Rotating your OTR tyres can lower your costs significantly while reducing on-site risks. This is because regular tyre rotation can extend the lifespan of OTR and earthmover tyres by more than a quarter on some applications.
Why tyres need rotating
Every tyre wears differently in different spots, depending on where it is fitted. This is because the tyre is repeatedly being put under stress and scraped at the same points. These are the areas that will grow thinner and weaker faster. This can lead to punctures, wear and structural weakness in these areas, making the tyre become unusable relatively quickly.
Rotating the tyres around the vehicle by swapping them with other tyres changes the scrape areas and stress points. This spreads out the pressure on the tyre and reduces the wear rate in these critical areas.
Extend tyre lifespan by up to a quarter
sMany of the car lovers reading this will have heard of tyre rotation, which can increase the lifespan of all vehicle tyres. While regular tyre rotation is good across the board, it’s particularly important for OTR tyres. This is because tyre stresses are vastly higher, as well as more regularly focused on certain points, especially in some applications. Compare a car lifting, pushing, and moving in all directions to a forklift, where the stress is always in exactly the same place. This is why a good tyre rotation regimen can extend tyre life by more than 25% with some vehicles, according to Sentry Tires.
Tyre rotation guidelines – When and how.
With tyre rotation, regular systems are handy. You should rotate OTR vehicle tyres after one third of their expected life span has elapsed, and then again at two thirds.
How you should rotate your tyres, and what should be swapped with what, depends on the vehicle type, especially for specialist applications. However, there are standard rules:
- 4-wheel-drive vehicle tyres should be swapped to the exact opposite corner of the vehicle, so the front-right tyre becomes the back left, and so-on.
- For front-wheel-drive vehicles, move the front tyres straight backwards and swap the rear tyres to the diagonally opposite corners at the front.
- For rear-wheel-drive vehicles, move the back tyres straight forwards and swap the front tyres to the diagonally opposite corners at the back.
- swap in your spare tyre if it is of the same specification as the others.
- If in doubt, always ask your manufacturer or contact us for help.
Every tyre type and application is different, requiring different rotation regimes so you should contact us or the manufacturer for a specific answer.
With a good tyre rotation regime, you’ll not only save on your costs, but you’ll cut vehicle downtime, increase productivity and improve site safety.
Share this post
