WHEN a single tyre has such a high dollar value, let alone considering safety factors and the cost of production downtime, it’s simple logic to use a preventative maintenance approach to managing tyre damage in a mining fleet.
That’s why TyreDoctor, which has specialised in OTR (off-the-road) tyre repairs since 1986, put so much emphasis on the importance of a preventative maintenance tyre repair program for mining fleets.
“Sure, we’ll repair a tyre once it’s failed – if it’s repairable,” TyreDoctor tyre repair division manager Harvey Hester said.
“But in nine out of 10 instances once a mining tyre actually fails it’ll be damaged beyond repair.
“That’s just a waste of an expensive tyre – whether it’s a 33-inch underground slick, a 63-inch radial dump truck tyre or simply a large grader or scraper tyre.”
Given the risks to operational safety, the value of the asset and the potential costs in lost production and downtime if a failure occurs under load, it’s critical to be constantly monitoring tyre condition, assessing any damage and getting it repaired to minimise the risk of failure.
Safety first
Operational safety looms especially large in this area of the mining industry, quite apart from the cost factors.
“Sure, it’s obvious that a tyre is a large pressure vessel” Mr Hester said.
“But it’s one that’s subjected to constantly changing stresses and with all kinds of environmental factors in play, so there’s very significant safety reasons for ensuring the operational integrity of a mining tyre at all times.”
After operational safety, there are cost factors to consider.
A failure generally means an expensive loss of productive tyre life which often could have been prevented if an injury was identified and addressed in its early stages.
But the nature of the challenges in effective tyre management always differ from one mine site to another.
“Operating conditions are different on every site – even between large, well run sites that are located virtually side-by-side we see significant differences in tyre life and the type of injuries,” Mr Hester said.
“The kind of soils and rock on site, ambient temperature, loading patterns, haul road condition and corner design – these are all things that have an impact in addition to factors that you can measure and manage more directly, like operating pressures.”
“But with good on-site tyre management and an active program for preventative maintenance repairs, there’s no reason that the vast majority of mining tyres shouldn’t reach the expected service hours.”
Where experience counts
TyreDoctor’s company motto emphasises a singular focus on the OTR category. Harvey’s father Selwyn started the business in 1986 to service the agricultural industry and earthmoving contractors in the local region.
Mr Hester and his brother Tom joined their father straight out of school in the early 2000’s and the rest is history.
Mr Hester focussed on learning from his father’s knowledge and experience in OTR repairs, becoming an expert in rubber compounding and tyre construction, while his brother did his time in repairs and trained as a certified OTR tyre fitter before focussing on running and growing the business.
Both brothers are still directly involved with day-to-day operations in the company’s repair facilities in Leeton NSW and Mackay QLD, and firmly believe that hands-on involvement is the best way to pass on know-how to the team and is also the best source of innovation.
With 33 years on the clock so far, TyreDoctor has evolved into a full-service off-the-road (OTR) tyre and rim specialist with a customer base that includes Glencore, BHP, Evolution Mining, Yancoal and Peabody Energy.
But while TyreDoctor’s scope of services also includes OTR wheel/rim testing and engineering alongside supply of new OTR tyres and rims in a range of OEM brands, the team of 40-odd staff regard tyre repair as their ‘core’ speciality.
“Our experience in OTR underlies the value we’re able to provide as a repair partner for mining operators and I think the benefits really show in terms of the hours they get out of tyres we’ve repaired,” Mr Hester said.
“Over time we’ve developed our own techniques that build on standard methods for hot-vulcanised tyre repair.
“And we’re able to back up our work with the best repair guarantees in the industry – that speaks for itself.
“We can’t sit back and relax though – we’re always learning and tweaking our processes to keep up with the pace of innovation from the tyre manufacturers.”
Full-service approach
TyreDoctor sends technicians from its OTR repair team to major sites for pre-repair inspections every month.
“Regular site visits are a key part of our service, particularly for preventative maintenance repairs,” Mr Hester said.
“It keeps us in touch with site conditions and helps to avoid wasting money by transporting tyres that actually aren’t viable to repair.”
TyreDoctor runs a dedicated fleet of trucks with specialised trailer combinations for transporting tyres, including the largest ‘63-inch’ sizes.
“Operating our own fleet is certainly not the cheapest option but we’ve proved time and again that it’s the only way to provide a complete gate-to-gate solution and keep full control of our service turnaround times,” Mr Hester said.
“Providing reliable and timely service from pickup right through to delivery back to the site is just as critical to our business as our repair expertise is.”
TyreDoctor has been operating for 33 years and counting. Based on this approach to doing business, the count is likely to continue for a while yet.
For more information visit: www.tyredoctor.com.au
