Caterpillar Performance Handbook, January 2017, SEBD0351-47

TIRES

CONTENTS Selection, Application, Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 32-1 Tire Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-2 Bias Ply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-2 Radial Ply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-3 Tire Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-3 Tire Size Nomenclature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-3 Code Identification for Off-Highway Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-4 Bridgestone, Michelin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-5 Titan, Triangle, Eurotire, Yokohama . . . . . . . . 32-10 Radial Tire Identification: Michelin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-13 Goodyear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-14 Bridgestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-15 Ton-Kilometer Per Hour Rating System . . . . . . 32-16 Tire Drive-Away Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . 32-17 TKPH Ratings: Goodyear Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-18 Bridgestone Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-29 Michelin Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-37 Triangle Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-48 Eurotire Tires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-50 ISO Load Index Speed Symbol: Michelin Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-45 Tire and Rim Association Ratings . . . . . . . . . . . 32-51 Tire Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-51 Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-53 Standard Cold Inflation Pressures . . . . . . . . . 32-54 Liquid Ballasting Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-77 Manufacturers’ Designations: Firestone, Goodyear/Dunlop,

SELECTION, APPLICATION, MAINTENANCE Proper tire selection, application and maintenance continue to be the most important factors in earthmoving economics. Wheel tractors, loaders, scrapers, trucks, motor graders, etc. are earthmoving equipment whose produc- tivity and payload unit cost may depend more on tire per- formance than any other factor. Off-the-road tires must operate under a wide variety of conditions ranging from dry “potato dirt” through wet severe shot rock. Speed conditions vary from less than 1 mph average to 72 km/h (45 mph). Gradients may vary from 75% favorable to 30% adverse. Climatic conditions, operator skills, maintenance practices, etc. all may have a profound effect on tire life and unit costs. Although one specific tire construction may be accept- able in a variety of applications, no one tire can meet all requirements on any one machine and perhaps not even one job. The many differences in tire requirements on earthmoving machines have resulted in a wide variety of tread and casing designs being made available. The opti- mum tire selection for a specific machine on a given job should be a joint decision between the user and tire sup- plier. Several tire manufacturers have technical and appli- cation representatives in the field for proper guidance in tire selection. When job conditions change, it may be desirable to select a different tire configuration to meet the new requirements.

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Edition 47 32-1