Alfie Jones, an established member of the Imerys Group for 30 years knows that the right tyre is needed when dealing with clay quarries in Cornwall. He explains, “A couple of drops of rain and the quarry terrain changes completely. The depth of the tread is our salvation.”
BKT’s EARTHMAX Performing for Alfie Jones
Alfie Jones uses the EARTHMAX SR 45 M, in the 24.00 R 35 size, as he needs a fully-loaded 120-ton dumper in drive in frequently slippery conditions, as part of job moving four-wheel gains in Nanpean, Cornwall, working for multinational Imerys, who are specialists in the extraction and supply of special materials for industry. Fitting out the dumpers (CAT 775G), Jones chose the BKT EARTHMAX because of its unique tyre characteristics, especially as this product is designed for rigid dumpers moving around muddy environments.
Jones explains: “We have to move quickly in the quarry on difficult terrain, to load and transport the extracted material. For this reason we need a tyre which gives us a sense of safety, with excellent grip, a wide tread, capable of great performance even when fully loaded, without this impacting on the vehicle’s consumption.”
The EARTHMAX SR 45 M is a radial All Steel tyre, designed for rigid dumpers and is available in three types of compound – normal, heat resistant and cut resistant. The top of the range tyre for this product is the E-4, with a depth of the tread which allows for constant resistance against numerous on-site obstacles. Likewise, the versions with the cut resistant and heat resistant compounds guarantees for excellent traction and great resistance also for long-distance transport.
BKT were heavily involved with Imerys in understanding the need for good traction, something Jones counts as the ‘real challenge’ when working with clay-rich terrain, which is slippery when wet, and needs a rigid vehicle, with sustained tyre performance to yield results.
