During National Fork Lift Safety Week, Continental Tyres is calling for increased awareness of the safe fitting and operating of radial pneumatic tyres.
Continental Tyres launched its new radial tyre this summer but has found that there are certain aspects of the fitting of radial tyres, across the industry and across brands that need increased awareness to improve safety and service life.
Firstly, to ensure the safe operation and full service life of pneumatic tyres is achieved when fitted to four piece wheels, it is essential that all parts of the wheel are in good condition. Each component part of a multi-piece wheel is designed for a specific function and forms part of a set of components.
Secondly, it is vitally important that all component parts are re-fitted after a tyre change. Continental has observed that in certain cases not all component parts are re installed once a radial tyre has been changed, reducing the potential of the tyre to reach maximum performance levels.
Bill Sharratt, product evaluation manager from Continental Industrial Tyres, said; "Not observing this safety recommendation could lead to failure of the wheel assembly. We have found that on some occasions when fitting a radial tyre, the 'advance band' also known as a 'taper bead seat' has been left out of the assembly.
"The advance band must be fitted to ensure correct seating of the tyre and even pressure across the beads. Not using all parts of the wheel assembly can result in accelerated tyre wear and even premature failure of the tyre."
Fleets can also obtain that extra peace of mind against sudden air loss from a pneumatic tyre by choosing Continental's Tubeless Sealing Ring (TSR) which enables the mounting of tubeless industrial tyres on standard industrial vehicle rims, which must normally be mounted with a tube and a flap. The TSR allows equipment to remain productive and mobile in the event of a puncture.