BKT, the Indian off-road tyre brand gains for the second time the quality mark from the independent German testing institute DLG. Having successfully passed stringent evaluation criteria, the BKT tyres belonging to the AGRIMAXFACTOR range – in sizes 600/70 R 30 and 710/70 R 42 – have been awarded with the DLG APPROVED quality mark in the test module Resources Protection.
The primary objectives of the tests conducted by DLG included an analysis of the tyres’ effect on the soil and in terms of fuel consumption. These are two elements that are key factors nowadays when it comes to ensuring environmental sustainability and cost optimization in the farming sector.
The tests were conducted in two different phases: field tests on farmland under comparable operating conditions, and simulation tests of transport activities on both slope and level ground on a DLG dynamometer test stand. This test performed as DLG PowerMix simulates real transport conditions on paths at different inclinations. The testing procedure enables the measurement of parameters such as the specific fuel consumption, performance at constant speeds as well as overall tire efficiency under controlled conditions.
The AGRIMAXFACTOR tyres were compared against five competitor tyres. The tests were conducted in March 2024 employing a John Deere 6R 250 tractor and a Claas Xerion as braking tractor. The measured ground pressure values highlighted a clear correlation between the contact area and the penetration depth. At all measurement depths (10, 20, and 40 centimeters) AGRIMAXFACTOR achieved the best results; the lowest ground pressure value of 0.13 bar is recorded at a soil depth of 40 centimeters and a tyre inflation pressure of 0.6 bar.
The low pressure on the contact area, which on average produces a measured track depth of 7.1 centimeters, reflects the BKT tyres’ ability to generate a depth of just 6.5cm – thus 8% below the average value and 18% less than the last-placed competitor.
Another key point is fuel consumption. In the field tests, indeed, BKT tyres recorded a by 1.7% lower fuel consumption than the average (17.4 l/ha); consumption in the transport tests was 0.3% below the mean value of the reference tires. Specifically, in the 40-km/h variant of the DLG PowerMix transport test, the AGRIMAXFACTOR tyres sized 600/70 R 30 and 710/70 R 42 recorded a specific consumption of 367 g/kWh, whilst in the 50-km/h variant consumption increased to just 372 g/kWh.
“Once again, BKT products have proven to be key players in the segment, distinguishing themselves from the competition by means of their high quality and outstanding performance, now also recognized by a trend-setting institution such as DLG. Having gained, for the second time in a year, the DLG APPROVED quality mark is a further confirmation of BKT’s strong focus on the entire research and development process, as well as synonymous with meticulous design development that prioritizes farmland preservation and emission reduction,” states Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director, BKT Europe.
