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?

Much of the U.S. interstate highway system was built in the 1950s and 1960s and designed to last for about 50 years—which means that a lot of our roads are due for repair or replacement. However, when compared to other first world countries, the U.S. has spent comparatively little of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on roads. In recent years, federal, state, and local governments have all cut their spending on infrastructure and now have to make up for lost ground. According to the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), an estimated $1.7 trillion will need to be spent to improve the country’s surface transportation.

The Alliance Tire Group (ATG) booth at the massive World of Concrete Show represents a solid lineup of tires purpose-built for the construction industry. ATG will be using its trade show display to highlight the wide range of tread designs and specs that provide equipment owners with the ideal tire for the challenging environment of paving, building and demolition.

Smell that asphalt? That’s the smell of money for many Galaxy customers. Better yet, there’s more to come—analysts are predicting that U.S. paving asphalt demand with increase annually by 3.1% between now and 2019 as governments scramble to maintain our aging road system. By 2019, that will amount to almost 18 million metric tons of asphalt per year, according to Freedonia Market Research.

Quentin Martin, owner of Martin’s Tire & Alignment in Narvon, PA, serves a 150-mile radius around his store and does a robust business in skid steer tires.  We asked him about his business and the latest trends in this product segment:

Q.  What types of skid steer tires are your customers primarily interested in?

“The demand that we see is pretty much in three tread designs:

-          More of a turf design for lawn and garden applications;

-          Your hard-surface design exemplified by the Galaxy Hulk.

-          And the standard skid steer, like the Galaxy Beefy Baby or Muddy Buddy.