Deere approves Conti tires for use on tractor

Fort Mill, South Carolina – Farm equipment maker Deere & Co. has approved 30 sizes of Continental AG's Tractor70 and Tractor85 tires for fitment on its John Deere 6MC, 6RC, 6M and 6R mid-sized tractor product lines.

The original equipment approval was issued after a comprehensive audit of Continental's tire plant in Lousado, Portugal, where Conti's agricultural tire production is located.

This OE technical approval means Deere customers can order their tractors with the Conti products.

Deere's 6-series utility tractors come in several iterations, with horsepower offerings ranging from 105 to 250.

Deere has been auditing production at the Lousado plant since summer 2018, looking at the plant's quality management, delivery processes, risk management, order processing, etc., Continental said. The auditors certified Continental with excellent results.

Conti designated the Continental Mabor Industria de Pneus S.A. plant in Lousado to be its agricultural tire manufacturing hub in mid-2016, committing $56 million at that time to add radial capacity at the then 70-year-old plant.

Conti recently committed €100 million to add capacity for larger diameter radial earthmoving and port materials-handling tires at Lousado.

Conti said the Tractor70 and Tractor85 radial tires are characterized by extreme robustness and guarantee a high degree of ride comfort, soil preservation and tractive force. They feature an innovative bead design and N.flex technology, which uses nylon material for the carcass that has more stretch and is more dimensionally stable than other materials.