Super Singles and Heavy Haul

Check out this thread. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/heavy-haul-trucking-forum/233046-tires.html

 

You asked about SS tires in our applications. We answered.
Either deal with the EXPERIENCED answers, or move on over to the "other" sections of this fine website.
I have a feeling already, and doubt I am the only one, that you are not destined for success in this part of the industry. You HAVE to be prepared to hear what you dont want to, and learn from it, while saying "thank you" to the guy that just saved you a few thousand dollars.
Now what was that about the old North West Regional Swift "heavy haul" trucks I heard about? They are 4 axle after all.....

Martin

 

Thanks Oscar...Zero he beat me to it. It's easier to tell you what I run now than to go through the list of about a dozen predecessors, some of which are no longer available.

This is one of my biggest fears with this whole "green movement" is that most, if not all tires will be designed for "efficiency" as opposed to real world conditions...HH is after all such a small percentage segment of the industry that we are too easily disregarded.

U-Z there are clearly concepts that you need to comprehend before you begin parroting phrases you've heard. Surface area does not solely dictate traction. Traction is based on surface area in relation to distribution and coefficient of resistance in relation to drag. To simplify this means you have to break the surface tension of the non traction material (mud, snow, gravel, etc.) to get to a solid or sticky enough surface for the drive tires to push against. With too large of a surface area you will "float" on the junk above the solid media because the tire cannot squish enough material away to allow enough traction media/tire contact. Basically: SS tires will hydroplane on the mud, snow, gravel, etc.

Understand this; there is no tone in typed conversation, so let me state clearly...I am not insulting you with the first sentence in the above paragraph. I'm trying to help you, and I'm backing up my opinions and statements with explanations of the reasons for them to show the logic from which they come. I freely admit that I don't know everything, but if you read my posts it's fairly obvious my knowledge is above average. Not all of my knowledge/experience comes from trucking, so my perspective is quite different.

 

I run 22.5's simply because my previous trucks had 22.5's and I owned thousands of dollars in tire chains for them, so why go buy all new tire chains. Wide base steering tires are only avail in 22's.
24's have a 600lb per tire higher rating, however most states cap you at 20k or 22,500 lbs per axle (40-45k per tandem, and 60,000 on tri's) therfore not allowing you to take full capability of the extra 600/tire anyway. Think 1/2" chain rated at 11,300 WLL hooked to a 6600lb anchor point...you have to use the lowest rating so that 1/2" chain is now only good for 6600...
I run the Bridge's because the aggressive tread pattern provides stable reliable steering traction.
The Mich XDN2's factory siping along with a directional tread pattern provide the best "digging" traction I've ever found, simply put, I've been stockpiling them due to a rumor of their discontinue. I currently have several sets in my stock, if that gives you any idea of my opinion of them.

I'm Canadian and do a fair amount of mine work, probably more so than a typical US HH carrier. I've made mud noodles with the rims many times...yeah mud and crap deep enough to squish out the holes in the rims into mud noodles! There is by little difference in ground clearance between 22's & 24's with the same spec setup. I own a 9 axle lowboy, so I have very little ground clearance unless I hydraulic the neck up when required.
Stuck is stuck, so chain up first. We also can run in worse conditions up here than we can down there, so any traction advantages are priceless.
Most of the mines I'm lucky enought to go to have ridiculously steep roads, so I frequently get to drop my jeep and fully chain up, sometimes 2 sets per wheel, and dump upwards of 90,000lbs on my drives to chew and claw my way into...it's sooo much fun!
Your 4 wheelin analogy is absolutely correct.

 

Tight turns on stone(gravel) will eat your tires alive.... pavement not so bad they tend to slide more.

 

The cap of 40 or 45k state depending is the limits set...generally that is getting to the upper limit of the brakes, hubs, bearings, axles, suspensions, and tires...it is also getting near the maximum weight per square inch capabilities of the infrastructure, including bridges. When your that heavy and it's really hot/sunny out, you actually start to get too heavy for the asphalt and it starts flexing under the load. And yes you're getting to the limits of the bridges and other structures as well.
It's just been a natural progression towards HH for me. I started pulling decks a long time ago, then I bought a step and started doing more and more O/S all the time.
Then I bought a tri-axle hydraulic RGN, then I added a single axle jeep to make it a 7axle.
After a few years I was bored again and needed more of challenge so I sold off the 7 and bought this Cali 9 axle with both Rail & Deck plus a bunch of sections.
I'm bored again...so I'm currently designing my next trailer...with way too many wheels & a whole new set of challenges...natural progression, and a banker who keeps believing in me and hasn't learned to say "No" yet...


Oh yeah, an at this level...there is no such thing as tight turns...thing have a tendency to fall down go boom when you turn too tight...

This is the single biggest bestest piece of advise every newbie needs:

The bigger you get, the slower, easier, and more gentle you have to be!

The bigger and heavier things get, the easier they bend, break, & snap and the more expensive those breaks get to be. You just might even make the 5 o'clock news! If you've had a special kinda $h1tty day, you could make CNN! Trust me, you NEVER wanna make CNN!

 

Tires; Hmmmm, I prefer the black round ones with air in them!

Sorry couldn't resist! But anyway I run 24.5 some guys run 22.5 I feel its a personal preference. I run 315's on the steers and up to just recently I was running them on my lift axle, switched back to dauls ran into a weight issue having the singles verses the dauls.
As far as SS wouldn't put them on the truck! Blow a tire your screwed, get off road your screwed! Not to mention weight issues and heat issues.

 

Thankfully, my deep mud experience is not as deep as this...



No matte the clearance, there can always be clearance issues...