Hi guys, to those of you which run more than a couple of vehicles, what system, if any, do you put in place to manage your tyres? i think its often underestimated how much cost is involved with them and im just trying to work out an effective system,
Any ideas?
Aaron
I’m not an O/D but we have an account with ATS, and apart from daily checks we must check & log tread depth & condition once a month anything out of the ordinary it’s off to ATS we go, such as getting front’s turned, pressures checked, second opinion etc etc, some of which is actually free.
I manage my own vehicles tyres (8 artics, 12 trailers). I have a number of years experience working out which tyres work best on which position and micromanaging pressures etc. I use ats mainly with another independent provider as a backup.
You can pay for ats etc to manage your tyres for you, but you will pay for this service. If you pick a brand of tyre, and work with their sales and tech departments you can do it all yourself, if you have the time. The do it yourself approach is the cheapest, and I feel, the best as you are in complete control of your tyre costs.
Do you as operators fit different season or winter tyres in, er, winter?
I recall rural bus services where I used to live in Wales would fit them in November and remove them in March, returning back to regular tyres.
Having recently made the switch myself I found I could get to work but struggled like all the other drivers to get the truck out of the yard 
Saratoga:
Do you as operators fit different season or winter tyres in, er, winter?I recall rural bus services where I used to live in Wales would fit them in November and remove them in March, returning back to regular tyres.
Having recently made the switch myself I found I could get to work but struggled like all the other drivers to get the truck out of the yard
I will schedule removing recuts from drives before winter starts and fitting new tyres, but tend to use the same pattern all year round on the drives. I have tried grippier tyres, namely Michelin xdn2 grip as opposed to my usual xde2, but found they don’t grip any better, just cost more and don’t last as long.
I’ve not tried any of the ■■■■■■■■ winter tyres, tbh it’s never been that much of a problem for us, but we are running round with a lot of weight on, which helps.
coiler:
I have tried grippier tyres, namely Michelin xdn2 grip as opposed to my usual xde2, but found they don’t grip any better, just cost more and don’t last as long.
That’s not good news for me, I’ve just put a set of XDN2 Grips on my drive axle… Never mind, we’ll see how well they last me.
Paul
Our of interest, does anybody bother getting wheels balanced?
Have never bothered as always figured stones in the tread would have more effect at any time than wheel weights.
Think you have to be careful with tyres as easy to obsess about. Recutting is ok but quite time consuming.
I tend to put part-worns on trailers if I can get hold of them as if you put a brand new super single on a trailer there always seems quite high odds of it getting sidewall damage before it reaches the end of its tread life particularly as we leaves trailers for several weeks in customers yards while they fill them.
repton:
coiler:
I have tried grippier tyres, namely Michelin xdn2 grip as opposed to my usual xde2, but found they don’t grip any better, just cost more and don’t last as long.That’s not good news for me, I’ve just put a set of XDN2 Grips on my drive axle… Never mind, we’ll see how well they last me.
Paul
Hi Paul,
Talking to michelins technical department they were surprised I got less mileage out of the xdn2 then the xde2, I am alleged to be the only one! This is comparing 10 years use of the xde2 on my fh’s to 4 test sets of xdn2 grip, all sets were down by approx 10%. The drivers didn’t think they were any better either, if you’re getting stuck in snow/ice then you’re stuck whatever the tyre.
But they may work for your operation, just have to see how they go.
My original question was aimed at whether or not individual tyres are identified to keep track of them,in case when ATS or the like or in the yard on a saturday doing inspections they are not just changing them when they feel like it if the tyre is actually ok.
Regards
AaronR
firm i work for use ‘gordons tyres’ from wakefield to manage our fleet.they seem to be doing a decent.i know the guy who looks after us & he keeps me well informed of what he will be doing on what vehicles etc & how things are wearing in general.
only thing i’ve been looking into having done is the tracking checked when new steer tyres are fitted & having the 4x61 plate trucks we have checked as well ,o if the tracking is out we get it early.it’s £80 a truck for all the necessary adjustment
AaronR:
My original question was aimed at whether or not individual tyres are identified to keep track of them,in case when ATS or the like or in the yard on a saturday doing inspections they are not just changing them when they feel like it if the tyre is actually ok.Regards
AaronR
Hi Aaron,
I tend to keep a note of when tyres are changed, and keep this with the maintenance records/inspection sheets. Ats job sheets are good for this because they also include a mini vehicle tyre check at the bottom of the sheet, and also file the torque/retorque tag to show it has been done. I can then check back when they come off and see what mileage they have done. If there are any discrepancies in the mileage i get out of a set of tyresI can then look into it further, and find out why.
All tyres are therefore monitored. As I have only a small fleet I can spend 30 mins going around on a Saturday morning doing a visual check on wear patterns. I can then find problems early and rectify quickly.
Hope this helps
Steve
Hi Guys thanks for your thoughts on this. The idea i had was to start a number/letter system so each trailer had a number, each tractor unit a letter, and on each tyre with a tyre marker write the number/letter. So this way you could see on a walkround if a vehicle has had a tyre changed without you knowing about it. But i dont know if this idea would be too difficult to manage?
Your thoughts?
Aaron
Hi Aaron how many vehicles and trailers do you run, and do you rent them to other operators? I can keep my eye on 8 t/units and 12 trailers without resorting to physically marking each tyre. But then I’ve not had an employee or ■■■■■ try to nick my tyres.
If you want to drill down that far then make a note of each tyres unique serial number rather than putting your own number on each tyre.
. I don’t know of any marker that would stay on a tyre wall.
Regards
Steve
This is the second time I have looked at a tyre thread today, the first was about fuel economy and pressures and the only person who can decide is the operator who knows his own business.
Manufacturers have to offer advice to the masses, but the ones who run their tyres at the correct or higher pressure will roll further and puncture less. I was on a message board with a well respected operator. As he said a hard tyre doesn’t blow out. That only happens when they are slack.
Wheel Nut:
This is the second time I have looked at a tyre thread today, the first was about fuel economy and pressures and the only person who can decide is the operator who knows his own business.Manufacturers have to offer advice to the masses, but the ones who run their tyres at the correct or higher pressure will roll further and puncture less. I was on a message board with a well respected operator. As he said a hard tyre doesn’t blow out. That only happens when they are slack.
Unless you run over something you shouldn’t