The right tyres on a quarry’s loaders and haulers are a key factor in maximising machine fleet performance, while also minimising costly equipment downtime. Guy Woodford reports.
Winter weather can cause difficulties within any quarrying operation, but having robust and efficient tyres on your fleet’s haulers and wheeled loaders can help reduce cold season maintenance.
The Earthmax SR 22 (G-2/L-2) is an all-steel radial tyre specifically designed for graders and loaders operating in extreme ice or snow conditions. The tyre is said to feature excellent traction and extraordinary stability thanks to its large, non-directional tread design, which also ensures utmost safety and increased grip on wet surfaces or snow. The Earthmax SR 22 is available in three sizes: 14.00 R 24, 17.5 R 25 and 20.5 R 25.
The Earthmax SR 42 has been specifically developed for haulers in mining, quarrying or heavy logging applications. Its tread compound has been specially engineered to provide particular resistance against cuts and wear, and to ensure safety at extremely low temperatures. The tread design is said to ensure a high level of traction, excellent braking response and cornering even on terrain covered by ice and snow. The Earthmax SR 42 is available on the global market in size 14.00 R 25.
As reported in the November-December issues of Aggregates Business Europe and Aggregates Business International, BKT recently unveiled its new Research and Development Centre in Bhuj, western India. It will be interesting to see what new tyres, including those well-suited to winter machine applications, come to market after being designed at the facility.
Remaining with new facilities, Dutch off-the-road (OTR) tyre company
“This is a huge development for Magna Tyres Group and an important milestone in the history of our company,” said de Ruijter. “The expansion is important because we are struggling to keep up with the fast growing demand for Magna Tyres. We have invested heavily in the factory and can significantly expand our production capacity to meet the rising demand for our popular brand. Our growing customer base worldwide will greatly benefit from these achievements and we expect it will create new sales opportunities as well. Additional investments are already made in order to increase press capacity even further. “
Speaking about how it is economically viable to produce new tyres in the Netherlands, Peter Schrijver, general manager of OBO Tyres, which is part of the Magna Tyres Group, said: “Our efficiency, lower transport costs and lower import duties make it very cost-effective to produce locally and to invest in more production capacity. From now on Magna MA02, M-Terrain and AG24 are available as a Made in Holland product and we are very proud of this achievement.”
The 29.5R25 Magna MA02 is an E3+ / L3+ tyre and is designed for wheeled loaders, dumpers, scrapers and bulldozers. The wide shoulders increase the contact surface for more traction. The rubber compound, used in all OTR tyres from Magna, is said to offer the best result against chip and chunk and tread wear. The reinforced shoulder and sidewall protection is said to offer excellent resistance against impacts. The carcass is all steel radial and the advanced construction with improved belt layers is said to contribute to improved comfort and heat build-up resistance, thus longer service life.
The 26.5R25 Magna M-Terrain is an E4 tyre said to have a remarkably deep and robust profile, designed for heavy dumper applications in day mines, excavations, scrap processing sites and for transport in underground mines. The same wide shoulder area that is so characteristic of the MA02 is also found in the M-Terrain and is said to guarantee perfect grip in challenging off-road conditions.
The 24R20.5 Magna AG24 is described as the “progressed development of the OBO Transport HD”. The profile has been developed in collaboration with professional end users and an optimum balance of comfort, long service life and low rolling resistance is said to have been found. The tyre’s carcass offers a load capacity of 7.5tonnes at 65km/h. This is said by Magna Tyres to be the highest in its class. Where the OBO Transport HD was also available as a retreaded tyre, the Magna AG24, with its open shoulder design and 24mm tread depth, is only available as a completely new tyre. However, it can be retreaded.
The EM-Master is part of the ContiEarth portfolio, which was developed specifically for the construction sector. The tyre is ideally suited for articulated dump trucks (ADT), loaders and dozers and is available in two versions: The EM-Master E3/L3 has a normal tread depth and wide spacing between the blocks. This is said to make it an ideal tyre for soft ground. In contrast to the E3/L3, the EM-Master E4/L4 is ideally suited for hard and stony ground thanks to a greater block size with less spacing between the blocks and a deeper tread depth. The EM-Master E3/L3 is available in sizes 20.5 R25, 23.5. R25, and 26.5 R25. The EM-Master E4/L4 is available in sizes 23.5 R25, 26.5 R25, and 29.5 R25.
The RDT-Master is also part of the ContiEarth series and was developed for rigid dump trucks (RDT). Thanks to its special deep tread design, the tyre offers high resilience, cut resistance and self-cleaning properties. The tyre is available in sizes 18.00 R33, 21.00 R33, and 24.00 R35.
The DumperMaster rounds out the radial tyre product range. The tyre has an all-steel radial carcass said to ensure high load capacity with low heat build-up. This makes it ideally suited for transporting ore onto the conveyor belt or directly from mines to the surface on dump trucks. In addition, the tyre is well-suited for tunnel construction. The DumperMaster tyre is available in sizes 26.5 R25, 29.5 R25, and 35/65 R33.
All Continental radial earthmoving tyres - EM-Master, RDT-Master and DumperMaster - come with an integrated tyre sensor. When combined with the manufacturer’s proven ContiPressureCheck monitoring system for a single vehicle or ContiConnect for multiple vehicles operating in a fleet, it allows for the automatic monitoring of tyre pressure. This can cut the risk of puncture accidents in heavy-duty applications such as construction, quarrying, and mining, offering improved levels of safety for both driver and vehicle.
Continental stresses that correct tyre pressure also leads to lower energy consumption for vehicles and to increased mileage capability. This means, the OEM continues, that fleet operators can significantly reduce their operating costs and increase the efficiency of their fleets by using ContiPressureCheck or ContiConnect. At the same time, environmental impact is reduced due to lower CO2 emissions.
