Tire damage kills telehandler productivity on the job site. How do foam-filled telehandlers tires stack up vs solid telehandler tires? In this video, we'll cover what you need to know when evaluating your next set of telehandler tires.

The Benefits of Solid Telehandler Tires

The type of telehandler tires you put on your machine are not only necessary to use the equipment, but they’ll also have bearing on how much money you spend on repairs, replacements, and ultimately the telehandler itself. The type of telehandler tires you use make a big difference on the life expectancy and overall performance of your machine.

Solid telehandler tires or pneumatic telehandler tires?

Pneumatic tires are filled with air; they’re your basic tire. These tires are great for your pickup truck, but when it comes to putting in serious work and lifting heavy loads these tires are not as reliable as some may think. Pneumatic telehandler tires go flat very quickly in construction applications when working in abrasive and puncture prone conditions. Why do flat tires matter on your telehandler?

Cost

First, flat tires cost money. Every time you replace flat pneumatic telehandler tires, you’re essentially throwing your money away compared to solid telehandler tires because of repairs, replacements and downtime costs. Why? Because solid telehandler tires don’t go flat so don’t come with these added expenses. They’re made of solid rubber through and through. Yes, they cost more upfront, but they last up to three times longer than pneumatic telehandler tires or foam filled telehandler tires. Another benefit of solid telehandler tires is that they don’t come with expensive service calls for flat repairs. Despite higher upfront costs, in the long run, you’ll save more money with solid telehandler tires. This is because of the fact that you eliminated tire replacement costs from flat damage, but more importantly you’re saving on costly downtime of your telehandler while you’re repairing or replacing pneumatic telehandler tires. On a construction site you can't afford to be wasting money due to downtime or unsalvageable damaged tires.

Time

Speaking of waste, you also can't afford to be wasting time. Construction jobs have deadlines and these target dates are carefully calculated. This means that delays due to flat tires can cost a company a lot of money in the construction business. They can seriously hurt a job or a business. Pneumatic telehandler tires frequently go flat when working in abrasive and strenuous applications. Putting tires like that on your telehandler is asking for trouble. When employees are fixing flat tires, they’re not working on the task at hand which means they’re taking longer to complete their work. This all adds up to what we like to call downtime. Ultimately, it will take you longer to complete a job which could cause you to go over budget or risk not completing the job on time or not at all. Solid telehandler tires never go flat which means you’ll never waste one second changing a flat tire again. 

Safety

The only thing more important than time and money is the health and well-being of your construction crew. Flat tires pose a serious risk if they occur at the wrong time. Imagine popping a tire on your telehandler when it’s carrying a large load at an extended reach. This not only risks damaging work you’ve already completed or damaging the load you’re carrying if it shifts and falls, but more importantly it could seriously injure an employee. Safety is top priority on any construction site. Pneumatic telehandler tires that are operating with heavy loads are very dangerous. This is why solid telehandler tires are the superior choice. They’re specifically designed for abrasive construction applications as they don't go flat. Solid telehandler tires are not an accident waiting to happen. Solid telehandler tires are the proper, safe, and superior part to be used on telehandlers.

Performance

Solid telehandler tires offer superior performance in construction applications. Their large and wide lug design gives them ultimate traction and machine handling in construction zones and abrasive terrains. Solid telehandler tires are designed for this type of job and are the perfect fit for telehandlers. A pneumatic telehandler tire is just not the proper performance part for these applications as they’re more prone to unexpected bouncing. If you want to get the best performance out of your telehandler you need to put the highest performing parts on it and the solid telehandler tire is the way to go!

There's a time and a place for pneumatic tires, but in telehandler applications, they're by far not the best choice. A pneumatic telehandler tire will cost you more in the end, increase your risk of accident or site damage, decrease your level of performance, and slow you down with tire repair and replacement work. Solid telehandler tires do cost more upfront, but they offer you long term cost savings, decreased downtime, increased safety, and superior performance in terms of tractions and handling. For these reasons, solid telehandler tires are the superior choice for any telehandler application.