Avoidable tire losses are often a large hidden cost in surface mining. Premature tire scrapping reduces available operating hours, increases new tire demand and tire-related downtime, and drives up both new tire budgets and the associated carbon emissions with securing new supply.
The Solution: Conventional Repairs
Conventional tire repairs address this loss by safely restoring damaged mining tires to service using proven methods, skilled technicians and defined repair limits. Repairs are performed by expert Kal Tire technicians using specially engineered repair materials and established procedures designed specifically for large off-the-road mining tires.
- Repairs injuries located on the tread, shoulder, and sidewall
- Particularly effective for rock-impact damage, one of the most common causes of premature tire removal
- Repairs are completed within defined limits to ensure ongoing safety and performance – for complex, more severe injuries, KalPRO™ Ultra Repair is a more suitable option
Demonstrating conventional repair effectiveness at large scale
These results below are based on aggregated, conventional repair data across 2 years from hard-rock mining operations in Australia, Canada, Colombia and Ghana, across coal, copper, gold and iron ore operations.
Taken from our TOMS Tire & Operations Management system this dataset is based on 57″ tires used on 240-tonne haul trucks.
These overall results demonstrate the core value of conventional repairs consistently recovering significant operating life while avoiding the cost and emissions associated with new tires.
The value of conventional repairs to a medium-large size surface mine
This case study illustrates the impact of applying conventional tire repairs as a planned, consistent operating practice at a real-world open-pit mining operation.
Fleet configuration
- Haul trucks: 85 x 360 tonne
- Tire size: 46/90R57
- Total tires in operation: 510
- Tires repaired annually: 138 (27%)
Outcomes
Over the course of the year, 138 x 59/80R63 tires were restored to service using our on-site conventional repair process.
Choosing to repair damaged tires rather than buy new has multiple benefits to the operation:
- Reduces new tire budgets
- Less reliance on securing new supply
- Validated CO2 and oil savings through the Maple Program