With the ability to perform a variety of tasks, from land grading to debris removal and material movement, skid steers have become a fixture on construction sites and a standout piece of equipment for to rental companies. The best asset of skid steers, their versatility, makes tire selection a challenge for those who manage rental fleets. Without knowing the applications for which the machines are used, it is difficult to equip them with tires that meet both the customer’s and the rental company’s expectations.
Galaxy Mighty Trac ND tires on a Bobcat skid steer
Miniature tires are important
Tires are usually the most expensive consumables on a minicar.they can represent up to 30% of operating and maintenance costs in the rental sector. This means that selecting a tire that offers a long life and low total cost of ownership (TCO) can have a big impact on profitability.
Tires can also play an outsized role in customer satisfaction. Rental customers expect machines to work and are doubly harmed by downtime, as they could end up paying for inoperable machinery while being behind schedule. While downtime occurs, not only are tires damaged if it becomes a frequent occurrence, but so is your rental company’s reputation.
Rental minicar tire needs
From road work on abrasive asphalt to moving materials through muddy construction sites, knowing the terrain and application that customers use a rental skid steer for is a guessing game. One thing that is not a mystery is the list of qualities that rental customers expect from a tire:
- Puncture protection
- Driving comfort
- Side wall strength
- stability
- Traction
Conversely, rental companies know exactly what they are looking for in a tire: long life and a high return on investment. They also prioritize the factors that add up to long-lasting, cost-effective tires, such as good heat dissipation, a robust casing, and cut and chip resistance that facilitate this.
Track your tires
One of the simplest and most effective steps rental companies can take to maximize their miniature tire investment is to track the applications and conditions in which the machines are used.
Another tried and true practice for tracking miniature usage is to inspect the tires when machines are returned. For example:
- Skid steers that typically return with muddy tires are good candidates for tires with traditional R-4 bar patterns, such as the Galaxy Beefy Baby III.
- Skid steers that typically return with tires that show abrasive wear to work on hard surfaces can benefit from block-treaded L-4 tires like ours Galaxy Hulk.
- Skid steers that come back with cuts or pieces may benefit from a change to solid tires; Galaxy offers solid versions of both Beefy Baby i hulk.
In the end, the more information a rental company can gather about how their skid steers are usedthe terrain they work on, how long they are used and which tires last the longest, the wisest tire decisions they can make.
An integral miniature tire
Whether your rental company doesn’t have the bandwidth to track your tires or you find that they are used in a variety of applications, there are other options available. Tires like ours Galaxy Mighty Trac ND they are specifically designed with industries like the rental market in mind and deliver the performance and uptime to keep customers happy and the low TCO needed to keep margins healthy.
Galaxy Mighty Trac ND
The Galaxy Mighty Trac ND features a non-directional block tread design and a balanced rubber-to-vacuum ratio of 52:48, allowing it to excel in a wide range of conditions, whether on soft surfaces or tough With sipes on all tread blocks, the Mighty Trac ND is more than a multi-purpose tire, it’s a miniature all-season tire that’s just as adept in a snowy parking lot as it is on a sandy construction site .
Since skid steers often spend as much time traveling in reverse as forward, the Galaxy Mighty Trac ND’s non-directional tread pattern provides excellent traction regardless of which direction the machine is moving, which rental customers are sure to appreciate. The other aspect that rental houses really appreciate about a non-directional tread pattern is that they can have sets created with rims and have to maintain an option for all four wheel positions, instead of maintaining one for left and right, which is needed with directional patterns.
All-condition, all-season, all-direction traction makes the Galaxy Mighty Trac ND a favorite with rental company customers, and rental companies appreciate the Mighty Trac ND’s special tread compound , the robust sidewalls and the robust casing. All of this adds up to a tire that delivers the performance that rental customers demand and the long life that rental companies demand.
Contact your local distributor for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc or receive to learn how our many miniature tire options can help your rental company improve customer satisfaction and its bottom line.
