BEARCAT Tyres, long time provider of wheels, tyres and maintenance services to Linde Materials Handling, has detailed the role of tyres in Australia’s materials handling sector.
Linde manufactures a range of forklifts, from hand pallet jacks to 52-tonne container forklifts and specialised warehousing equipment. Bearcat has been supplying the company with specialised industrial tyres for over 14 years.
According to Bearcat, it is important for warehouse managers, fleet management specialists and end-users to be aware of the important contribution tyres make to vehicle performance.
The tyre is the only component of the vehicle in constant contact with the ground. This means the tyre’s type, size, tread pattern and compound are all factors which affect load carrying capacity, energy efficiency, traction, stability, manoeuvrability, driver comfort, and service life.
Once a high quality tyre is selected for a specific application, the company claims users need to take care of the unit. Users often overlook simple maintenance procedures.
Tyre life can be maximised by not driving over kerbs or other obstacles, actions which can damage tyres and shorten their life.
Pneumatic tyres should also be inflated to the correct pressure, in order to minimise rolling resistance and maximise tyre life.
To provide on-site service to customers, Bearcat operates a fleet of specialised service trucks fitted with hydraulic tyre presses. These trucks can change over a set of tyres within 45 minutes.
In 2004 the company built an industrial wheel manufacturing plant, located at its national headquarters at Girraween in Sydney’s west. It claims each wheel is hand-welded with vigilant quality control.
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