MINING TYRES
There are 53 different test surfaces, ranging from
asphalt and concrete to bricks, blocks, dirt, mud
and more.
The new vehicle dynamics area is optimised for
tyre testing in extreme wet conditions and is a
precision-engineered paved surface with a 1-
degree slope to enable constant water flow across
the surface. All water is recycled and reused.
In addition to significant improvements in the
testing and analysis of large off-the-road tyres,
Goodyear recently added a 250 ton, EH4000
Hitachi haul truck to its fleet.
Goodyear also operates testing and proving
grounds in many global locations, including
Americana, Brazil; Akron, Ohio; Colmar-Berg,
Luxembourg; Mireval, France; Wittlich, Germany;
and Ivalo, Finland.
BKT continues key raw material
investments
Within its main production site in Bhuj, India,
global tyre company Balkrishna Industries (BKT)
has set up the production of carbon black from a
new $23 million plant, which enables the
company to manage in-house and at a highquality
level the entire tyre manufacturing supply
chain. The goal is to reach a production capacity of
140,000 t this year. The plant allows for a major
variety of high-quality carbon black to be used in
specific formulations during the compounding
stage for further customisation. As far as large
mining tyres are concerned, large quantities of a
specific carbon black variety and formula are
needed to improve performance. Some 50% of the
material being produced in the new plant will be
used in BKT’s tyre manufacturing process,
whereas the remaining 50% will be sold on the
market. Flue gas from the carbon black plant also
provides fuel for the adjacent tyre plant.
Looking at tyres themselves, BKT still plans to
make a 57 in tyre for mining and said in 2019 this
would happen in 2020 at a new greenfield factory
in Waluj near Aurangabad but that was before
COVID-19. This will add to the existing largest tyre,
the Earthmax SR 46 in 33.00R51 size. In a
conference call on June 22, Rajiv Poddar,
Balkrishna Industries Joint MD & Executive
Director stated: “We will be getting into the extra,
ultra-large giant OTR tyres. So we have capacity
up to 51 in currently on these giant OTRs, we will
be going up to 57 and 63 in range.”
RUD-ERLAU's TPC value proposition
In mining operations, no matter how well made
and maintained they may be, wheel loader tyres
can deteriorate rapidly, as they work around the
clock, but especially on highly-abrasive materials
such as quartz, complex sandstone, tuff
overburden and, even tougher on tyres, foundry
slag with its combination of highly-abrasive
limestone ash, steel shards and intense heat. In
MAXAM Mining Group
MAXAM Tire earlier this year announced the creation of the MAXAM Mining Group (MMG); a
dedicated global team specifically focused on the open pit mining segment. MMG has built a team
of members across multiple continents responsible for serving regional market demands. MAXAM
Tire says each member of the team is an industry leading expert dedicated to providing the best
customer experience along with superior business solutions.
IM spoke with the VP of MMG, Matt Johnson, to get some insights into the company’s success to
date and its plans for the future. The company is part of China’s Sailun Group, one of the leading
tyre manufacturers in the world that has total ownership of its factories and has invested heavily in
technology and R&D. The focus has been largely on large mining tyres with 80% of production
being radial tyres, mainly the 49, 51, 57 and 63 in sizes, including the most recent launch, the
50/80R57 (used widely in the Cat 793 and other trucks of this class). The company is also investing
in new rubber compounds offering increased wear and cut resistance. MMG is currently in the
process of updating the compound in its flagship M series which includes the MS401, MS402 and
MS403 types which are available up to the top 63 in size. MS401 has a deep-grooved tread design
which MMG says provides excellent traction in rigid dump truck applications and is used for
applications requiring maximum road grip and high site TKPH. MS403 is a versatile tread design
allowing flexibility in applications from smooth haul roads to rough and rocky terrain while
providing maximum productivity. In the MS402 tyre, for use in higher speed applications on wellmaintained
haul roads, the company has introduced a new tread design for its 27.00R49 tyre size.
In 63 in tyres, six new 53/80R63 tyres are running at SSR Mining’s Marigold mine in Nevada.
Western US gold mines are known for long hauls and severity of wear on tyres so this is an ideal
proving ground for MAXAM.
MAXAM says it has
already successfully
introduced its radial tyres
into key mining markets
such as Australia, North
America, Russia, and
Indonesia/PNG. But what
does MAXAM offer versus
the 'big three' to mining
customers when there
currently isn’t really a tyre
shortage in mining? Most MAXAM OTR tyre MS403
big mines use a mix of E4 on a Cat 785
Michelin and Bridgestone
tyres. MAXAM has established itself as a viable alternative supplier as it has managed to build up
good market recognition due to product performance, especially in the 57 in and 51 in sizes.
Johnson stated: “Unlike some of our competitors, we guarantee our products and performance by
getting behind every single one of our tyres. We work with the mines directly with multiple field
reps, engineers and dealer personnel to support our mining tyres to guarantee their performance.
While onsite we gather all the tyre data we can and share it internally for analysis and strategise
potential performance improvements. We have a comprehensive dealer network, a strategy that the
other major tyre suppliers have deprioritised. We have also built strong relationship with top level
tyre management companies all over the world. We additionally have a good relationship with
equipment OEM companies like Caterpillar, with Cat using our tyres on some of their wheel loaders
and considering the use of our 27.00R49 tyre on the 777F rigid truck. But the core of our success is
the reality for mine sites of our tyres competing with Tier One players on performance – we have
seen 9,200 to 9,500 hours versus their 10,000 plus hours, but our tyres offer better value at a lower
price, providing the mine site with significant cost per hour savings.”
these instances, RUD-ERLAU says a first line
defence for loader tyres is given by its Tire
Protection Chains (TPCs). "Another big plus of
owning RUD-RUD-ERLAU TPCs is seen in the
guaranteed productivity through assured plant
availability and a significantly reduced cost per
delivered tonne. RUD-ERLAU has more than 75
years’ experience developing a range of
sophisticated tyre protection chains (TPC) which
can prolong tyre life by as much as ten years.
ERALU Tire Protection Chains create a barrier
between the tyres and the ground, absorbing the
attrition from even the most aggressive
substances."
Available in ring sizes from 11 mm to 23 mm to
match most tyre sizes, the case-hardened, forged
68 International Mining | JULY/AUGUST 2020