february2023 - 33

" There are a few ways to ensure that commercial
truck drivers and fleet managers can be proactive
in their tire management to improve their
total cost of ownership, and it starts with properly
maintaining the tire casing, " Bridgestone's
Cunningham said. He continued with vital tips
on properly maintaining a tire casing to ensure
fleets get the most out of their investment, such as:
ÜAvoid exceeding the tire's
recommended maximum
speed.
ÜChoose the right tire for
the job by considering its
load carrying capacity, tire
size, speed capability, and
service type.
ÜRegularly inspect tires for
harm such as penetrations,
damage to the sidewall, and
inadequate tread depth.
ÜRegularly check and adjust
tires to the appropriate cold
inflation pressures before
each trip.
" In order to provide
commercial
tires with
the best chance for being
retread, proper tire maintenance-including
managing
proper air pressures-is key, "
Cunningham emphasized.
Also increasing retreadability
rates of tires are properly
maintained wheel alignments
on tractors and trailers,
as well as tire rotations at
suggested mileage intervals,
he continued.
Tread depth monitoring will
determine the retreadability of
casings. Hough explained that
Penske, generally speaking,
will pull casings from service
at the 5/32 mark for retread.
" We don't let them run
down to DOT level because we
want to maintain that casing
integrity, " he reaffirmed. " The
lower the tread gets, the more
susceptible it is to damage.
Over the years, we've learned
that we're better off pulling it a
little bit early versus what the
DOT requires. "
" A $100 casing can get a lot
more life if you avoid punctures
and impacts and stone
drilling and other things by
spending $3 of tread pulling
it a little bit early, " Roanhouse
furthered, speaking on tread
depths. " So, do you want to
run three more dollars of
tread per 32nd? Or do you
want to save a $100 casing?
And that's the question that
you have to ask yourself. "
Proper training for drivers
and maintenance personnel,
along with the use of technology where applicable,
can help to better monitor and prolong the
life of casings, as well as lower maintenance costs,
explained Double Coin's Murphy.
" Casings are assets. So, driver training on
pre-trip checks is very important, " he said. " In addition,
auto-inflation systems pay for themselves by
offering warnings and solutions when a tire is failing.
Anytime you can use technology to preserve
a casing, you're driving down maintenance costs. "
" The key is to get the most value out of the
casing after the original tread life has been
utilized, whether through retreading or selling the
casings, " Bazzell concluded. " Having the opportunity
to retread the casing multiple times will
improve the total cost of ownership. "
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