With our gravel contracts being urban, a lot of pavement between sites and sand, topsoil and wet spots. Generally if its muddy we're shut down due to tracking it on to the pavement. Question is to the fellow gravel truckers. What tires/ tread patterns have you had the best all round traction and longest life with?
I like a Firestone FD663 16ply myself tough tire, and I like that the tread is similar to a bandag cap so if you have to limp on one for a while, they match well. I'm switchin my heavy haul truck to Continentals with a closed shoulder, but the Firestones are an open shoulder. They throw rocks less than a closed shoulder it seems like.
We use a Double Coin RR660 Truck/Bus highway pattern tyre on our trucks. This may sound strange, but we do not wear tyres out, we chop them out. This is the only rubber compound that stands up reasonably to our sort of work. We run on a lot of gravel roads, off road, sealed roads and generally fairly heavy. I do not place a lot of importance on lugged drive tyres, because I figure if it is that wet, we shouldn't be there anyway and the lugs will not help, but I do realise that you work in much wetter conditions, than we do out here. http://www.tyres4u.com.au/t4utyreselector/truck_ID-35549_CatID-2_popup.aspx RnR.