Does anyone have any suggestions regarding a 290/80R22.5 with an extremely aggressive off-road tread pattern that will work in mud..? Our 4x4 KW service trucks are running this tyre size. They work off-road all the time and when it rains (daily right now) the mine roads are slicker than snot. I'm looking for something that will give at least a bit of traction under those conditions. All suggestions welcome.
That's an unusual size over here in the states. I would think an open shoulder lugged tire would work well. That's what I have on my service truck. Seems to do a good job of cleaning out with a little wheelspin. What are the conditions like? Thin layer of soup on top, 3-4 inches of slop then a solid bottom? I've run just about every traction style drive tire over the years and when I need the traction the more open and deeper lugged the better they are. What's helpful is that they won't leave the site so there's no worry of road noise or ride quality. What brand is most common there? The last set I bought were Bandag brand caps. Other than the nasty rainstorm I've gone everywhere I needed to go. That's what I have. I'll trade you some tires for some D11 U/C!! Haha Junkyard
I agree with junkyard on the open shouldered tires. Have you considered throwing on a set of single chains or cables on? Just a thought but maybe that wouldn't work in your situation.... Just my $.02
OK, what we're up against is anything from 6-18" deep of goop (best way I can describe it). When rain touches the saprolite we have here it turns into something with about the same consistency as Play-doh. We have no rock yet and probably won't have any for the best part of another year or so, so mine roads are built with the best laterite material available, but with no rock in it bigger than baseball-size when a fully loaded haul truck runs over it the ruts can be 6-8" deep at best and anything up to 24" deep at worst.........if there is a "solid" bottom (and I have my doubts TBH) it's probably 50ft deeper than we're working right now. The fuel burn rate of our haul trucks is actually outside the top end of the High range as stated in the PH, and that is something I've never ever seen before. It can take up to 5 minutes after leaving the shovel to get into 2nd gear, and that's not because the ramps are steep, in fact they're nearly flat. I've been looking at a similar tread pattern to a Hankook DM04, Michelin XDL, or Goodyear G177, but I'm having difficulty finding anything in the 290/80R22.5 size. BTW the reason we run low-profile radials on 22.5 one-piece rims is we are not allowed to run split rims on the job site, on anything .....
I wonder how a 275/80R22.5 compares. That's a common size in Michelin and a couple other brands. A 295/70R22.5 is essentially the same size tire in the other brands. I can't imagine too much of a difference. But I'm not a tire expert either. Chains might be in order as well. Or maybe a larger single tire to prevent all the crap packing between the wheels. Unless for some reason they're being run single. Junkyard
Not fixated on 290/80R22.5, just that's the size they're on right now. I'm fairly sure 295 or 275 would also work but I've failed to find anything in those sizes either. I was even looking at 315/325 as well, still came up empty. Not worried about speedo accuracy or anything like that, they simply have to fit without rubbing on suspension/bodywork and give a modicum of traction.
I have a bunch laying around just like the pic above. Just the logistics of getting them to the hole you're in! Haha What is the closest place for you to get stuff like that?
I don't think you are going to find these in anything smaller than 11R22.5 which is 42" tall. Yours look to be 40" tall if the calculation is correct? I have run these Firestone T831 and it's like having chains on a regular tire. Put chains over them and it gets even better. Also look at Yokohama LY053 and Hankook DM04, about the same thing. Also Oliver Waste Hauler Lug caps. http://commercial.firestone.com/en/truck-and-bus/product/t831
I put BDX Bandags on mixer trucks and they dig like a mattock. Now don't laugh but a Bandacat recap might be a good option if it is a pit only truck. I put some on low-pro 22.5's for a 503 Galion grader so I know they'll fit on a casing.
I hear ya and agree 100% but company policy is new or nothing...... The issue is that with the cost of freight from US (most likely) to where we are is going to cost almost as much as the price of the tyres themselves. Good point about 11R22.5s. Personally I don't think clearance will be an issue with a 42" vs a 40" tyre. I maybe take a photo and post it to show how much clearance there is with the current rubber installed. Generally the smallest tyre I deal with is something like 33.00R51, these dinky things get me out of my comfort zone TBH .........
If it's new or nothing, I would look at some Continental HDO's. They have tread that you could drop a quarter in and lose it. Connie's seem to be available worldwide so maybe that will be a help.
I second the continentals if you have to go new. I had HDC's I think they were and they'd dig to China if you didn't get off the throttle. I've always had excellent results with their products.
Look at the number of tread rows across the tread. You want less. The Continentals above have 4 rows. The Firestones and the other 3 row models have more void space and less rubber on the ground. It gives the mud somewhere to squish out to. The lugs are bigger. But the tread compound is pretty hard and they don't wear out real fast.
As promised, here are some photos. First, this is a typical rut created by one of our haul trucks and the photo was taken on a dry day. To give an idea of scale the pen in the photo is 5.5" long so the ruts must be at least 12" deep. A couple of photos of the truck. I have looked under the wheel arches and I can't see anything that looks as though it will even come close to being scrubbed by the tyres either on full steering lock or full suspension travel or any combination of the two.
Nige, I don't know if this helps or not, but here's pictures of two pretty open tread types. One is the earlier mentioned firestone t831. The other are Goodyear g272. Both are military surplus here in the states, but should be available as new. The military runs the most open/aggressive treads, they don't want to be stuck in a bad spot. They aren't much for milage, and don't wear real long, but they will dig. The firestones I have on the drives of a grove tms300, the Goodyears are on the steers. I find the aggressive tread really helps with turning the steers, where a more closed tread just tends to plow. I realize mine are on 20" two piece rims, and those are a no go for you. But the big open spaces are the key to traction. Also look at the Goodyear Workhorse MSD series offered in 11r22.5
That is the reason I have experience on these style tires. We needed 20" tires and that was all we could find at the time. Same thing with the Oliver WHL caps. We needed new caps, that is all they had in stock. We ran them and it saved us tow bills the very first winter. I am a fan of aggressive treads.
Had Continental HDO and had no complaints. Very reliable on the road.