The company Michelin has announced that they will be the first to start production on the airless tweel, which is a combination of a tire and a wheel.

Tire company, Michelin, has announced that they will start production on a tweel, which is an airless combination of a tire and a wheel.

A factory located in Piedmont, South Carolina has opened this week that is dedicated to the production of tweels for skid-steer loaders and some models of John Deere lawnmowers.

Michelin introduced the tweel idea in 2005, and several other companies have released their own designs since then.

A steel center hub bolts onto the vehicle just like a wheel, and poly-resin spokes adjust to drive smoothly over obstacles.

The outer tread can be made with different patterns depending on what the tweel will be used for.

According to the Michelin Tweel website: "The result is a deformable, non-pneumatic mobility solution. The Michelin X Tweel Airless Radial Tire delivers excellent traction, comfort and stability while eliminating concerns about downtime and maintenance."

In performance tests, the tweel caused lawnmowers to bounce less than conventional tires, which makes for a more level cutting.

American based Polaris Industries is already selling their version of tweels on a military style all-terrain vehicle called the Sportsman WV850 H.O.