Thanks to their versatility, skid steers are used in a variety of tasks and terrain, and manufacturers have responded by offering numerous styles of tires intended to improve performance in particular applications. However, there is no single tire solution to meet the demands of every application, so operators must select a tire that meets the particular challenges they face to maximize their investment, considering factors from tread type to from bearing to construction.
The need to improve miniature performance is a common concern in industries such as demolition, waste management and agriculture, but tire dealers can also benefit, as one of our tire dealers recently recalled. Minnesota. They got almost four times longer life from their tires after switching from traditional R-4 bias to steel-belted Alliance 550 MultiUse radials.
Change from R4 bias to hybrid tread radial
Our Minnesota tire dealer uses their miniature in the storage yard, which includes a combination of tire-resistant surfaces ranging from concrete to crushed concrete pavers and gravel. The minicar operates in all four seasons, including harsh Midwestern winters, which means it also spends a fair amount of time in snow and icy surfaces. While these conditions are a challenge for miniature tires, they are the perfect testing ground for ours Alliance 550 MultiUse radial tire. Also, no one tests a tire like a tire dealer.
Before testing our Alliance 550 MultiUse, the tire dealer’s skid steer was equipped with conventional R-4 bias tires that lasted approximately 300 hours or five months. Conversely, they just replaced the Alliance 550 tires on their machine after over 1,100 hours, almost four times longer than their R-4 bias predecessors!
Why the Alliance 550 Radial beat the bias tire
The 550’s industrial tread rubber compound, designed for long, even wear on both hard and soft surfaces, is one of the reasons for its longevity. It’s also a testament to the quality of the compound that, while obviously showing hard use, the tread is still noticeable, the blocks weren’t cut, and the tire hasn’t been cut, punctured or unduly worn.
Another contributor to the long life of the 550 MultiUse tire: the radial construction. The skid steer market has traditionally favored bias ply tires, finding them cost effective and reliable. But options like Alliance 550 MultiUse radial are changing the perception of equipping skid steer loaders with radials, which have been widely adopted in other sectors such as agricultural machinery.
Radial construction
Traction: One of the main reasons steel-belted 550 radials outperformed their bias counterparts in the dealer stock yard is that they can run at a lower inflation pressure, allowing them to lay a wider footprint and uniform on the ground. . The 550’s better footprint provides superior traction, which reduces spin and slippage, both of which accelerate tread wear.
Bottom line: An unseen benefit is that in addition to longer-lasting tires, the improved traction provided by the Alliance 550 MultiUse also leads to greater productivity and more efficient fuel consumption, all of which mean more dollars at the end of the day.
Puncture resistance: Lower operating pressures and larger bearing areas allow the radials to swallow debris that might otherwise cause punctures, such as sharp pieces of concrete or rocks. The 550’s steel belted construction provides more puncture protection.
Improved driving: The flexible sidewalls of radial tires like the 550 act as natural shock absorbers and provide a more forgiving ride, resulting in better operator productivity and satisfaction, and less bumping, jolting and machine maintenance costs.
Hybrid tread pattern
The Alliance 550 MultiUse hybrid, directional, multi-block tread is designed to excel in a variety of conditions, including those found in the tire dealer’s storage yard.
- The low void to point ratio is ideal for putting the optimum amount of rubber into the ground for applications with hard surfaces such as concrete.
- A large number of blocks they provide excellent biting power in winter conditions and allow the 550 to excel on snow and ice.
- An “S” center tread. provides stability (and comfort) and eliminates twisting and stress when working on hard surfaces.
- Directional blocks with optimal distance they provide great traction when working in variable conditions such as the broken concrete and gravel found in the tire dealer’s storage yard.
Of course, the magic is in how it all works together, as the steel-belted radial construction puts the maximum amount of the 550’s innovative tread pattern into the ground for maximum performance and longevity.
Cost of ownership
The low initial cost of bias tires is one of the reasons many skid steer owners still turn to them, but a low initial cost does not always translate into a low total cost of ownership (TCO). Just think of our Minnesota tire dealer who got almost four times more life from Alliance 550 tires than his bias tires.
A simple formula for judging how tires return on your investment is to divide their cost by the number of hours or months of service you get from them.
Maintenance aspects with radial tires
To get the best performance from radial tires, it is important for operators to commit to proper maintenance, meaning monitoring and adjusting inflation pressure. In addition to shortening the life of your tires, improper inflation can negatively affect everything from performance to ride quality.
- Underinflated tires it can build up heat, damage its casing, and wear the outside of the tread faster than the inside.
- Overinflated tires can cause excessive wear in the center of the tread and can cause impact breaks.
Regularly checking and adjusting tire pressure is one of the best steps you can take to improve the TCO of your tires.
Specific application
Our Alliance 550 MultiUse was just the tire our Minnesota dealer needed, but it’s not the solution for every application. Minicar owners should consider factors such as the job being asked of a tire and the conditions in which it will perform. Use them as a guide to the type of tire (construction, tread type and compound) you need.
Between our Alliance and Galaxy brands, we have options for skid steers dedicated to all types of work and terrain, whether the Super soft SDS for machines that work on smooth hard surfaces, our classic Beefy Baby IIIthe workhorse of biased layers the Galaxy Hulk, or our innovative Alliance 550 MultiUse. Contact your Alliance/Galaxy Dealer or receive today to put our application-specific miniature tires into your operation.
