Construction Tires- Are They Ready for the Job?

Are Your Construction Tires Ready to Handle the Toughest Jobs?

With each new construction job/project, you should always make sure that your equipment’s tires are all up to the task. Different job site environments and demands will certainly determine the importance of this, but should be part of any routine equipment inspection. Otherwise you could find yourself in a tough situation either with a flat, tire failure or tread that just isn’t aggressive enough for slopes or rough terrain. Downtime is very costly and a major headache for all aspects of keeping a project running.

How Do You Determine If Your Construction Tires Need to Be Replaced?

Determining whether or not you should replace your tires BEFORE a failure will save you headaches and costly down time, but we understand that no one wants to spend money on something until they are sure they need it. While no one can completely avoid unforeseen punctures or flats, here are a few tips that will give you the best chance of evaluating the need to replace your tires on equipment.

WHY Should you Replace Proactively?

By replacing construction tires when they show tell tale signs you can potentially prevent the following issues from ever taking place:

• unexpected flat tires on the job site
• poor machine performance due to improper inflation or tread
• using tires that have the wrong treads for the environment that you are working in
• potential increase in fuel consumption/cost

Construction Tire Readiness Checklist

Clean Tires BEFORE Inspecting Them

It’s difficult to properly inspect your tires if they are dirty. Make sure to hose them down prior to the visual inspection. This will make it easier for you to discover cracks, punctures, bubbling, debris, and anything else that may have potentially been lodged within the tire.

Air Pressure

For the most part, when you experience a tire failure with construction equipment, it typically happens because of improper inflation. Always check the air pressure on your tires and make sure the pressure is correct to prevent any unnecessary damage to the tires, but also to be sure your are operating at maximum efficiency.. If it looks like your tires are losing air, check the sidewall for cracks and punctures. If you notice severe air loss, contact Ken Jones Tires to find out more about a proper replacement.

Visual Inspection

• Rusty rims – can be a sign of rim leakage. Rim leaks could lead to loss of pressure but more importantly, premature tire failure.
• Check for rim leaks– rim leaks can sometimes be repaired with the use of a tire tube.
• Cracks, tears & punctures – it’s always best to check your tires for tears, cracks, and punctures before every major construction job. Check for debris and other hazards. Depending on the severity, all of these can lead to tire failure on the job.

Check Tread Depth and Wear

• Checking style and tread depth – checking over these two areas is particularly important when you operate construction equipment on hilly, muddy or sloping terrain. If you do not have proper traction, production and safety will greatly diminish. Tread design is particularly important depending on the specific job site. If the terrain is rocky and filled with potentially hazardous objects, you’ll need to keep this in mind when choosing tires for the particular job. Many construction tires are application specific or purpose built- this is particularly true with skid steer tires.
• Rim protection – the best way to make sure your tire bead does not pop off the rim is to avoid debris and other objects while driving your vehicle on the construction site. Rims can easily get damaged by stumps, curbs, rocks, and other potentially hazardous obstacles that can certainly end up in your path. Replacing rims is quite an expense , plus it leads to even more downtime. Prevent this at all times by avoiding debris and objects as often as possible and by using the proper tread design based on your application and environment. More aggressive tread patterns generally offer a more robust rim protection.

Equipment & Tire Storage

• Properly storing construction tires – when it comes time to store your construction equipment, there is the right way and the wrong way to store it in regards to increasing the longevity of your tires. Ultraviolet rays and sunlight exposure is not good for your tires – too much exposure will cause your them to crack and expand. Store your equipment in a shady, cool environment as often as you possibly can. By keeping your equipment in a cool, dry place, you are giving your tires the greatest chance at lasting for the longest amount of time.

Mismatched Tires

It’s best to avoid mismatched tires as much as possible. Mixing brands of tires often leads to uneven tire wear. Every tire brand has its own design and different variations of tire size/specifications. These variations can and generally will present problems that could easily be avoided if you stick to the same brand with all four of your tires. Avoid mismatches when possible.

Need help choosing new construction tires?

Contact Ken Jones Tires to help you find the right product for your needs and your budget. We know the equipment, we understand your applications and that makes us the go to choice for any type of construction tire replacement. Our phones are answered by experiences specialty tire experts and we carry the best selection of tire tubes and tire chains should they be needed to complete your project. Just give us a call…

Check out our good, better, best selection of top construction tire brands for:

Skid Steer Tires
Backhoe Tires
Loader tires
Grader Tires
Compact Loader & MPT Tires
Wheeled Excavator Tires
Forklift Tires
Aerial Lift Tires
Moffett Tires
Trailer Tires
 

More Helpful Videos for Construction Tires

The videos below will help you get started when choosing the right replacement tires for your equipment.