Maximizing Mining Tire Life

摘要

With demand for giant mining tires still exceeding tire manufacturers' production capacity by as much as 30 percent, and the global population of mining-class haul trucks expanding at an unprecedented rate, the ongoing tire shortage appears likely to persist at least through the end of 2008 and quite possibly years beyond that, even with new capacity coming online in the near future. The shortage has resulted in a sense of tire-care awareness among mine operators that is probably unmatched in the annals of modern mining, along with some fairly bizarre economics. At Caterpillar Global Mining's annual dealer forum held earlier this year in Tucson, Arizona, Cat Senior Consultant Pete Holman presented some surprising numbers. "Lack of proper road maintenance can dramatically affect the operating cost of a haulage fleet," Holman explained. "For instance, one metal mine observed that nearly three quarters of all tire failures were caused by cuts and impacts. If only one 37.00R57 tire fails prematurely-say half the normal life-the cost is in excess of 250 hours of operating a motor grader, an important haul road management tool. Or, as one mine manager put it, 'One cut tire is about the same price as a pickup truck. But I can get another pickup. I can't always get tires.'"