Tire Tracks
by Tom Jackson Contributing Editor
TECHNOLOGY
Your earthmover tires are a critical component
of uptime, cost control and profitability.
O
ther than the cost of the machine
itself, fuel and tires are the biggest
expenses you face in earthmoving
and quarry work. While the price of fuel
is out of your control, there are a number
of tire-related factors you can control that
will lower operating costs and increase
your uptime.
It starts with picking the right tire.
And just because all tires are round and
black does not mean they’re all the same.
Today’s heavy equipment tires offer a
diverse range of technological improvements over designs of just a few years
ago. Here’s a guide to what the major
manufacturers are producing.
Michelin
A new retread option, the Michelin XZY3
Pre-Mold, brings all the technological innovations of the company’s new tires to a retread
product with a heavy duty, thick tread and
anti-cut/anti-chip properties for the on/
off road market. The XZY3 Pre-Mold tread
comes in rolls and multiple widths and is
applied to casings at Michelin authorized franchises. The company also
uses two different rubber compounds
co-extruded in the XYZ3 product. “It
uses a cooler running compound by the casing to keep heat off the casing
for better performance and longevity,” says Tom Brennan, vice president
of sales for retreading at Michelin. “Then the tread that goes against
the road can be a different compound and be more aggressive, or fuel
efficient or offer less rolling resistance if needed.”
31a July 2012 Better Roads
Michelin XZY3
Pre-Mold tread