Tyre maintenance tips

In the latest article in our Equipment Maintenance series we take a closer look at tyres and explore how you can look after your machine with some smart tyre maintenance.

If you like this article – why not check out the rest of our Toolbox series? We’ve explored a range of topics to help you maintain your machines, including Grease: the key to looking after your digger, Tips to take care of your machine’s battery and maintaining your air conditioning system in Can your machines handle the Hawke’s Bay heat?

There are a few things to consider when looking after the condition of your tyres. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know.

1. Understand Your Tyre Type

Whatever type of machine you’re looking after, it’s important to start by getting familiar with the type of tyre you’re maintaining. Understanding your tyre type will help you identify:

• The conditions your tyres can operate in and what you should avoid (high temperatures etc)
• The correct pressure for your tyre
• How to identify wear and tear and what issues to look out for
• When your tyres need to be replaced.

Specialised equipment requires specialised tyres. Start by understanding your tyres and what you need to check to make sure they’re in good condition.

Your machine’s manual is a good starting point for understanding your tyres and what you need to know. You can also use a trusted tyre dealer or your local mechanic who should be able to give you the information you need to put you on the right path.

2. Maintain the correct tyre pressure

Everyone knows that it’s important to maintain the correct tyre pressure in your car so it can operate safely and minimise fuel consumption. The same applies to heavy machinery where optimum tyre pressure is a contributing factor in getting the best performance on the job, and the longest life from the hardworking frames and parts of your machine.

Under or over inflation of tyres impacts how much of the tyre comes in contact with the road and therefore impacts road safety. In a vehicle like a truck the wrong tyre pressure can put undue pressure on the chassis and increase the general wear and tear.

Regular checks can help you correct tyre pressure to make sure you’re always working in the optimum zone. Remember that temperature can affect tyre pressure so it’s important to take this into account.

A sign of an underinflated tyre is that the side walls bulge. Low tyre pressure can put undue pressure on the chassis and increase the general wear and tear on a truck.

3. Perform regular tyre inspections

When you’re operating a piece of machinery it’s common for each day to be completely different – different tasks, different conditions and sometimes even a different operator. Whether you’re shifting heavy loads or dealing with digging or excavation tasks, the wear on your tyres and the risk of damage could vary considerably.

Taking time to regularly check over your tyres will help you to be familiar with any issues and quickly spot signs of deterioration such as punctures, damage, cracks or pieces of debris or stones stuck among the lugs.

As well as your own inspections it’s a good idea to have a regular schedule of inspections booked in with your trusted tyre dealer. Frequent tyre pressure checks can help you ensure you’re always operating your machine at its best.

Performing regular tyre checks allows you to spot signs of deterioration early.

4. Check the treads

Good treads on your tyres are a matter of safety when you’re operating a machine. Shallow treads can lead to safety issues on the road, putting your driver and other road users at risk. If your tyres are showing signs of wear, book in to see a tyre expert and find out if they need to be replaced.

Uneven wear on your tyres can shorten their lifespan. As soon as you spot signs of uneven treads, get your tyres inspected by an expert who can check your wheel alignment and help you understand what’s causing the issue; how to fix it; and if your tyres need to be replaced.

Regular tyre checks will help you avoid serious tyre deterioration that could make your machine unsafe on the road.

5. Check your wheel alignment

Uneven wear on the tread of your tyres is one of the most obvious signs of a wheel alignment problem. It’s easy for wheels to get thrown out of alignment when you’re operating a heavy machine so it’s important to plan in a regular maintenance schedule that includes an alignment check.

Ask your tyre expert how frequently you should book it in – some manufacturers recommend commercial vehicles get their alignment checked after every 130,000km on the road while others may recommend a more frequent check up.

If you spot uneven wear on your tyres during regular checks – book your machine in for a wheel alignment check.

6. Focus on safe driving

It might seem like stating the obvious but dangerous or bad driving habits are a quick way to negatively impact your tyre quality.

Safe driving can have a big impact on the life of your tyres. Consider options to upskill your drivers and reward them for safe driving habits on the road.

As a business, if you want to promote longer lasting tyres then a programme that focuses on safe and careful driving is a great help. This can include details like being realistic with your delivery timeframes and the impact of experience, traffic, weather and other potential disruptions on the speed your drivers can work.

Protect your tyres from damaging sources
The materials that tyres are made from can be damaged by the environment and particularly by environmental extremes. High and low temperatures and the fluctuations between them can speed up the wear on your tyres. That’s also true for extremely dry or wet conditions.

Keeping your machine under cover and indoors can go some way to protect your tyres when not in use. Being clear on guidance from tyre experts and the manufacturer of your machine is a good idea if you’re concerned about the impact of extreme weather conditions.

Taking care of the tyres on your machine starts with regular inspections and knowing what to look out for. Having a tyre expert that you can trust means you can schedule in frequent maintenance and know you’re protecting the life of your tyres and your machine by keeping your tyres in optimum condition.

Allways Hire is focused on maintaining and servicing our fleet of construction and roading equipment to the highest standards, so you can rely on the best performance when you’re on the job. Explore our range of equipment available to hire or find out more about how we’re different from other hire companies.