE ROW CROP VF TIRES

May 18, 2021

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A practical report from a Dutch bulb grower about the Alliance AGRIFLEX+ 363 and 354 tires

Adriaan Van der Steen is a farmer-contractor from North Brabant in the Netherlands. Together with his brother and father, they have been running this family business for the last 10 years cultivating first year bulbs of hyacinths, lilies, tulips and some vegetables. Due to the nature of the flower business, they are operating on the machines with row crop tires. Initially, all their machines were running on the tires from an expensive premium brand but it just didn’t work well, as the wear was so high that they had to change the tires every 1,5 – 2 seasons.

“We are operating on a large area split into smaller plots, sometimes 20 km away from each other, so we spend up to 60% of our time driving on the roads between the fields. That is why our previous tires hardly lasted for 2 seasons. Two years ago, we were so disappointed that I have asked my tire dealer Marius Dorst, Zuid-West Banden, for a new solution. He has offered the Alliance AGRIFLEX 363 VF tires with a unique tread design for the on-road operations, – shares his experience Adriaan Van der Steen. – We have always thought the most expensive tires were also the best ones. We are so excited with the Alliance VF tires as they cost less but last at least twice longer. It is such a big difference with Alliance now!”.

Adriaan Van Der Steen reports that this is his third season now on Alliance 363 and by the look of the wear it will last another two seasons for sure – so five seasons on Alliance instead of maximum 2 seasons on another expensive premium brand. “We can easily drive 50 km/hour on these tires as they deliver excellent grip with the asphalt, better comfort and practically no noise or vibration, not to mention the lowest wear we have ever experienced”, says Adriaan. Since the discovery of the Alliance 363 VF tires just a few years ago, the Van Der Steen contractor company has already equipped three of their row crops tractors with Alliance 363 VF and will equip the rest in the next seasons.

Adriaan was impressed not only by the durability and extra-long life of the Alliance 363 pattern but also by the really powerful traction. “When I saw that specific tread pattern, I did believe it could drive well on the road but I was challenging its traction characteristics in the field. The composition of the soil we operate on is about 80% sand and 20% light clay, which can be very wet, so good traction is crucial. Alliance 363 appeared to be as good in the field, as it is on the road, so no compromises with the traction due to the specific on-road design”, resumes the contractor.

After a great experience with Alliance VF row crop tires on their tractors, Van Der Steen decided to also equip their Condor Agrifac sprayer with another row crop VF pattern from Alliance – AGRIFLEX 354 with a classic agricultural lug design. “When we still had other tires on, we were experiencing the same wear problem with the spreader tires as with the tractor tires. It was just terrible; the tires could hardly survive two seasons; the shoulders were still fine but the central part was completely worn out. So we replaced them with the Alliance 354 tires and the difference is again huge: 4-5 seasons on Alliance vs just 2 on other tires!”, report Adriaan from the Van der Steen company.

“Welcome to my home office – says Roel, an operator, showing the cabin of the AGRIFAC Condor sprayer – this is where I spend all day long in a high season! These tires are so comfortable on the road that I feel like I’m driving a usual car – no vibration nor noise. They are also really great in self-cleaning, so we always keep the public roads clean”.