Industrial Tires

Industrial Tires for Every Application: Tires Capable of Adapting to All Types of Worksites Like Construction, Turf, Mining, Ports & More

Having the right industrial tires is critical for optimal performance, safety, and durability. From rough and rugged terrain to flat concrete warehouse floors, company vehicles must have specific tires designed to handle unique conditions.

Due to this high specialization, it’s important to seek expert assistance when choosing tires for your business.

Types of Flotation Tires

The type of tire will depend on the working conditions of the vehicle in question. Each comes with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Industrial tires are used on a wide range of vehicles, including:

• Forklifts
• Cranes
• Skid steers
• Loaders
• Tractors
• Wheelbarrows
• Scissor lifts
• Wagons

However, it’s not as simple as selecting the type of vehicle and getting a tire that fits it. Each of these pieces of equipment can operate in wholly different environments.

For instance, some will be made for intense heat and others for cold conditions. There are also tires designed for muddy construction sites, perfectly paved asphalt, clean spaces, or areas teeming with hazardous chemicals.

The first attribute that tire purchasers must consider is the tire’s construction. Specifically, it is important to determine whether your tires should be solid, pneumatic, semi-pneumatic, or foam-filled.

Solid Tires

Without an inner tube filled with air, solid tires never require refilling and are resistant to punctures and cuts. These tires are not designed for high speeds. Instead, they are intended for use in slower operations where damage resistance and weight handling are the most important factors.

Solid tires do not have good handling characteristics and are not suited for fast vehicles. This is largely due to their lack of compression. While pneumatic tires can squish and deform over bumps, solid tires do not yield nearly as much. Types of equipment that use solid tires include earthmovers, forklifts, and loaders.

Pneumatic Tires

Standard car or truck tires typically offer three main benefits: ride comfort, predictable handling, and traction. If your equipment needs these same characteristics, pneumatic tires provide superior performance to solid tires.

Rather than using a solid core of rubber, pneumatic tires are filled with air or nitrogen. The downsides are increased maintenance and the possibility of getting a flat, but the performance and lower cost make them a common choice.

Pneumatic tires simply have less material than solid tires, so they generally cost a fraction of what a similarly sized solid tire costs. Examples of equipment that use pneumatic tires include forklifts, tractors, construction equipment, and skid steers.

Semi-Pneumatic Tires

These tires split the difference between solid and pneumatic tires. They are solid rubber with a hollow core or air pocket. There is no valve stem for inflation; semi-pneumatic tires have the air pocket molded in at the time of manufacture.

The upside is that these tires are more puncture-resistant and require less maintenance than pneumatic tires while being less expensive and less heavy than solid tires. However, semi-pneumatic tires have less shock absorption than pneumatics and are best for flat, smooth surfaces or unpowered equipment such as wagons and wheelbarrows.

Do not choose semi-pneumatic tires if handling performance is crucial. Equipment options that use semi-pneumatic tires include lawnmowers, wheelbarrows, and casters for industrial machines.

Foam-Filled Tires

To give users the ride comfort provided by pneumatic tires without maintenance or puncture concerns, manufacturers turned to a pneumatic/solid hybrid design with a foam core. These tires offer many advantages over other tire types by:

• Requiring less expensive mounting equipment than solid tires
• Offering similar performance to pneumatic tires without the damage risks
• Having a softer ride than solid and semi-pneumatic tires

However, solid tires can still have greater tread depth for increased traction. You might use foam-filled tires for commercial vehicles and construction equipment.

Key Features to Consider When Choosing Your Industrial Tires

While choosing between solid, pneumatic, semi-pneumatic, and foam-filled can be a difficult decision in and of itself, there’s much more to consider.

Tread Patterns

Depending on the usage conditions, you may require deep, grippy treads or a tire that’s relatively smooth for comfortable operation. Some tires even have no tread whatsoever.

Tread patterns also affect the tire’s stability and wear. Selecting the wrong tread pattern can cause premature or inconsistent wear patterns, not to mention decreased safety and performance.

Tire Size

You must consider the width and diameter of the mounting point for the tire to ensure it will fit your vehicle’s rims. However, you also need to measure the actual height and width of the tire itself. Sometimes, there isn’t enough room in the wheel wells to accommodate the largest tires, and you’ll need to ensure your tires will fit.

Load Capacity

Tires can only handle so much weight. To make sure you don’t exceed their limits, you’ll need to select tires with the correct load capacity. You mustn’t just factor in the weight of the equipment. You must also think about the weight of occupants and any loads the equipment must carry.

Durability & Material

As a rule, industrial tires are made of extra strong rubber to handle heavy loads and rigorous use. However, not all industrial tires are created equal, and you’ll need to check durability ratings to ensure that you can get the maximum performance from your tires.

The material of your tires also affects other durability and wear properties. For instance, non-conductive rubber avoids static electricity buildup, and oil-resistant rubber prevents damage from oil and grease.

Another factor that affects durability is exposure to UV rays. If you have tires that live in constant sunlight, you’ll need to look for more durable options. Sunlight will cause tires to dry out and crack faster. Even if you work hard to keep your tires covered or in the shade, if there’s a chance of UV exposure, factor this into your purchasing decision.

Heat Resistance

Extreme temperatures can drastically reduce longevity, durability, and performance unless the tires are specifically designed for such conditions. Building up excess heat can lead to premature tire failure, which is why certain industrial tires are made to dissipate heat much more efficiently than traditional designs.

If you have machines that operate in high-heat environments, look for the highest heat resistance ratings. In general, the harder a tire is, the more it can resist heat.

This property also generally means it has more wear resistance as well. If you choose pneumatic tires, they will have different heat resistance characteristics depending on how much air pressure is in each tire.

How to Choose the Right Industrial Tires

There’s no single industrial tire that will tackle every conceivable situation. You’ll have to account for which type of tire best suits your particular needs.

For instance, you may need puncture resistance above all else. Alternatively, you could require resistance to certain temperatures or chemicals/substances. You might even want to provide your vehicles with the best possible handling at higher speeds with pneumatic tires or get the longest life out of hard, solid tires.

In addition to the factors listed above, you also want to look for tires with high-quality rubber. This means that they don’t have fill materials such as crumb rubber in the compounds. Quality rubber won’t break apart or crack under stressful conditions.

Whatever your specific use happens to be, always get the best possible tire your budget will allow. Create a shortlist of the particular conditions in which your vehicles operate, such as:

• Distance your vehicles or equipment typically travel
• Ground conditions, like pavement, dirt, gravel, concrete, etc.
• Temperature
• Exposure to chemicals and harmful substances
• Flat spotting concerns
• Tread and traction requirements
• Moisture exposure
• Speed requirements
• Load weights
• Puncture, cut, or other damage threats

The tire decision you make will affect operator comfort, vehicle operation and longevity, safety, maintenance costs, and other areas. The right tire choice can result in the following:

• Safer operating conditions
• Reduced costs
• Improved employee efficiency
• Less damage to equipment

The wrong tires can cause the exact opposite, resulting in higher costs and risk of damage to personnel and property.

Why Buy Industrial Tires From Us?

You need a source that can provide all the major types of industrial tires for any application. Whether you require solid tires that never go flat, pneumatic tires for the best handling, semi-pneumatic tires to reduce weight, or foam-filled tires to get the best compromise between performance and durability, your tire partner should offer them all.

Your tire supplier should also be able to get you your new tires quickly and securely to minimize downtime, allowing your vehicles to get back to work as soon as possible. Finally, you need honest, expert advice to make the right tire-buying decision. Industrial tires aren’t cheap, and you need to make sure that the set you purchase will serve you for its maximum life expectancy.