Wheel spin at the pile costs tread
On a loader working a stockpile or a quarry face, one habit wears tires out faster than almost anything else: spinning the wheels while pushing into the material.
It happens for understandable reasons. The machine has the power, the bucket is not full yet, and a little more push feels productive. On loose rock the tires break traction and spin. Each spin grinds tread away against sharp stone, and on broken rock it also opens cuts that a rolling tire would never have taken.
The tread is the part of an OTR tire that pays for itself. Losing it to spin rather than to work is a cost nobody sees on a daily basis, and it shows up all at once when a set of tires is finished early.
What reduces it
- Operator technique. Load with the bucket rather than the drive. Feed into the pile, crowd the bucket, and lift, instead of pushing until the wheels spin.
- A clean loading area. Spilled rock under the tires is the stuff spinning wheels cut themselves on. Regular cleanup of the floor at the face protects tires at very little cost.
- Correct pressures. A tire run at the wrong pressure for its load and surface wears and cuts more easily.
- Watching the tires. Scuffed, chunked tread on a loader is a sign of spin, and it is worth a conversation before the tires are replaced.
None of that needs a purchase. It needs attention, and the tire wear records will show whether it worked.
Fitting, repair and supply
When a tire does come off, a cut may be repairable, and the assessment decides it. Wheel refurbishing covers the rims, and a site wanting the whole thing managed is mining fleet services, both here. The national OTR services page covers fitting, repair and supply.
Other OTR stores nearby
Joplin offers OTR services to the west, and Kansas City to the northwest.
About this store
The Springfield store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Steve Richardson.
See the national OTR services page for all 41 locations.