Waste Haul Transport Maintenance Part 1: Getting the Most From Tires

Budgets are tight, fleet managers are busy, and refuse trucks are taking a beating like never before. Nevertheless, there are ways to extend the life of the haulers through proper care and maintenance. Efficiency can be improved, and costs saved, when the right product is chosen and properly maintained. In many respects, the industry has changed over the last 20 years, believes Walter Weller, vice president of sales for Double Coin Tires. “Transfer stations weren’t used 20 to 25 years ago. It used to be that garbage trucks took trash straight to the dump…and they would drive at low speed to collect trash. Now they take trash to a transfer station, where it’s loaded onto big trailers and taken to the dump. Landfills are further away.” [text_ad] The differences demand accompanying changes in the tires. It’s no longer a matter of “round, black, and cheap.” Tires must be more durable; they have to be capable of highway speeds, and they must carry more. While most tires used to have a speed rating under 55 mph, now the majority can do highway speeds of 65 mph. “Tires are asked to do a lot and be more versatile,” continues Weller. When tires do more, they cost more. But, he notes, these bigger, more versatile tires allow fleets to be more efficient because they can load more in the truck. “Each tire can carry 10,000 pounds, mounted on a steer axle.” The duals on the rear axles carry slightly less, he adds. New compounds and casing construction continue to make tires more fuel efficient without sacrificing overall tire performance, says Rick Phillips, Yokohama Tire senior director, commercial and OTR Sales. “You don’t typically think about fuel efficiency with waste trucks, but tires play a major role in rolling resistance from 0 to 35 mph.” The key is to select the right tire to match the operation, states Curtis Dorwart, refuse product manager for Mack. Pointing out that there is “a lot new” with tires and that the “depth and breadth offered is phenomenal,” he indicates that specific compounds and ply match the application. “There’s a broad selection in our data book: highway versus urban route,” he elaborates. “If we have a gray situation, we bring in the tire supplier for advice.” You’ve Heard It Before: Routine Maintenance The goal is to balance wear, durability, and weight and cost. That balance is difficult to achieve in an industry that requires a lot of turning, twisting, and backing. “You want one tire that works in all positions,” says Dorwart. “The 315 80 R 22.5 wears like iron. The 11 R 22.5 is lighter.” Despite the punishing demands, there have been a lot of advances in durability, thanks to cut- and chip-resistant compounds, Weller notes. But no matter how rugged the compound, tires need proper maintenance. “Fleets that take the time to maintain tires get longer life out of them,” he says. In New York City, Weller says tire life is measured in months. “The trucks are very heavy when they’re picking up trash, and a lot of twisting and turning scrubs the tire. Then they go to the transfer station.” Other applications in less dense urban areas may extend tire life, but typically, he says, a tire won’t last more than a year. Every decent fleet tracks costs, Dorwart says. He calculates tire cost at $1 per hour. At those prices, there’s no excuse for slacking on maintenance. “Visual inspection is key,” he explains. “Look for simple, basic things—flat spots on tires, broken shock absorbers, things stuck in the sidewall.” Sometimes visual inspection isn’t enough. Fleets are requiring drivers and maintenance personnel to closely monitor air pressure, says Ben Langton, heavy vocational sales manager for Link Manufacturing Ltd. “Variances in pressure can impact the loading of the suspension and chassis, fuel economy, and the life of the tires,” he states. “We are seeing a greater interest in monitoring equipment for air pressure from mechanical devices [such as the Link Cat’s Eye], to electronic equipment with in-cab indicators.” Double Coin recommends weekly inspections. Weller says, “A maintenance program must be in place. The tires must be checked when the trucks come in for other maintenance.” For busy fleets that aren’t able to conduct periodic checks, their tire dealers offer a service to check and inspect tires for them and alert the fleet manager if anything amiss is found. A tire is an investment and should be viewed as such. If it is properly maintained, it will provide a return on that investment in the form of an extended service life that will help lower the fleet’s operating costs. “The single most important factor in the maintenance of commercial tires is maintaining the proper air pressure by regularly scheduled inspections,” emphasizes Phillips. The second biggest factor, he says, is proper alignment. Second Time Around No matter how well they’re taken care of, tires don’t last forever—but they can get a second life as a retread. A retread can cost about 1/3 the cost of a new tire, and should have no limitations beyond the original tire’s speed rating. “It’s pretty much like having a new tire,” says Weller. “They perform well.” He advises: “Measure retreadability.” The legal requirement for tires is 2/32 of the rubber on the drive axle, but it takes 6/32 to 7/32 to retread successfully. Once the original tread is gone, if the casing isn’t cut or run down to expose steel, Weller says Double Coin tires can be retread up to six times, although four is typical in the industry. It’s one of the values the company offers, along with after-the-sale service typical of the major manufacturers. “We try to offer everything the major manufacturers offer at less cost,” says Weller. “Our tires cost less, but they run as well as the majors, and they retread as well.” He says most other Chinese manufacturers don’t focus on retreadability, nor do they offer the same sizes as the big companies like Double Coin does. When buying tires for a refuse truck, he says to look for a combination of things. It should be a good quality tire that provides good performance in its original life and be capable of retreading successfully. Choose a durable tire that can handle the demands of the industry, including speed weight. The tire should be backed by warranty and by industry veterans in the field who can service it if there are issues.