How to choose an OTR tyre handler

The specification driver is the heaviest, largest tyre on site — not the average one, and not the tyre on the most common machine. Diameter, section width and mass complete with rim are the three figures that size the handler.

Handlers in this range take tyres to 16 000 kg, which covers earthmover and haul-truck fitments as well as loader, grader and dozer tyres. If the fleet is being expanded to larger machines, specify against where the fleet is going rather than where it is.

An attachment mounts to a forklift, telehandler or wheel loader you already own. It is the cheaper route and it works well where a suitable carrier is genuinely available at the moment tyres are changed.

That last condition is where the decision usually turns. On operations where the loader is always working, or where tyre changes are frequent enough to be continuous, a dedicated tyre handling machine wins on availability. The handler is never the reason the change waits.

• Gripping — clamping the tyre securely across the tread.
• Rotation — 100° or 360° body rotation to present the tyre at any angle.
• Tipping — tilting the tyre for hub alignment and access.
• Side shift — lateral movement to line up bolt holes without repositioning the carrier.
• Rim assembly — where tyres are handled complete with rim.

The reason a mine buys a tyre handler is to stop people working under a suspended tyre with slings and bars. A handler holds the tyre under hydraulic control from a seated operating position, which removes the manual handling and the crush exposure from the task at the same time.

That only holds if the handler is not being worked at the edge of its rating. Specifying to the largest tyre with margin, and matching the rotation to the bay layout so the operator is not improvising, is what turns the safety case into a real one.

Where the change happens matters. A workshop tyre bay with a level floor and overhead clearance is a different specification from a change out at the pit on uneven ground. Ground conditions, gradient, clearance and how far the tyre has to be carried all feed into the carrier choice.