After the tradition defying appearance of Galileo AG Tire Product caught our eye, we caught up with Galileo staff to get the rundown of what this product is all about in the following interview with Mike Gelbman, VP of Sales USA:
Tuschner
1. What makes Galileo Cup Wheel unique?
Gelbman
Cup wheel is an innovation in manufacturing process…pneumatic tire with concave sidewalls, providing following attributes:
a. Elongated Rectangular Footprint with more even weight distribution to reduce soil compaction and improve traction- literally the characteristics of a rubber track without the ground compaction.
b. Even Side-Hill Footprint for improved stability.
c. Reduced Hazard Susceptibility due to cup shaped design.
d. Huge Improvement in Ride Comfort.
Tuschner
2. Is Galileo built with standard ag tire manufacturing equipment?
Gelbman
Yes, it is manufactured in the exact same radial ag tire production line in existing molds using our proprietary modifications.
Tuschner
3. Can Galileo be mounted to standard wheel?
Gelbman
Yes, and can be mounted to any wheels that came original equipment fitted with standard pneumatic tires.
Tuschner
4. Can standard ag tire mounting equipment be used?
Gelbman
a. Yes, standard large ag tire mounting machines can be used.
b. Pry Bars cannot be used- so service truck is not an option – although our skid steer is mountable this way.
Tuschner
5. What does a producer do if they encounter a hazard / air loss in the field?
Gelbman
a. Sidewall damage isn’t a factor due to CupWheel design and you get to finish your day / task; no bulging sidewall as with conventional pneumatic.
b. If air loss is encountered due to a tread puncture, CupWheel allows producer to finish the job and get off the field- with no air.
Tuschner
6. What design feature lends itself to improved lateral stability?
Gelbman
Unique inverted and reinforced sidewall design takes the lateral forces vs. the air in radial tires. So even at low air pressure Galileo has superior lateral stability.
Tuschner
7. What should producer expect cost difference to be vs pneumatic tires?
Gelbman
CupWheel is a premium product; will cost producer slightly more than a VF tire.
Tuschner
8. What is your sales platform for N America & Western Europe?
Gelbman
We are focusing on the Galileo CupWheel brand and support it with both OE testing and innovative and select aftermarket customers.
Tuschner
9. How does tire perform from a durability standpoint.
Gelbman
a. Sidewall damage is almost entirely mitigated as we basically don’t have one!
b. We’ve had no problem with V-shaped hinge point withstanding same amount of cycle times as standard pneumatic and the tire is entirely retreadable.
Tuschner
10. Does Central Tire Inflation System improve performance in line with pneumatic?
Gelbman
Yes, Central Tire Inflation System will achieve same objective with Galileo as standard pneumatic; however, our air chamber is smaller, enabling faster fill and deflation.
All information is provided in this blog solely to provoke thought. All deductions made from information on this site must be confirmed by Certified Ag Tire Dealer before use. Ag Tire Talk does not recommend anyone conduct tire service work with exception of Certified Ag Tire Dealer Professionals.