Indian Group Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has showcased the largest tyre the company has ever built, at the bauma 2019 expo
The Earthmax SR 46 tyre was showcased with a new size-33.00 R 51 with a diameter of more than three metres (3,061 millimetres to be exact), length of 894 millimetres, and weighs 2,400kg.
This tire is particularly suited for transporting heavy loads and was designed for rigid dump trucks engaged under the most complex and adverse conditions in hard and rocky environments such as mines. Its special tread design, block lug pattern and circumferential grooves yield excellent cornering performance and reduced wear and tear.
BKT tires also showcased other products of the Earthmax family at three different bauma outdoor areas. In the first area, a huge panel shaped like a rigid dump truck featured real tires from the series Earthmax SR 45 M (24.00 R 35) and Earthmax SR 45 (18.00 R 33).
The second area spotlighted the outline of an articulated dump truck equipped with real products, namely Earthmax SR 41 (875/65 R 29) and Earthmax SR 35 (750/65 R 25). The third promotional area was entirely dedicated to Earthmax SR 53 (36/65 R 33).
The common denominator consistently in all these models is their all-steel structure, which renders a stronger body and therefore greater resistance to aggressions such as punctures and penetration of foreign bodies.
Earthmax SR 45 M was specifically designed for rigid dump trucks operating on muddy terrain and loose surfaces. This tire features optimum traction and is ideal for long hauls. Moreover, the deep tread enables constant resistance to the numerous adverse conditions at job sites.
Earthmax SR 45 features a deeper tread that extends the tire's useful life, and a special lug shape to ensure excellent traction in all conditions. The special compound designed for this tire guarantees resistance to the risks frequently presents in extreme operating conditions such as cuts, abrasions and other impacts.
Earthmax SR 41 is particularly suited for articulated dump trucks and features a new tread that, in addition to being deeper, has reinforced connecting bridges to guarantee greater block rigidity and therefore greater stability. The block geometry was specifically designed to ensure greater traction, which is essential for articulated dump trucks operating on particularly difficult terrain under adverse conditions.
Even Earthmax SR 35 is designed for articulated dump trucks. The prominence of its robust steel-belted casing ensures traction, stability, extraordinary durability and resistance to snags, punctures and tears.
Earthmax SR 53 is conceived for loaders operating in difficult sites such as mines and rock quarries. Its special cut-resistant compound does not overheat, while the self-cleaning tread expels stones and foreign bodies. Two optimal solutions enabling even this tire to have a long and very productive life.
Lucia Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe Headquarters. “Our Spotech is, in fact, moving in this direction. It is an innovative device capable of providing information on the exact positioning of vehicles, tracked by the satellite, programmable and customisable according to the application site, volumes and vehicles. The objective entails a cinematic analysis of movements to create a real and proper ‘study’ of tire use, including its effects and consequences on the machinery that it equips.”
