Michelin introduces new generation dump truck line

Surface mines, quarries and cement works, plus infrastructure projects such as motorway, railway and dam construction, all have something in common. These operations are increasing in number around the world and in call cases articulated dump trucks play an essential role in their success. These vehicles, which can carry payloads ranging from 20 to 50 tonnes, need to be extremely adaptable, versatile and able to carry materials over sometimes difficult terrain, regardless of weather conditions.

Now, both articulated and rigid-frame dump trucks can count on a new ally: the Michelin X-Super Terrain +, a tyre that integrates Michelin’s full range of technological solutions for operators working in quarries and on large-scale infrastructure projects. Michelin claims three significant gains across the board with the new X-Super Terrain +. The first of these is enhanced safety; the new Michelin tyre is said to deliver enhanced safety performance thanks to its reinforced sidewalls. Unlike the previous-generation tyre, the tire features a lateral scuff rib.

The next stated gain is improved profitability. Michelin says the X-Super Terrain + provides more profitability thanks to its improved resistance to cuts and scrapes and its more durable casing which, combined with a more resistant tread compound, increases the tyre’s longevity. The tread of the previous-generation tyre, which Michelin notes was seen as a benchmark, has been maintained in the new-generation X-Super Terrain +. Tyre pressure has been increased by 0.5 bar to limit the impact of abrasion. The new tyre also integrates C2 technology, which consists of a new-generation casing that reduces heat build-up on the shoulders when the tyre is in use, thereby increasing tyre life, thanks to the use of thicker, corrosion-resistant cables.

Finally, Michelin reports a gain through greater respect for the environment. The X-Super Terrain + was designed to optimise the amount of material needed in its manufacture, which takes place in ISO1400-certified plants whose environmental impact has been reduced by 16 per cent since 2005. Michelin adds that respecting the environment also meets extending tyre life, and therefore the tyre is designed to be fully and easily reparable and retreadable.

The X-Super Terrain + is currently available in the market’s most popular size, 29.5 R25, as a direct replacement for the Michelin  X-Super Terrain, and Michelin says its teams are already working to develop other tyre sizes.