I am curious to know how popular these systems are in north america/europe and who has experience with cti systems. I have heard that the cti system offers incredible traction,increased tyre and drivetrain life, fuel economy and improved ride. The cons seem to be that external hoses/fittings are prone to damage and rotators have a limited lifespan.
One or two trucks around Princeton tried them out on a test thing. Very costly, and a real pain in the butt when trying to put on tire chains. I am sure the saw mill like them as they were to be easier on the road, but at $15,ooo.xx (if I remember correctly) the cost was not worth it as the haul rate did not go up. If I remember they only lasted 1 month or less.
Our log term log haul contractors ( about 60 trucks in total ) have been using CTI for the past 14 years or so. The cost is included in the rate and there were definitely some growing pains in the early years. We currently run 9 and 10 axle configurations ( king B's ) , CTI has to be on the drives and trailer axles. They are not required to have it on during winter months, however most leave it on for the added traction. We don't have to chain up as often as in BC, but if the driver knows what he's doing and the chains are in good shape, we've found it to be a non -issue. As one of the "mill guys" it gets us into the bush sooner after a rain ( we have very limited gravel were we are at ) , I need less grader power and the road tends to heal itself. FP Innovations did a lot of research on the use of CTI on soft roads I'm not sure what reports are available to non members, but you might want to check out their web site.
winterax do not know what mill you guys haul into but here the big W (Weyerhaeuser) is not one to spend more pennies than they have to.
weyerhaeuser had cti on there trucks at vail,snoqualmie & white river. most of the drivers liked the ride and added traction on muddy roads. they did have lots of maintenance issues, mainly moisture in the system, even with air dryers 525
Wasn't that in the 90's? I heard that it lasted only for a couple of years before it was scrapped. Perhaps it was too new then?
yes, I think late '94 ? they started that I know they wanted contractors to set up manual systems - I quit hauling for the company before they made the gypo's do that. I believe a new super at Vail was the first to do away with the cti , w.r. & sno falls a bit later