I have to get new tires for my Cat 966C, 23.5 x 25. I'm a gold miner, off road, rough terrain and lots of rock. The tire guys want to sell me radials but I've always had bias. What would you guys suggest with my conditions? I wouldn't mind the better traction radials are suppose to give but I worry about rock and sidewalls on the radials. Thanks!
In your conditions I would go for a 23.5R25 radial L-5 (rock extra-deep tread) or at least an L-4 (rock deep tread). Radials are no more prone to sidewall cutting than bias, everything depends on the operator to keep his floor clean of all the stray rock that cuts sidewalls, also the digging technique (don't bury the front wheels in the pile) has a lot to do with it.
Most gold mining I've seen was done in alluvial soils. Are you working in shot rock or something similar?
Most running is in alluvial gravels, but a lot of times I have to run in the "cut" that has all exposed bedrock consisting of a rather sharp schist bedrock. Can't be avoided and radials worry me in this environment.
I was always partial to bias ply for places where cutting is a big hazard. There are radial tires with a buttressed shoulder that kind of keeps the cuts off the sidewall but I've seen those shredded also. How are the underfoot conditions when you are digging the loose stuff? Are you digging down hill, flat or up hill? How much travel between dig and dump do you have to do? Are you feeding a crushing and screening plant or just loading trucks? Are you digging in the winter or the summer? Radials seem to slip less when taking a bite out of the bank and I'm told they save on fuel a bit but I've never been able to quantify that. They are a heck of a lot smoother ride but if digging down hill your operators will likely complain the machine is not stable. Radials of the right compound of rubber will last a lot longer than bias but that will not mean anything if you cut them up right away. You should talk to someone local selling tires and get their opinion. I've found tire people for the most part to be honest about what will work better for your operation and conditions.
When I first went to work for the company I am at now, the grader had bias ply tires. In 2 years I had 5 flats. All repairable but one. After they went to radials I had 4 flats in 17 years, and two of them were o rings, one was the mechanic putting the blade through the tire, and the following week, I got a piece of steel through the sidewall of the brand new tire they had just put on after the mechanic's little flub. I am a firm believer in new tire technology.