Michelin Tweel

I picked up our set of Tweel's today for our Cat 262C2 Skid Steer.


We have had too many headaches with pneumatic tires due to punctures. Whether its a simple or large one, it happens too often. The turning point on this machine was when one of the workers stabbed the bale spears through the front two tires which still had over 75% tread.


We knew solid/solid flex type tires were not the answer either due to their rough ride and poor impact resistance. We have too many instances where they ram into a stub wall or curb.


I stumbled across the Tweel and thought it would maybe be the perfect fit. i had many doubts, but it seems to be proving me wrong.


I just got them on today so short of just playing with them I don't have much feedback. The one thing I really was curious on was their supposed resistance to "hopping/dancing" when turning with the skid steer. They really do eliminate this, all the way up from 0-12mph turning on a complete dime it didn't hop or skid nor did it do it on fast cornering either. The ride is interesting to describe. You can tell you are not riding on pnuematics as it is a slightly firmer ride, but nowhere near a solid tire ride. The large open spaced tread blocks may contribute to some of the ride qualities. The more you load the Tweel's up, the better they seem to ride though. So far traction seems excellent even on ice. Hopefully these do end up working out. They are a big upfront investement but are retreadable.


Heres a picture of ours followed by a video from Michelin.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKWlhTGO6M

 

Yes we have looked into foam filled. Again, the issues of a near solid tire come into play. Did you watch the video? I've never seen a foam filled tire come close to that kind of shock and load absorption.

You assume the "fancy" tires are expensive but do not know what they cost?

We foam filled a lot of tires when I did tires as well, not many went on skid steers for farm work as many hated them. We cannot run completely bald tires as we need the traction.

Ill agree foam is very heavy, the Tweel's are not light either at 220lbs each.

These are not the answer for every application, for ours they seem to fit the bill with the least amount of downsides.

 

I think you are confusing these with solid flex type tires.

I do not think you ever sold these tires as they just came out on limited release this fall.

Cleaning them out isnt needed as much like the solidflex tires as the fins prevent buildup.

$220 for a new foam filled ssl 12" tire? Or was that just the foam cost. Must have been a recap I am guessing? Sounds awfully cheap but then again if its been a few yeats since you worked there then it would make more sense since tires have climed exponentially the past few years.

 

Got in a set of Michelin's Bibsteel All Terrain's this week. Weren't ready to buy another set of Tweel's yet and wanted to see how these performed. Being steel belted radials they are more resistant to punctures to begin with. Most all other SSL tires are Bias ply. These were a little more than the Firestone Duraforce DT's but were half as much as the Tweels. We never got very good life out of the Firestones. Maybe 600hrs. The Michelins start with a little more tread and the Radial construction should help them run at least twice as long. With wheel loader tires I was always told 3-4 times the life with Radials over Bias and that was what the prices reflected as well. Tractor tires seem to wear at least two to three times as long in addition to other benefits.

If these last as long as I am hoping they should have decent tread for trade in time. These will be going on our 242B3 that runs in the barn, pushes up feed, scrapes manure, beds freestalls, jumps center alley curbs, moves bales, etc. I did disable the 2 speed on this machine however which should help some with the tire life. Our 242B3 for feeding will need tires next winter. By then we should know if we want another set of the Tweels or not I am thinking. Then we would just take the tires from the new machines and put them on the trade-in's and keep that rotation going. I do not know if we will want three sets of the Tweels though due to the fact we may trade down a size on the barn machine to a 226 which runs 10" tires and they do not make the Tweels in that size yet.

I also attached a picture of the Tweels after 150hrs worth of use. I made sure to not wash them in that amount of time. In the deep snow and mud they keep themselves cleaned out well and do not allow much buildup at all. I forgot to put a gauge to them when new, however Michelin claims 30/32" original tread depth. At this time they measure 29/32". If they continue this trend in theory we should easily see over 3,000hrs worth of life in the original tread. We typically run SSL tires down until the center is smooth. With the Tweels being flat across though it will allow slightly longer wear. I would not expect the retread material to last as long, however I do not know if Michelin will be supplied a pre-mold or custom mold tread or if they will be having people use an off the shelf retread material.

Michelin Bibsteel All Terrain 305/70R16.5




Tweels after 150hrs. Rear squats due to how heavy the 262C2 is in the rear with no attachment.