Page 23 - CTB N20 - 2017-04

PRODUCTS
New Goodyear Trailer Tyre for Berger Gives More Payload & Lower Operating Costs
The concept for the new tyre goes back to 2015. This was when operators were starting to see the financial advantage of using a two- axle trailer instead of a three-axle trailer. The main benefit being the cheaper road tax in Germany: where using a four-axle combination is 1.8 cents/km cheaper in tax than a five- axle combination. In addition, the operational costs are lower on a
tandem axle trailer versus a tri-axle trailer as there are fewer brakes and less tyres. However, to maximize the payload of a tandem trailer, these operators wanted 10-tonne axles instead of standard 9-tonne axles. This concept was especially appealing for many mega trailer operators as volume is more important to their business than weight.
Goodyear in conjunction with lightweight trailer manufacturer Berger has developed new trailer tyres that maximise payloads for fleet operators. With a 10-tonne axle weight capacity and low rolling radius, Goodyear,s FUELMAX T 435/50R19.5 HL 164K tyres have been developed to increase weight capacity for tandem axle mega trailers. The other great benefit comes from taking advantage of reduced road tax for operators in countries such as Germany and
Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GesmbH. “The solution was to increase to 10 tonnes axle weight, and for this we needed tyres with a 164 5,000 kg load index. The FUELMAX T High Load tyre that Goodyear has produced gives us a premium product that delivers exactly what our customers require.”
The High Load Goodyear FUELMAX T 435/50R19.5 HL 164K has been developed in conjunction with Berger Fahrzeugtechnik GesmbH and is the first premium truck tyre to be
The New Vacu-Lug
Carbon Calculator Tool Generates Real Personalised Data for Fleets
Goodyear has teamed up with lightweight trailer manufacturer Berger to develop new trailer tyres
Switzerland, where four-axle combinations pay less duty than five axle vehicles.
Compared with a typical five-axle 40- tonne combination using a 27-tonne tri-axle bogie, a fleet operating a four- axle 38-tonne combination featuring a BERGERecotrail trailer with a 20- tonne tandem bogie can save 2,160 Euro per year in German road tax costs alone based on 120,000 km/year on German toll roads.
“For many operators of mega trailers, volume is more important than maximum weight and, where appropriate, the lower tax on four- axle combinations plus their lower fuel and maintenance costs are very attractive. However, with 9-tonne axles, weight capacity was an issue in many cases,” said Armin Lechner – Head of Product Management at
available in this size and load index. Goodyear has a long relationship with the Austrian trailer manufacturer, which will be the first OEM to receive the tyres.
“We first introduced a 10-tonne trailer tyre at the 2010 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover. This was specifically to maximise the load capacity of tandem axle trailers,” said Benjamin Willot, Marketing Director Commercial EMEA, for Goodyear Dunlop. “This was a 22.5” tyre so it was not suitable for mega trailers, which use 19.5” rims. Working with Berger we have developed the new tyre for lightweight tandem axle mega trailers so that operators can take advantage of the benefits of the lighter trailers as well as the lower road taxation in some countries.”
Vacu-Lug has released a new carbon counting tool to help fleets measure its environmental benefits
Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres have introduced a carbon counting tool, which enables their fleet customers to measure the environmental benefits of using Vacu-Lug retread tyres in comparison to an all-new tyre policy.
Complementing the company’s tyre fleet management system (VMS), the Carbon Calculator is installed on Vacu-Lug’s website and can be used easily to generate an instant, personalised carbon savings report. Operators simply need to access the Calculator via Vacu-Lug’s homepage, select the tyre size and pattern and add the quantity of tyres used annually.
Savings will be dependent on the tyres used within a fleet, but, by way of example, an operator with a fleet of 50 tractor units and 100 trailers, using Vacu-Lug’s LD01 drive tyres and LT01 trailer tyres would see a saving of 29.38 tonnes of carbon against using an all-new tyre policy. Fleet Sales Director, Dave Alsop, explains: “As the UK’s largest
independent manufacturer of retread tyres, we have a responsibility to the environment to keep carbon output and energy consumption as low as possible. Our new Carbon Calculator fits with our environmental policy and enables our customers to easily monitor and assess the carbon output of the Vacu-Lug retread tyres used in their fleet.”
Vacu-Lug holds ISO14001: 2015 status for its Environmental Management System and has introduced steps to reduce energy use by over 20%, partially achieved through improvements in production techniques and a zero general waste to landfill policy. To this end, all Vacu-Lug’s rubber waste is recycled by Murfitt’s Industries, who re-use waste rubber to make sport’s surfaces and children’s playgrounds. Vacu-Lug expect the carbon-counting tool to be widely used and to play a key part in helping commercial fleet operators routinely monitor, assess and reduce carbon emissions.
The new tyres give more payload and lower operating costs
Commercial Tyre Business 23