There has been a focus on job creation in the mining industry of late. More mining means more use of mining trucks and more pressure on mining truck wheels and tires. Mining trucks tend to put a lot more wear on tires than trucks in just about any other industry, which is why regular mining truck wheel maintenance is so important.
Each one of those trucks carries an extremely heavy load, usually over rough terrain, every day. That’s a schedule that couldn’t be harder on tires, which means you have to protect your mining truck tires with the best possible tools in the industry. The fact is that four out of five large tires fail before they wear out, so ignoring mining truck maintenance could not only be costly, but also dangerous.
Sooner or later, all mining truck tires are going to wear out regardless of what you do or what quality of mining tires you put on your trucks. Thankfully, the right tools can dramatically increase the life of those mining tires, and having to buy a dozen fewer truck tires a year could create a nice cushion in your budget.
Best Practice for Wheel Safety Guide
Wheel-end maintenance is crucial to having a safe fleet. Our Best Practice Guide for Wheel Safety can help!
Download the guideTO A MINING TRUCK, TIRE PROTECTION IS CRITICAL
In an ordinary industry with ordinary trucks, a flat tire can be a very difficult situation. Thankfully, however, it is a relatively routine process to change the flat tire and get back on the road.
With a mining truck, it’s a different story. If you lose a mining truck tire, getting a new one on and getting back underway requires specialized machinery, making the process more difficult. You’ll lose that truck’s capabilities until you can replace that tire, and in an industry where you need enough power to haul maximum loads every day, that can be a major problem. That’s why you need to treat your mining tires with as much care and preventative maintenance as possible.
ISSUES WITH MINING TRUCK TIRES
Mining tire maintenance is about more than just making sure you avoid a blowout. Mining trucks can generate excessive heat at the wheel end due to the heavy loads they consistently carry, along with stop-and-start driving. This heat can lead to more corrosion, faster wearing-down of tires, and other problems. You need tire protection products that are able to stand up to the heat.
MAKE SURE YOUR TIRES LAST WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
How do you ensure your tires will stay strong so your trucks ride right and will last? The first thing is to make the job easier on those tires. Know the haul roads and pathways your trucks will be traveling on and have workers dedicated to keeping those roads as smooth and clear of debris as possible. The less work your trucks have to do and the easier it is for them to remain free of debris, the better it is for your tires.
Beyond that, it pays to invest in the right tools to maintain and protect your tires. You want to start by purchasing the highest-quality mining tires you can afford. Remember that these tires will probably last longer and blow out or puncture less frequently than lower-quality tires, so it is usually worth the investment.
ENSURE YOUR INVESTMENT IS PROTECTED WITH THE RIGHT ACCESSORIES
After investing in the right tires, make sure you protect those tires from the challenging road conditions. Experience large gashes on your tires more than punctures? Consider TOTAL Tire and Wheel Conditioner, perfect for large equipment tires. TOTAL also helps to ease the mounting and dismounting of the tires from the wheel. TOTAL is non–corrosive and protects your tires for future retreading – saving you money.
Do you need to protect against punctures and want the benefits of a tire conditioner? A tire sealant is a great investment, but ensure you have the proper sealant for your application; consider investing in specially-formulated ECO SEAL to stop air leaks from the punctures that your mining trucks are prone to having.
ECO SEAL is a different type of sealant, created specifically for high-heat applications, fighting the extreme heat and corrosion your wheels are susceptible to. ECO SEAL is nontoxic and safe, containing absolutely no glycol, and has been tested at 220*F for 1200 hours to ensure it won’t corrode your wheels. And since excessive heat and corrosion are two of the biggest enemies to mining truck tires, protecting your tires with ECO SEAL is a great way to keep your investment running longer.
And with tires as large as those found on mining trucks, a wheel-off due to loose lug nuts can pose a tremendous danger. Using loose lug nut indicators can tell you at a glance whether you will have any lug nuts that need tightening, as an indicator pointing the wrong direction will be your visual indication.
By using CHECKPOINT High Temp, you’ll have an indicator with a higher melting point that is built to withstand the higher wheel temperatures of your operating environments. If you see a CHECKPOINT High Temp indicator warping or melting, it is an indication that there is too much heat at the wheel end and that you may have additional serious issues to inspect.
WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR MINING TRUCK MAINTENANCE
You rely on your mining wheels and tires, and we want to make sure they deliver for you load after load. We have the products you need to protect and prolong your tires. To find out more about STS Tire Sealant, CHECKPOINT loose lug nut indicators, TOTAL Tire and Wheel Conditioner, and the other solutions that can improve your mining truck wheel life, contact us online today.