Titan to co-brand tire line with Kubota

WEST CHICAGO, Ill.—Titan International Inc. has agreed to make a line of Kubota co-branded tires for fitment on certain Kubota compact and utility trailer models.

Titan and Kubota Tractor Corp./Kubota Canada Ltd. have signed an exclusivity agreement on select sizes of Titan's new Trac Loader II tire—branded with Titan and Kubota both displayed on the sidewall of the tire—for compact and utility tractor models used in residential, commercial, agricultural and light construction applications.

"We were impressed with how the Trac Loader II performed in residential and commercial applications when paired with our compact and utility tractors," said Chris Box, Kubota's director of product marketing, compact and utility tractors.

"This tire is a perfect match for our versatile and durable tractors and will enhance our customers' productivity whether they're using them on their property at home or on a farm, ranch or job site."

Before agreeing to the deal with Titan, Kubota conducted testing on the Trac Loader II, Titan said, which revealed that tire has "outstanding" stability and durability, along with better roading capabilities resulting from an upgraded center lug.

According to Titan President and CEO Paul Reitz, the Trac Loader II is a first for Titan as an OEM-branded tire product in this space, but the second exclusivity agreement with Kubota. In 2019, Titan and Kubota partnered on the Goodyear R14T crossover tires on select Kubota compact tractor models.

Grapevine, Texas-based Kubota Tractor is the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-engineered and manufactured machinery and equipment and a subsidiary of Japan's Kubota Corp.