Advantages of Solid Aerial Work Platform Tires

Aerial work platforms offer businesses a highly versatile way to reach otherwise inaccessible heights. They play a key role in a variety of different outdoor industries, from construction, to power and telecommunications, to arboriculture. One of the most important components of an aerial work platform are its tires, which allow safe passage over uneven terrain, and provide a stable base when the lift is extended.

Most companies understand that pneumatic tires don't make a great choice for aerial work platforms, since these tires can easily be compromised by punctures and blowouts. That leaves two different tire choices: (1) foam-filled aerial work platform tires and (2) solid aerial work platform tires. This article takes a closer look at these two varieties, ultimately demonstrating that solid aerial work platform tires are the best choice for aerial work platforms.

The Basics

Both foam-filled aerial work platform tires and solid aerial work platform tires fall under the broader category of puncture-proof tires. The need for such tires greatly increases when working in hostile environments, where pneumatic aerial work platform tires simply present too great a risk. Foam-filled aerial work platform tires alleviate this risk by doing away with the need for air. Instead, the aerial work platform tire's cavity is filled with a dense foam, thus protecting against puncture flats caused by nails, rocks, rebar and other sharp objects.

A solid aerial work platform tire takes a different approach. Here the entire aerial work platform tire consists of heavy-duty rubber. Like foam-filled aerial work platform tires, this grants the tire immunity against the types of damage that would otherwise cripple a traditional pneumatic aerial work platform tire. Don't make the mistake of assuming that these two types of tires are interchangeable, however. Here, we shall explore the 4 most important advantages to solid aerial work platform tires compared to foam-filled or pneumatic aerial work platform tires.

[1] Damage Resistance

The first advantage of solid aerial work platform tires has to do with their ability to resist damage. Just because a foam-filled aerial work platform tire can resist the sorts of acute failure associated with pneumatic aerial work platform tires, they are still vulnerable to other forms of damage. If the rubber wall of the tire suffers a large enough cut or gash, the tire may begin leaking foam.

This kind of damage causes the aerial work platform tire to deform and eventually losing its shape to the point that it can no longer provide a stable base for the work platform. A solid aerial work platform tire possesses a greater degree of immunity from such damage. Since the entire tire consists of heavy-duty rubber, it can maintain its overall shape and continue to provide grip and support even as it wears away or experiences minor chunking.

[2] Wear Life

Even a tire that suffers no catastrophic damage will gradually wear down as a result of friction. This holds true for all three major categories of tires. When it comes to wear life, solid aerial work platform tires have a huge advantage over both pneumatic aerial work platform tires and foam-filled aerial work platform tires. As it turns out, the foam in a foam-filled aerial work platform tire doesn't offer any real longevity benefits.

Solid aerial work platform tires excel in a number of ways. To begin with, the tire simply has more material it can safely lose. Both pneumatic aerial work platform tires and foam-filled aerial work platform tires have a relatively thin outer layer of rubber. Once this has worn away, the interior will be exposed, leading to either a flat or a foam leak, respectively.

Furthermore, the rubber used to create solid aerial work platform tires contains special severe-duty compound. These compounds augment the aerial work platform tire's ability to withstand friction and wear. Likewise, solid aerial work platform tires often have thicker treads that help to extend service life. Ultimately, solid aerial work platform tires may end up having wear lives two or three times greater than foam-filled tires.

[3] Serviceability

Certain types of solid aerial work platform tires have yet another crucial benefit when compared to foam-filled aerial work platform tires: the ability to be quickly repaired while keeping the tires on the machine. Certain types of traumatic damage can lead to larger chunks of rubber breaking off of a tire known as chunking. Such damage can be catastrophic for foam-filled aerial work platform tires, often necessitating that the tire be replaced entirely.

Serviceable solid aerial work platform tires, by contrast, can be repaired by trained personnel. Such individuals can replace missing or damaged sections of rubber. Not only does this extend the tire's service life, but it ensures that anyone working on the aerial platform remains as safe as possible.

[4] HUGE Cost Savings!

Solid aerial lift platform tires are damage resistant, have increased wear life, and are serviceable. This all DIRECTLY relates to HUGE cost savings for your company. Moreover, you're saving tons of time by not fixing and replacing damaged foam filled or pneumatic aerial lift platform tires all the time. This keeps you machine on the job working as hard as you do!

Contact Us!

For more information about equipping your aerial work platform with premium solid segmented tires, contact industry pros at Evolution Wheel.