For several years, Michelin has sold its range of Tweel (airless tyre) products for mowing, agricultural and industrial applications in North America – but the tyre manufacturer’s fitment for skid steer loaders will be the first Tweel to arrive this side of the Atlantic.

The non-pneumatic X Tweel SSL will be available in two versions – the All Terrain (AT), which features a deep, open tread for off-road applications and use on varying surfaces, and the Hard Surface Traction (HST), with its smooth tread featuring a 100% contact patch, for frequent use on hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete. Both tyres are expected to prove popular within the farming sector, on applications ranging from scraping yards and clearing slurry to moving bedding and animal feed.

The product is said to perform like a pneumatic tyre, but without the risk and costly downtime associated with penetrations and impact damage.

According to Michelin, the X Tweel SSL delivers a consistent footprint with strong wear life and little maintenance involved, as the fitment is easy to mount and doesn’t require air pressure checks.

So far, these airless tyres are only available for smaller machines such as Skidsteer loaders but you would think that the technology is heading the right direction so that in the near future we may see this type of tyre on standard agricultural tractors.