Yokohama Off-Highway Tires’ new Galaxy AT Grip Steel Belt Radial Vane was designed from the ground up in close consultation with skid steer operators and industrial tire dealers. The result is a revolutionary, all-in-one performance design designed to deliver greater performance and longer tire life for skid steers.
“What we found when we sat down to talk to minicart operators and tire dealers about minicart radials is that the market is ready for the benefits that radials offer: more hours, better traction, better ride and overall , a lower cost of ownership.” says Dhananjay Bisht, Product Manager – Earthmoving, Construction and Industrial Tires at Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America, Inc. “But what we also heard loud and clear was that they really wanted a solid sidewall. The feature they admired most about their old bias ply tires was the stability and durability of the sidewalls. So we develop a radial tire that offers the footprint and driving benefits of radial construction, as well as a much stronger and reinforced sidewall.”
Reinforced side wall
Bisht notes several features that stiffen the sidewall of the Galaxy AT Grip Steel. First, there is an additional sidewall layer to add thickness and stiffness. Immediately below the heel, a rigid layer of flexible cushioning directs sidewall deflection away from the rim, reducing damage caused by lower sidewall movement. On the sidewall surface, dual rim protectors minimize impact and friction damage to the tire.
Bold and aggressive shot
The Galaxy AT Grip Steel features a non-directional block tread design, a strong departure from standard R-4 patterns. The blocks are optimized for wear and traction, notes Bisht.
“We knew the radial construction would give us a larger footprint with more evenly distributed tread wear than bias ply tires can offer,” he notes. “So we were able to design the AT Grip Steel with smaller, shallower tread blocks, knowing they would last. This gave us more biting edges for traction on any surface and less heat build-up for a lifetime longest useful life of the tires.
“Within the AT Grip Steel tread pattern, the lugs are closer together towards the center of the contact patch and further apart along the outer edges. This gives us a 45% higher rubber-to-vacuum ratio at along the center and a lower mass along the edges,” adds Bisht. “These ratios provide a smoother ride and better stability due to the central mass while adding traction and self-cleaning from the extra gaps along the shoulders.”
The Galaxy AT Grip Steel’s contact patch is significantly larger and squarer than the footprints of similarly sized bias ply tires. The flat, even tread also minimizes the center tread wear that is common in bias ply tires.
Optimized compound
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires developed special tread and tread compounds that maximize heat resistance and resist cut and chip damage. The AT Grip Steel performs well on the road, allowing crews to move skid steers quickly and comfortably on or between jobsites.
The combination of design, construction and materials allowed the AT Grip Steel to outlast conventional bias ply R-4 miniature tires by up to 50% in rigorous field testing. Plunger tests at the factory also documented that the AT Grip Steel is 3 to nearly 4 times more puncture resistant than competitive bias ply tires.
The Galaxy AT Grip steel casing is also retreadable, adds Bisht.
“The AT Grip Steel is literally the tire the industry has been asking for, designed with the help of the people who will work with this tire every day,” says Bisht. “The icing on the cake for the market is that we are able to launch this tire at a price that is comparable to bias ply tires. This makes the AT Grip Steel a perfect tire for skid steer owners looking to economically enter the market. radial market and see the benefits for themselves.”
The Galaxy AT Grip Steel Belted Radial is available in 260/70R16.5, 300/70R16.5 and 360/70R17.5 sizes.
