La Cuma de Piré-sur-Seiche, a cooperative in the French department of Ille-et-Vilaine, has upgraded its manure tankers with remote tire inflation systems, a decision that its members and employees now consider a wise investment. The cooperative consists of about sixty farmers who practice both crop cultivation and animal husbandry, supported by a dozen employees and apprentices. Manure and compost spreading accounts for 25% of the cooperative’s revenue and is its main activity. Since 2014, La Cuma de Piré-sur-Seiche has operated two manure tankers, including a Samson PG20 with a 20,000-liter capacity and, after a 2020 upgrade, a Samson PG25 with a larger 25,000-liter capacity. Both machines are equipped with a 24-meter pendulum arm, which helps spread manure over a wide area. Romaric Minutillo, the cooperative’s workshop manager, explains that a manure tanker should be efficient, avoid compacting the soil, and cover a large area, but he notes that these machines spend most of their time traveling between fields. The remote tire inflation system added to the Samson PG25 cost 30,000 euros, but the cooperative decided to invest in the technology. The system has proven beneficial, with the PG25 now spreading 70,000 cubic meters of manure annually, compared to only 30,000 cubic meters from the older PG20, which has become less in demand. Farmers have noticed improvements in soil conditions, such as fewer ruts after winter, better regrowth of crops like wheat and pastures, and reduced soil resistance during planting. The system allows for precise tire pressure adjustments, both on the road and in the field, based on axle weight and speed. A control box on the tractor lets operators switch between the two settings quickly, and the manure tanker has its own on-board compressor and air storage cylinders for this purpose. The remote tire inflation system also required special tires that could handle the pressure changes. The first set of tires used on the manure tanker wore out after just one year due to bulges, prompting the cooperative to test different tire types. The John Deere 8R 310 tractor attached to the manure tanker was also equipped with the system, at a cost of 10,000 euros. Testing with the Federation of Cuma of the West and Michelin showed that agricultural tires on the tractor wore out much faster than expected, while road tires performed better at low pressure, improving fuel efficiency and durability. The cooperative now uses road tires, which have lasted up to 3,500 hours and provide better comfort on the road. Romaric Minutillo is confident that the cooperative will continue to invest in remote tire inflation systems for future equipment, especially since the technology is eligible for subsidies. The current settings for the manure tanker are 2.8 bars of pressure on the road and 0.9 bar in the field when full (58 tonnes) or empty (35 tonnes). For the tractor, the pressure is set to 1.5 bars in front and 2.7 bars in the back on the road, and 0.5 bars in front and 1.6 bars in the back in the field. These precise adjustments help ensure efficient performance while minimizing damage to the soil.