It all comes down to having more rubber in contact with the ground. A 380/90R46 Firestone Radial 9000 tire has a flat plate area (footprint) of 260 square inches.

A 650/65R38 (the most common flotation tire size) Firestone Radial 9000 tire has a flat plate area of 390 square inches. That’s an additional 130 square inches of ground contact per tire and 520 more square inches total! And that larger footprint means:

Less compaction.

Compaction, which will restrict root development, can thin your stands and lower your yields. When crossing your fields for a pre-plant, pre-emergence, or post-emergence application, you want to limit compaction as much as possible. A flotation tire’s larger footprint will help you minimize compaction’s impact on your bottom line.

More precise handling.

Soft and wet spring soils can wreak havoc on your planting plans. Flotation tires will help power you through those pesky wet spots. And they also make it easier to drive straight—and stay on the row after your crop is up. You’ll be surprised at the difference larger sprayer tires make!

Increased fuel economy.

Sinking tires also mean sinking fuel economy. You need every aspect of your farm to operate at peak efficiency, so you can’t afford to have the wrong sprayer tires on your equipment.

Use our Sprayer Flotation Tire Configurator to find out which flotation tires work with your sprayer. Or for immediate assistance, talk with an expert at NTS Tire Supply.

Load index and speed rating depend on the size of the machine and tire. That said, the most common load index and speed rating that we recommend for self-propelled sprayers is 166D.

We have installed tires with a load index and speed rating of 157A8 (rated for 9,100 lbs at 25 mph), but these barely meet the requirements for some sprayers and won't work on larger sprayers.

For the most common sprayers (Case IH Patriot 4000 series and John Deere 4038 and 4830 series sprayers), we recommend a load index of 160 or greater and a speed rating of B or better.

While sprayer duals are not nearly as common as flotation tires, we do have customers request them. The motivation behind installing sprayer duals is to increase the total footprint of the sprayer (and thereby reduce compaction) for in-season spray applications where a normal set of flotation tires would drive down the crop.

With sprayer duals, you'll get the same benefits of:

• Less compaction
• Better handling/steering
• Increased fuel economy

If your sprayer has a poor front-to-back weight ratio, sprayer duals may be worth looking into to help you get through those tough spots during the growing season. In our experience, growers who have them on their sprayer wouldn't go without.

‍Contact us to explore flotation tire or dual options for your sprayer.