At Imerys, Nanpean, Cornwall (UK), Alfie Jones drives a fully loaded 120-ton Cat 775G in a slippery clay quarry.
As far as tires go, the choice is a quarry bestseller from BKT, EARTHMAX SR 45 M, in the 24.00 R 35 size. The tire is specifically designed for rigid dumpers that have to move around muddy environments.
“We have to move quickly in the quarry on difficult terrain, to load and transport the extracted material. For this reason we need a tire that gives us a sense of safety, with excellent grip, a wide tread, capable of great performance even when fully loaded, without this impacting on the vehicle’s consumption,” Jones said.
EARTHMAX SR 45 M is a radial all-steel tire that has been specifically designed for rigid dumpers that operate on muddy surfaces and is available in three types of compound: normal, heat-resistant and cut-resistant. A characteristic of this top-of-the-range tire is the E-4 depth of the tread, which allows constant resistance against the numerous obstacles on sites such as quarries, where conditions are very challenging. The versions with the cut-resistant and heat-resistant compounds guarantee excellent traction and great resistance for long-distance transport.
“With a little water the clay-rich terrain becomes very slippery, and that is when we have to rely on the vehicle and the tires. This is the real challenge to be faced when working in this type of quarry,” Jones said.
For Imerys, a world leader in the extraction and supply of special materials for industry, the EARTHMAX SR 45 M is the best possible solution.