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So what’s the latest talk on big tires and rubber tracks? Everybody wants ’em, that’s what!

By Carol Wasson

From the Gulf Coast to the war front, from China to the Canadian tar sands, and from mining to major construction—everyone is clamoring for off-the-road (OTR) tires. And the supersize version is rarely on the menu these days. Not surprisingly, then, the press-talk from tire manufacturers is all about constant capacity increases—and in lieu of the actual product onsite, this dialogue does deliver some solace to the wait-listed end user.

Bridgestone/Firestone OTR Senior Corporate Account Manager Bob Joyce sums it up in one sentence: “The smaller the tire, the shorter the wait; the larger the tire, the longer the wait.” Joyce says that smaller-OTR-tire production is pretty much caught up. Medium-OTR-tire buyers will see greater availability by the end of 2007, and large-tire buyers will experience some relief by late 2008. “When you get into the 63-inch models—demand far exceeds supply, and production will probably not match demand until 2011,” he says. Currently, only Bridgestone/Firestone and Michelin offer the 63-inch tire, with Titan International Inc. soon to enter that market.

It’s easier to understand the shortage when one realizes that manufacturing plants typically produce just two to three giant tires per day, with each tire requiring between 48 and 64 hours of production time. Within that time frame, each giant tire must be cured and cooled in a mold for a 24-hour period. “It takes eight months to a year to get additional molds made,” says Joyce.

Walking the Talk
Manufacturers say they are walking the talk via significant investments in increased capacity. For example, Bridgestone is in the process of building a new $270 million plant in Kitakyushu, Japan, dedicated entirely to giant radial OTR tires. It will open in 2009. “Bridgestone allocated a $5.3 billion vertically integrated budget beginning in 2006 that includes this additional capacity as well as a key focus on the acquisition of raw materials. There is a lot of oil and natural rubber that goes into these tires and that is driving up prices; so a large part of our budget is devoted to ensuring the availability of raw materials. We think that’s a real key in making a commitment to our customers, keeping them in tires, and growing this business,” explains Joyce.

“Michelin has invested heavily to increase capacity in almost all of our existing plants, including those in the US and Canada. Our Lexington, South Carolina–based plant is in the middle of an expansion that will increase our capacity for giant earthmover tires by 50%,” says Steve White, earthmover market segment manager for Michelin North America Inc. “Michelin has also invested in a new plant in Brazil, with new tires expected from this facility by the end of the year,” he adds.

Michelin press releases indicate that the company will invest as much as $350 million on improvements and expansion projects at all of its major manufacturing facilities, with $85 million of that total going to the OTR plant in Lexington.

Additionally, both Michelin and Bridgestone/Firestone OTR are hinting about new products in the pipeline. White says that Michelin will be showing a new product at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008, while Joyce says that Bridgestone is in the testing stages of a new product that is very proprietary at this point but will prove to radically change one segment of the industry.

Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., the parent company of Yokohama Tire Corp., is boosting OTR-tire capacity at its plant in Japan, allowing 3% additional product capacity by the end of this year with more increases to follow through 2009.

According to various reports, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is currently running at maximum capacity and is exploring methods to increase output at all of its plants worldwide. Continental Tire North America Inc. (CTNA) is also at maximum capacity at its US OTR plants.

But perhaps one of the biggest capacity announcements came in May of this year. Titan International Inc. says its tire production capacity increases will include 57-inch and 63-inch giant radial tires, followed by a new 73.5-inch, 15-degree tire and wheel. With its new funding, the company says it will produce an estimated 6,000 giant radial tires per year. Titan expects to produce its first 63-inch radial tire in the first quarter of 2008, with startup production by the end of the second quarter. The company’s executives say they have a better way to produce these tires. A recent press release quotes Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. as saying, “We believe radial tires perform better on 15-degree wheels, which is what cars and trucks now utilize. Titan has developed these wheels, and we plan to produce our new tires on a 72.5-inch, 15-degree wheel at the same time we produce 63-inch radial tires.” Approved funding will also allow Titan to build what it says is the world’s largest 24-foot bull wheel, a specialized wheel used to test tires. The bull wheel will have the capacity to load tires up to 300,000 pounds and run tires up to 42 miles per hour.

Photo: Michelin

Maintenance is essential to getting most out of an off-the-road tire.

Training Talk
Amid an ongoing tire shortage and skyrocketing tire costs, end users are seeking ways to better preserve their investment and extend precious tire life. Operational and maintenance education and training are two of the most important strategies. Both Michelin and Bridgestone/Firestone OTR report that their dealer and end-user training seminars are often overbooked or filled to capacity, with more sessions being added as needed.

“Since we sell our Michelin Earthmover tires at a higher purchase price but promote a lower operating cost, we have always felt that tire maintenance and operational education are so very important. The tire shortage has only strengthened the importance of these issues,” says White.

Joyce agrees that indeed one positive effect of the shortage is that end users have become much more receptive to education and training. “There was a time when we had to beg customers to come to our classes. Now we have to turn people away,” he says.

Periodically, Joyce assists industry veteran Jack Dutcher in conducting the company’s three-day educational seminars. Dutcher is manager of education development for Bridgestone/Firestone Off-Road Tires. In one of his articles on OTR maintenance and operation, Dutcher focuses on proper air pressure as the major key to extending tire life. He writes that a tire must operate at its “designed shape.” When doing so, it will deliver the optimum levels of traction, braking, cornering ability, cut resistance, heat resistance, and ride comfort. Operating outside of that designed shape causes a loss of machine productivity because the operator has to slow the machine to go over bumps or to maintain control in slippery conditions. Tires will also wear faster or unevenly, may sustain more severe cuts, or may suffer failures due to high heat levels within the tire. OTR-tire pressures should be checked, recorded, and monitored weekly, he says.

Accurately loaded vehicle weights are a must, says Dutcher. Air pressure must be set and maintained according to the load the tire carries. Unless the weight of that load is known, it is only a guess as to how much air pressure is needed.

While everyone is trying to make their existing tires last longer, Dutcher’s training emphasizes safety as priority one. In other words, don’t try to get by using a tire that may be unsafe. One of the key functions of a tire is to serve as a pressure vessel for air, and any weakness in that pressure vessel increases the possibility of someone getting hurt, he stresses.

Manufacturers such as Michelin and Yokohama Tire offer “intelligent” tire-pressure monitoring systems, which use a sensor mounted to the tire valve stem to monitor air pressure and the temperature inside the tire.

Regarding Retreads and Repair
The tire shortage has also caused a change in mindset when it comes to retreads and repairs, a market segment that is booming. In the past, most contractors would run tires until they were completely worn. Today, many are removing tires with about 20% of the tread remaining as a retread casing.

Such companies as Ohio-based H&H Industries Inc., one of the nation’s largest retreaders, are cashing in on the trend. Demand has required them to more than triple their labor force over the last several years.

H&H Industries has developed its own OTR pre-cure retreading process. Its facility boasts four autoclaves that are used to kettle-cure 57- and 63-inch tires. The company has also designed several repair patches for giant tires.

The Word on Rubber Tracks
Consider that rubber-track loaders account for one of the fastest-growing segments in construction. Ten years ago, sales levels comprised only 850 units. In 2004, 16,000 units were sold, and by 2009, unit sales are estimated to exceed 30,000 annually, say experts. With that comes the need for more aftermarket replacement rubber tracks. Plus, the demand for track conversion systems is also on the rise.

The benefits of rubber tracks are numerous. They operate on turf with near-zero damage. The weight of the loader is spread over a wider area, and there are many, many contact points versus the four contact points of rubber tires. Tracks also hold grade well and provide more stability in performance. Also, many operators will tell you that tracks work better with attachments. Additionally, rubber tracks (versus conventional steel tracks) operate with less noise and vibration and at higher operating speeds.

When choosing between tires and tracks, application over cost is the best determinant. Tires are the better choice when operating on rocky terrain, hard-packed abrasive surfaces, asphalt, or concrete. Tracks are best on surfaces that need to be protected or on wet or soft ground—as tracks provide greater flotation.

Rubber tracks are damaged more easily than tires, say experts. It’s imperative to check the tension of tracks weekly and inspect the undercarriage of the vehicle periodically for entangled foreign objects or wear and damage to the track sprockets and rollers. Clean any oils from the tracks. As to operational tips, limit use on rocky surfaces, avoid sharp and fast turns, and do not drive with track sidewall edges pressing against any hard surface.

As rubber tracks are damaged more easily than tires, it is imperative to check track tension weekly.

The Buzz on Track Products
There are many players in the rubber-track market. Bridgestone Industrial Products markets itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of rubber tracks and the pioneer of rubber tracks in the 1960s. Bridgestone is the largest original equipment manufacturer supplier. The company says it is dedicated entirely to designing and marketing its continuous rubber tracks as part of the undercarriage system so the customer gets an optimized setup with integrated tracks, says the company.

Alternatively, there are contractors who prefer the flexibility of conversion systems, such as tire-to-track-to-tire systems or over-the-tire track systems.

Loegering Manufacturing offers a way to convert a wheeled skid-loader to a track-loader in under an hour. The company says its versatile track system (VTS) is a complete rubber-track undercarriage allowing the contractor to remove the tires and bolt the VTS directly to the skid-steer’s standard hubs. Customers use the system on wheeled units to gain greater stability, traction, and flotation, especially when grading up inclines or traveling on side hills. VTS engineers say the system utilizes forward placement of the front idler wheel to maintain flotation and stability. This is important when digging and backing out of trenches, as well as hauling and dumping heavy loads.

Solideal Rubber Tracks recently developed its new OTT-Track Master, which installs over the tires of a skid-steer loader. Installation time is approximately 15 minutes as the wheels do not have to be demounted. The company says the system fits most tire brands and diameters and causes no damage to the tires or wheels. The OTT-Track Master is low in weight compared to steel tracks and eliminates the spin in between the tires and track.

BLS Enterprises Inc. has long been known for its polyurethane track pads, called Tufpads. This year the company introduced its new Tufpads Blues, which are said to last up to 33% longer than conventional Tufpads. BLS engineers say the new pads are ideal for contractors who have a need for more durable track pads, such as operations using asphalt cold-milling machines, as in this application pads wear much faster than those used on an excavator or a trenching machine.

BLS also offers its Artliner-BLS bolt-on or clip-on pads, which give contractors a big option between steel pads and rubber pads in excavator use. They can easily be popped on when needed to protect pavements or turf from steel tracks and then popped off when no longer needed. These pads have been used extensively in Gulf Coast rebuild projects, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires that all contractors use non-steel pads for mobile equipment. FEMA has requested that everybody doing cleanup work put rubber pads on their tracks or get rubber shoes. Artliner-BLS track pads are designed to be easily installed and removed from a machine’s steel tracks.

Management and Forecasting
Whether you’re using tires, tracks, or both, manufacturers stress the need for good resource management and forecasting, especially in the face of product shortages. Look ahead as far as six months or even longer when predicting your needs, especially for tires, so manufacturers can get an indication of your requirements.

Work with your tire dealer, many of whom have tracking software that can help plan future tire purchases by predicting when tires will need to be replaced. This software can also generate such data as a scrap-tire-removal report, the cost per hour for tires, and a comparison of actual and projected costs per hour.

Importantly, the proper management of maintenance and operational methods will keep your valuable rubber tires and tracks working off the road—and on the level of record performance.

Writer Carol Wasson owns JCL Marketing & Communications Inc.

GEC - November/December 2007

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