If you’re a farmer you will realise how much fuel you use on your machinery alone. With fuel prices rising steadily, farmers need to make savings wherever possible. Here are a few measures farmers can take to reduce their fuel consumption.

Tyres – save up to 15% on fuel

Tyre pressure needs to be set according to the axle load and the driving speed. Use a low tyre pressure in the field and a high tyre pressure on the road. Reducing tyre pressures in the field reduces the tractive power demand as well as the track depth and soil compaction, while using a high tyre pressure on the road reduces the rolling resistance. Tyre inflation systems for tractors and trailer help to adapt the pressure as circumstances demand.

Adaptive Driving– save up to 20% on fuel

Last week HMRC announced that Farmers would be allowed to grit roads using their vehicles and machinery that are powered by red diesel. This is the second time this year that HMRC have lifted their ban on rebated fuel, after the heavy snowfall in February. This led to HMRC saying they would review the policy on using red diesel for gritting.

During the winter of 2010, when the country was covered in a blanket of snow, Farmers were left outraged when HMRC refused to lift the ban on the use of red diesel for gritting, even though some parts of the country had experienced their highest levels of snowfall in years. This had a huge effect on rural communities as council spending cuts were firmly underway, public gritting was only available in urban areas. Some rural areas were left to fend for themselves and many residents were left with no option but to stay at home.