Risk of Slips on Mining Truck Tires: Implement the Following Techniques to Prevent Them
United Tractors, Jakarta – Transportation vehicles, such as dump trucks or mining trucks, are essential in mining projects. Mining trucks transport a wide range of mining materials, including sand, gravel, dirt, rocks, and other mining products.
To transport these minerals, mining trucks use vessels or open beds. A mining truck typically installs hydraulics on its bed to facilitate the unloading of materials.
Due to the heavy nature of the material they transport, mining trucks must be able to carry loads weighing tens of tons. Consequently, mining trucks also need powerful engines and sturdy frames.
Each component of a mining truck has a specific purpose. These components must receive regular maintenance in order for them to function at their best and produce outcomes that meet expectations. The tire is one of the most important components.
The tires of a mining truck have a significant impact on the level of productivity in the field. Improperly maintained tires have the potential to slip, thereby posing a risk to mining workers and drivers. How should we keep dump truck tires from slipping? When a truck tire slips, what risks do you face? View the entire discussion below.
What is Tire Slippage?
Tire slippage on wheeled vehicles refers to the occurrence when one or more tires lose traction, slip, or lock due to extreme acceleration. Typically, tire slippage occurs on slippery road surfaces, often caused by rain..
Tire slippage can affect various types of wheeled vehicles, including mining trucks. During the raniny season, the mining area will be more slippery than usual. Therefore, drivers need to be more cautious when operating trucks to prevent tire slippage.
Typically, when a car loses traction on a slippery road, the driver may brakes suddenly, causing the wheels to instantly cease rotating. This is when a tire slippage occurs. Slippage on dump truck tires may have a negative impact on both brake performance and the driver’s balance, posing a safety risk.
Causes of Tire Slippage in Truck
Tire slippage refers to a condition in which the tire experiences a partial or complete loss of traction with the road surface. It is common in vehicles that have two or more wheels, including large-wheeled vehicles like dump trucks. How do tires experience slippage? What are the factors that contribute to tires sliding on a mining truck? Please take a moment to read the review provided below.
- Slippery Road Surfaces
Rainwater often causes slippery road surfaces, leading to tire slippage. Operating in mining areas can be challenging because of the steep terrain, which often demands truck drivers apply more pressure to the accelerator or brake with greater urgency. Rain-induced wet road conditions can cause the tires to lose traction and fail to grip the road surface effectively. - Damaged Truck Components
Truck component damage, such as brake or tire wear, can also cause tire slippage. This type of damage will also cause the tire to lose traction when braking. As a result, the tires will still slip, even if the road surface is not slippery. - Loss of Front Tire Traction
When the driver accelerates and presses the gas pedal too hard, the weight distribution shifts to the back. In contrast, if the driver suddenly applies the brakes, the weight distribution will quickly shift to the front. Both events can cause the front wheels to lose traction, resulting in a loss of control for the driver.
How to Prevent Tire Slippage in Mining Trucks
Knowing what causes tire slippage in mining or dump trucks , it’s time to learn how to prevent it.
- Ensure Propoper Tire Pressure
Maintaining proper air pressure in the mining truck tires is crucial for reducing the chances of accidents caused by loss of control. It is crucial to regularly check the air pressure in the tires to ensure the truck’s safety and prevent any potential accidents.
Also, ensure the tires are not hot when inspected. For a more accurate tire pressure inspection, it’s best to reach out to a professional technician who specializes in mining truck maintenance. - Regularly Rotate the Tires
Another way to prevent tire slippage is by regularly rotating the tires, from left to right and from front to back. This helps extend the lifespan of the dump truck tires and minimize the chances of slippage. Ensuring a balanced pressure and wear on each tire, this rotation helps balance the pressure and wear on each tire so that wear occurs evenly. - Routine Visual Inspection of Tires
It is also essential to visually inspect the condition of dump truck tires to determine whether they are still appropriate for use. This inspection typically focuses on the tire tread.
The tread of a tire significantly influences its traction on the road. In order to ensure that the truck remains precisely controlled during braking, the tire tread must be able to provide a strong grip on the road. - Avoid Overloading
As mentioned earlier, mining trucks have different load capacities. The durability of each tire is taken into consideration when determining the maximum carrying capacity of a mining vehicle.
One example is the HD785-7 off-highway dump truck from Komatsu. It boasts a massive payload of 92 tons, thanks to its extra-long wheelbase and wide tire tread. This truck is capable of transporting its cargo at maximum speed, provided that the load weight does not exceed 92 tons. - Maintain the Suspension System
On rough roads, the weight of cargo creates shocks that tires absorb. These shocks affect the amount of wear that the tires experience. Always keep the dump truck’s suspension system in excellent working condition to save tire wear and ensure uniformity. - Pay Attention to the Road Conditions
Drivers need to be aware of potentially slippery road conditions during the rainy season. Accidents are more likely to happen when the roads are more slippery than usual. To prevent accidents and keep the tires from slipping, dump truck drivers must reduce their speed when driving in such situations. - Repairs and Replace Tire
Another way to prevent tire slip is to fix the tire as soon as possible if damage is identified. Ensure to replace any tires that are no longer suitable for use.
Dump truck tires typically have varying lifespans depending on the work environment in which they travel regularly. The after-sales service from United Tractors allows for safer and more comfortable truck tire maintenance and replacements.
United Tractors offers the UT GPS (Guaranteed Product Support) service, which includes a variety of service programs, such as measured and scheduled tire changes, if the tires on your Komatsu or UD Trucks dump truck need replacement or repair.
Those are some of the things you should consider to ensure that dump truck tires remain durable and cannot slip easily. Preventing tire slip not only extends tire life but also contributes to workplace safety.
United Tractors: Distributor of Anti-Slip Dump Truck
Indonesia widely recognizes United Tractors as a distributor of high-quality heavy equipment, including Komatsu trucks. United Tractors’ truck quality is exceptional, making them ideal for mining projects.
The Komatsu HD785-7, United Tractors’ flagship dump truck, features an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to prevent wheel locking during severe braking and significantly reduce the risk of tire slip.
United Tractors, the main distributor of heavy equipment, trucks, and buses in Indonesia, is committed to maintaining client trust. Offering a variety of great after-sales services programs such as Service Programs, Parts Programs, Financing Programs, and many more. Interested? Right now, call UT Customer Service at 1 500 072!
