DRIVETRAIN SYSTEM: TRACKS & TIRES
Advancements in Tracks and Tires Improve Machine Performance and Operator Experience Track and tire designs continue to evolve to meet ever-changing customer and off-highway equipment requirements. BKT USA INC.
By Sara Jensen Use of radial tires are increasing in applications such as mining because of their combination of benefits like low-rolling resistance and improved traction.
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racks and tires are an integral part of any heavy equipment design, as they ensure mobility and productivity. The wrong selection can greatly impede an end use customer’s ability to accomplish their work. “Winning in the off-highway tire business is all about giving customers higher performance and lower total cost of ownership (TCO),” said Brian Sheehey, Vice President—Sales, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. (YOHTA). As such, he said tire manufacturers are continually focusing their efforts on improving rubber compounds and tread patterns. Doing so can help ensure better performance in various applications, as well as improve comfort for equipment operators and minimize unplanned downtime.
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Combining features improves customer experience OEMs and their end use customers have a variety of requirements, including being able to travel over a wide range of terrain and withstand use in harsh operating environments, among other things. Track and tire manufacturers need to develop products capable of meeting this variety of needs. Sheehey said YOHTA has been developing “hybrid” tread patterns, combining the best aspects of tread blocks from industrial and truck designs with the traction and self-cleaning advantages of various lug configurations. Bringing these different qualities together into a single tire helps to ensure maneuverability and other performance factors. He said this hybrid tread pattern can be seen on the
OEM Off-Highway | MARCH/APRIL 2022
company’s Alliance 550 Multi-use radial, “where the blocks are laid out in a curved configuration, like self-cleaning tractor lugs flanking a dense centerline for more stability on the road. “We are also becoming much more innovative in our use of sipes and stepped blocks, or lugs, for added traction, which are evident in the Yokohama RS02 radial snow tire for graders or the all-season performer, the Galaxy Mighty Trac ND skid steer tire,” Sheehey said. He said increased interest in ergonomics and worker safety has also brought about an awareness of the effects sidewall and tread patterns can have on vibrations and other impacts. According to Scott Holub, Manager – Technical Services at BKT USA Inc., there used to be a relatively even split between sales of radial and bias tires. However, the company is seeing a shift toward more radial tire sales. Whereas bias tires tend to be used for more price conscious applications, he said radials offer lower rolling resistance, which leads to improved fuel economy, as well as improved traction and puncture resistance. This combination of features can benefit a customer’s bottom line, which is vital in off-highway applications such as mining. Improved puncture resistance will help to reduce costly unplanned downtime. Holub said mine sites are getting larger, requiring equipment to travel longer distances. Improving their fuel economy through lower rolling resistance can help to reduce fuel costs. In addition, he said the further a machine travels the more strain and heat placed on the tire.” Sheehey also sees continued growth of radial tires in construction and industrial applications. He said they perform better than bias tires on machines with
