Softening Solid Tires for Cooler and More Comfortable Ride
More and more operators are outfitting their equipment with solid tires as industries such as construction, recycling, and mining face increasingly tight margins. Solid tires help minimize downtime caused by flats, can last two to three times longer than a pneumatic tire, and have a reputation for delivering a low total cost of ownership. Also becoming more commonplace is the appearance of small openings, or apertures, on solid tires. But what is an aperture and how does it work?
Why Use Apertures
Solid tires are made entirely of rubber—with no pneumatic space—to eliminate the risk of punctures and increase service life. Because of this, solid tires are inflexible and stiff when compared to properly inflated pneumatic tires, which rely on air to support the weight of the machine and have flexible sidewalls to reduce shocks and jolts. The purpose of apertures on solid tires is to provide some "give" within the otherwise solid mass of the tire, softening the ride of the machine, reducing wear on equipment, and increasing operator comfort.
Benefits of Aperture
Apertures are a series of openings engineered into the design of a solid tire that allow it to flex when the tire hits a solid object (like a curb) and reduce vibration when operating on rough surfaces. In other words, workers operating machinery equipped with solid tires featuring apertures will find that they are getting a higher-quality ride—closer to that offered by pneumatic tires—with the durability and longevity delivered by solids. The end result? Less wear and tear on both machines and operators.
Another Cool Feature
The use of apertures in solid tires not only provides a smoother, more comfortable ride, it also enables the tires to run cooler than a fully solid tire. Because apertures allow solid tires to dissipate heat more effectively, they’re the perfect choice for machines working on hot surfaces such as fresh pavement, or in non-stop operations like busy warehouses or recycling centers.
A Hole in Performance
Although solid tires with apertures offer many benefits, there are some trade-offs. Most notably, solid tires with apertures have a lower load capacity than a fully solid tire. For example, our Galaxy Beefy Baby tires without apertures can carry 15% more load than the same sized Beefy Babies with apertures.
If you’re curious whether your operation could benefit from the use of solid tires, or if solid tires with apertures are a smart choice for your equipment, consult your local dealer or regional representative. We make application-specific tires to meet the needs of real-world users, and our ever-expanding line of Galaxy solid tires continues to offer new solutions to the issues facing our customers.
