Tyre choice cuts costs
October 1st 2006

Selecting the most appropriate type of tyre for your forklift can significantly reduce operating costs

Historically the logistics industry looked on the forklift truck as simply a useful tool that helped load and unload and move goods around the warehouse. Today the cost of haulage demands high utilisation of commercial vehicles and the demand for rapid turnaround times mean that the fork truck is now a vital asset requiring serious capital investment. This in turn generates an operating cost, which has to be included in the business charges and any savings that can be made makes the operation more competitive.

Many businesses have chosen the leasing route for fork trucks; this removes the high capital cost of purchase and usually embraces a maintenance element in the fixed monthly cost. Forklift trucks are very much part of the challenge for the logistics industry in how to cut operating costs.

Tyre selection does have a direct bearing on operating costs and more and more operators are studying this area, assessing the data available and then specifying the tyre that is designed to give the best efficiency. Let's consider these elements.

Firstly what are the choices available and how do they match your operation? There are three tyre types available, solids, crossply pneumatics and radial pneumatics.

Tyres for this market sector are available from the major global brands and also a number of specialist manufacturers who specialise in industrial tyres.

Solid tyres Solid tyres come in two forms, either the straightforward bands or the pneumatic shaped solids. Both types have a limited list of plus features and a considerably longer list of minus features once analysis is made.

On the plus side a solid can't be punctured, maintenance is low and they make the machine very stable. The downside is the inherent high rolling resistance which means high fuel costs, heat build-up which leads to degradation in the form of chunking, actual lumps of the runner dropping off, and the heat build-up also encourages the wheel to spin within the band. A solid tyre is just that, there is no flexibility at all so it is unable to absorb surface vibration, which is transferred directly to the machine which causes mechanical unreliability and costly maintenance. Worryingly, at a time when the medical effects of whole body vibration are reaching national concern levels the poor driver feels every single bump and jolt through his spine. These bands offer poor initial traction and braking performance and have a design limit of 10kph maximum continuous speed for very limited distances. Specialist fitting expertise and equipment is needed and initial purchase is high.

Cross ply pneumatic tyres Cross ply pneumatic tyres do have an attractive initial purchase price and they do offer a moderate level of comfort and vibration absorption for the benefit of machine reliability and driver protection.

However the layered cross ply construction again generates heat with the risk of degradation. High irregular wear patterns are the result of this heat damage and the cross ply suffers a high puncture and impact damage rate. These tyres require a tube and sealing flap to be added to the rim with incremental cost.

Radial pneumatic tyres The radial pneumatic tyre, commercialised by Michelin in 1946, is also available for the lift truck market. Where the application is appropriate these radial pneumatics are becoming ever more popular now that operators are looking closely at whole life costs of operation. If you have a tyre that may last up to twice as long as a solid, the running cost equation is substantially lower. Add in the physical advantages of vibration absorption, meaning lower machine maintenance and driver comfort and productivity and the whole life costs point directly at radial pneumatics, although initial costs might be higher. The tubeless radial construction with steel reinforced sidewall and crown protection offers a high level of damage resistance.

These tyres can run faster – up to 15kph – and the wide contact patch and rubber compound gives better cornering grip and better braking performance.

Running cost comparisons from individual case studies must consider all aspects of the operation from initial purchase of the tyres to end of life disposal and reflect the service and maintenance costs across the whole life of the truck.

These comparisons will encourage operators to consider the options. It is vital that the characteristics of the different designs are also factored into the decision, elements such as surface heat, chemical spillage on the surface, reach requirements and wheel applications. However it is clear that tyres will become an ever more important factor in fork truck operations and cost analysis.

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