Reducing tire losses.

[621_Rocker]

My current employer runs a fleet of 631s. We have been loosing a lot of tires. Nearly 100% of the rock in the aggregate we are working in is rounded with exception of the ones busted up by cutting edges and dozer tracks. I was running a 631 the other day that was being top loaded by an excavator. After being loaded I took off and the excavator operator noticed that I was loosing air in my right rear tire. He called my cell phone. I noticed my phone ringing right when it went to voice mail. I had to do a 180 degree turn before I dumped and then noticed something was amiss when spreading my dump my cutting edge was lower on the right. I probably debeaded the tire on that turn. by the time I got dumped and realized what was going on the carcass was shredded.

More recently I was grade checking and heard a rear tire on a scraper losing air on its way to the cut. I flagged down the next scraper to catch that scraper and I also called the push dozer operator. That tire was saved to be repaired. I think we lost one tire yesterday and 3 or 4 today. Probably only one is a complete loss. Many of the tires have heavy weathering cracks.

My question, is there a tire monitoring system that a person can install on machines with high dollar tires that would alert operators with an alarm of not only low tire pressure but rapid pressure loss? These tire losses have to be a major expense to my employer. The one I lost was a Michelin that was not in very bad shape before the loss.

621_Rocker

 

[4x4]

I don't know about the tires but even cheap cb radios work good enough to yell across a field.

 

[4x4]

Here you go.
http://www.doranmfg.com/doran360CE.htm

 

[tireman]

First of all, do the machines not have mirrors or do they just not get used? If you can't tell that the machine is 2 feet lower on one corner, then I'm not sure what to say. Second (and probably most important) would be the air pressures in these tires. If they are taking round rocks that often, then it sounds to me like they are way over inflated. Any chance we can see some pics of said tires(running & injured)? A picture is worth a thousand words, and generally tells the story.

 

[aej352]

http://tireprotectionsolutions.com/ Try and get ahold of these guys.

 

[FMD]

My current employer runs a fleet of 631s. We have been loosing a lot of tires. Nearly 100% of the rock in the aggregate we are working in is rounded with exception of the ones busted up by cutting edges and dozer tracks. I was running a 631 the other day that was being top loaded by an excavator. After being loaded I took off and the excavator operator noticed that I was loosing air in my right rear tire. He called my cell phone. I noticed my phone ringing right when it went to voice mail. I had to do a 180 degree turn before I dumped and then noticed something was amiss when spreading my dump my cutting edge was lower on the right. I probably debeaded the tire on that turn. by the time I got dumped and realized what was going on the carcass was shredded.

More recently I was grade checking and heard a rear tire on a scraper losing air on its way to the cut. I flagged down the next scraper to catch that scraper and I also called the push dozer operator. That tire was saved to be repaired. I think we lost one tire yesterday and 3 or 4 today. Probably only one is a complete loss. Many of the tires have heavy weathering cracks.

My question, is there a tire monitoring system that a person can install on machines with high dollar tires that would alert operators with an alarm of not only low tire pressure but rapid pressure loss? These tire losses have to be a major expense to my employer. The one I lost was a Michelin that was not in very bad shape before the loss.

621_Rocker

A lot of times just being congnize of your surrondings help.

There are a lot of different name brands out there that are RF montiorring systems. If the scrapper has a air compressor on it, PSI makes a system that will air the tire back up for you also.

I work in a scrap yard and we foam fill (solid fill and not chunk fills) and also use solid tires. If ride quality is an issue, the solids come in flex tires also.

 

[John C.]

Your tires may be low on pressure from the start and overheating. There is also a ton/mile rating on the tires that allows you to calculate how much time, speed and distance you can run before the tires heat up too much and start the de-lamination process and start losing air through the inner liners.

You need a good tire salesman or engineer out to run an assessment of your operation. Even if you have to pay a charge for the service you should consider it cheap insurance considering how much money you can spend.

 

[Mjrdude1]

Unless you guys are operating in the middle of nowhere, have your tire company send a tireman out to your jobsite and check your tires. Overinflation will damage them just as fast as underinflation. Some of the cracks may indeed be from overinflation. We had a field mechainc once that figured scraper tires should be around the same pressure as truck tires, so he inflated a couple radial 33.25-29's to 100 psi. I really don't know how they didn't come apart at that pressure, but they sure did crack out between the lugs. The cracking was caused by the cords tearing apart. We reduced the pressures to 60, and swapped them out and sent to repair shop for x-ray, both failed and got scrapped. $16,000.00 oops! From then on we had the tire guys check twice a week, costs around $75.00 for the service call and well worth it.