Caqital Equipment News October 2018

it is a debatable subject, and even when used correctly and in the right applica- tion, tyre life can vary from customer to customer and brand to brand. “Generally a solid tyre can last up to three times longer than a pneumatic tyre when used in a correct application,” says Christie. According to Rachman, the lifetime of either type of tyre is very difficult to predict and depends a lot on the severity of the job/ application as well as on the operator. “As a guide, one should get approximately 1 000 hours on a pnuematic tyre, and about 2 500 hours on a solid option,” reasons Rachman. The operator When it comes to the operator’s role in tyre life, excessive wear can be minimised by following proper operating procedures, providing operator training and undertaking preventative maintenance practices. “The operator plays a significant role in the life of any tyre, hence good training and site/job management is imperative to achieve maximum life out of your skid steer tyres,” says Rachman. No matter what the application is, it pays to train operators for tyres to last longer. Accelerated wear is mainly caused by operator error and improper use of equipment. Spinning tyres represents money down the drain, and the potential repercussions for machine owners can be very costly due to downtime, cost of re- pair or replacement and loss of business. Christie adds that the operator’s role is pivotal as tyre pressure checks should be done regularly; checks done for foreign objects that might be lodged in the tyre; rotating of tyres to counteract the stress placed on either the front or rear set of tyres based on the application; keeping all four tyres on the floor; checking for ob- stacles in the surroundings; and avoiding sharp turns – instead opting for the three- point turn to limit excessive wear. b

Solid tyres are ideal for smooth and paved areas.

equipment when not working on smooth surface conditions,” says Van der Walt. Pneumatic tyres Harding is of the view that, despite the hype behind solid tyres in recent years, pneumatic options remain very popular in road work and agricultural applications. Rachman reasons that pneumatic tyres are still firm favourites in soft terrain and in wet and muddy conditions. “Traction is the main advantage. How- ever, a pneumatic tyre offers a bit more comfort for the operator as the air in the tyre gives some form of suspension. An obvious downside to pneumatic tyres is that you will inevitably get a puncture at some point, resulting in downtime related to tyre changing,” says Rachman. Van der Walt shares the same view,

saying pneumatic tyres are ideal for harsh and uneven surfaces, as the air-filled tyres can absorb some of the impact, resulting in a smoother ride which equates to longer life for your equipment components. “They are also ideal for applications requiring operators to be on both off-road and harder surfaces like pavement or concrete as they offer better traction,” says Van der Walt. Christie says apart from being suscep- tible to punctures, the variations in air pressure affect the performance of equip- ment – particularly when moving from one surface to another, as this requires correct pressure to be applied all the time. While pneumatic tyres definitely have a lower upfront cost than their solid coun- terparts, the downside is that they have a shorter tyre life. Christie concedes that

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