Agrigear, founded by Fred Clarke, is a tyre and wheel specialist company located in Bailieborough, Co Cavan. It is over 30 years in business and employs over 60 people.

Agrigear took on the BKT brand in 2001 and was appointed sole Irish distributors a short time later. Over the past 15 years, the two companies have built up a very strong relationship and BKT visits Ireland on a regular basis.

This year, managing director Arvind Poddar visited Agrigear to discuss developments in the Irish market and business strategy for the future. Development of new products for the Irish market is key to the future growth and development of the BKT brand in Ireland and hence extremely important for Agrigear. The range of products now carried by Agrigear covers agricultural, industrial, construction, mining and quarrying, forestry and lawn and garden.

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Agrigear distributes BKT product throughout Ireland, north and south, through a network of approved agents. Deliveries are handled by Agrigear’s own fleet of vehicles or by courier service.

The success of the BKT product in Ireland is based on high quality at a competitive price. This, coupled with Agrigear’s after sales service which is backed up by the service team and technical department in BKT, has ensured customers in Ireland get an excellent product.

New trailer tyre options

Among the revised standards, there are new requirements for agricultural trailers to be fitted with flotation tyres to carry 10t per axle in the case of a tandem axle trailer, or 9t per axle in the case of a tri-axle trailer, all fitted with a flexible suspension.

According to BKT, it is ready to help farmers to meet the new standards by offering an extensive and complete range of Flotation tyres for agricultural trailers and equipment.

BKT believes these tyres are designed for combined use on the road and in the fields, featuring extraordinary flotation properties resulting in a minor impact on the land. The strong casing provides excellent traction and perfect grip even while cornering or manoeuvring. The particular tread design ensures outstanding grip on any kind of terrain in addition to enhanced self-cleaning properties.

The BKT Flotation line-up includes eight different tyre choices. This includes the FL 630 Super, FL 630, FL 630 Plus, FL 639, Ridemax FL 690, and Ridemax FL 693 M as well as the latest product novelties FL 630 Ultra and FL 635.

BKT says the FL 630, FL 630 Plus, and FL 639 have been engineered mainly for field applications (70% field and 30% road). FL 630 Ultra, for instance, comes up with a modified pattern with more lugs, whereas the FL 635 tread has been specifically designed for grassland equipment.

The manufacturer goes on to say that the FL 630 Super tyre features a unique tread design for multipurpose use on any kind of land or road. It is designed for trailers and sprayers, since the large contact area on the ground allows for a perfect weight distribution on the land, reducing soil compaction and increasing load capacity. The Ridemax FL 693 M tyre is rated at Class D which gives it a higher speed rating, and is more suited to trailers on the road mostly.

BKT history

Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT) is a family owned business, founded by Mahabirprasad Poddar in 1954. Back then, bicycle tyres were the group’s primary focus, along with paper and textile businesses. Mahabirprasad was succeeded by his son Arvind Poddar, who is the current chairman and joint managing director of the group with his son Rajiv Poddar.

In 1987, the group opened its first manufacturing tyre plant in Western India. Today the company exports to over 130 countries and the corporate offices and administration base is located in Mumbai. More than 7,000 people are employed at BKT, with an average age of 37. The group has its newest and biggest factory in Bhuj with existing plants at Aurangabad, Bhiwadi, Chopanki and Dombivali in India. In 2004, BKT made its first agri radial tyre and now has 230 tyre sizes.

Kells Road, Bailieborough, Cavan.

Tel: 042-966 6444

Email: info@agrigear.ie

Website: www.agrigear.ie

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