How to ultimately do tire maintenance right

By |  February 22, 2020

Suppliers reflect on the key characteristics of the most successful maintenance programs among aggregate producers.


Knowing the right tire, relationships key to effective maintenance

Michelin’s Peter Bride details why these two areas are critically important

Photo: Peter Bride

Bride

Aggregate companies with strong tire maintenance programs do two key things:

1. They know the right tire needed for their equipment – sizes, TRA codes, tread patterns, rubber compounds – and what the air pressure should be for that tire on that specific machine. This might sound simple, but it can be complicated depending on the material being mined, the site conditions, the loads being carried, the speeds of the equipment, the haul cycle lengths and many other variables.

2. They have a good relationship with their tire dealer, who understands their company’s goals, budgets, usages and applications of their machines, service expectations and safety requirements. Good dealers will have the proper inventory on hand, help them with their budgeting for future purchases, inspect the fleet and provide tire performance information, and follow all safety protocols.

Peter Bride is quarry business segment manager for Michelin’s global mining business line.


The value of measuring air pressure

Continental’s Shawn Rasey explains why this variable remains essential to safe, productive operations

Continental's Shawn Rasey

Rasey

The single-most important practice for any user is air pressure maintenance. This critical requirement has not changed in the last 50 years.

The good news is that, through the introduction of new technology such as tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), this task is simplified exponentially.

The value of good air pressure maintenance can be summed up in this way: By maintaining optimal air pressures, users can realize longer tire life, better traction, improved fuel economy, safer operating conditions, and better comfort and control for drivers.

All of this translates into lower overall operating costs, more uptime availability and a safer operating environment.

The key variable is whether users are leveraging tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) to simplify the process, and to consolidate more accurate data to help manage their fleets.

Shawn Rasey is director of global business development for earthmover tires at Continental Commercial Specialty Tires.

This article is tagged with , , , , , and posted in Features

Comments are closed