Pit & Quarry, December 2013

EQUIPMENT FOCUS MAINTENANCE a significant impact on tire life Supervisors and personnel should pay special attention to road surface worksite conditions as well as the cleanliness of loading and dumping areas Get vehicle operators involved during the walkaround inspection of the vehicle before beginning operation to eliminate potential tire damage hazards Slopes of 10 percent or more sharp curves or high speed curves can also have a great impact on tire life These extreme haul road features can shift the load placed on tires and create an overload situation Grades of 10 percent or more should be reduced extreme corners should be changed to have an increased radius or be banked to lessen the effect of load transfer on the tires If the haul road is difficult to change having the operator slow down when negotiating these sections can often alleviate most of the problems Inspection Unless there is a susp e c t ed probl em checking air pressure can be done once a week There is no need to check it every day In comparison engine oil usually gets checked every day During these daily inspections the tires should be checked for damage visual inflation discrepancies or any other issues that may cause that asset to come out of service Get vehicle operators involved during the walk around inspection of the vehicle before beginning operation Or if a walk around inspection is not currently being done implement one The routine inspection of a rim and tire helps to minimize and detect any issues in a timely manner It helps ensure that problems are dealt with before becoming major maintenance issues or passing the point of serviceability If tire damage or problems are discovered during inspection do not operate the vehicle until a trained service technician can diagnose the severity of the situation and make the proper repairs Never allow untrained personnel to attempt repairs Visual inspections familiarize the operator with proper tire appearance at proper inflation pressure They usually allow the operator to detect more serious inflation pressure issues with a quick inspection There are two main areas to check when evaluating tire wear the tread and the sidewall Start with a visual inspection of the vehicles tires looking for signs of irregular wear deep cracks cuts or other major problems in the INDUSTRY NEWS E N E W S L E T T E R A N D O N L I N E N E W S P Q WEEKLY REPORT Join the thousands of subscribers who receive our weekly e newsletter It offers aggregate industry news and equipment information and links to online feature stories and columns all in an easy to read format Sign up using the link on our home page at www pitandquarry com TODAYS NEWS Updated on our home page daily we keep you up to date on the most important industry developments from NSSGA and MSHA as well as from the top producers and equipment suppliers Well also update you on important industry events DIGITAL EDITIONS You can view the current or recent past issues of Pit Quarry magazine in digital format right on your computer or tablet To read available issues visit www pitandquarry com past issues 40 PIT QUARRY December 2013 www pitandquarry com