Titan begins testing 63-inch OTR tyre

Quincy, Illinois -- Titan Tire Corp. began testing its first 63 inch off-the-road tyre on the company's newly constructed 24-foot bull wheel.

The tyre, built in February, is approximately 13.5 feet (4.1m) tall and weighs about 12,500 pounds (5700 kg). Titan's testing includes running the tyre on the bull wheel-loaded with up to 500,000 pounds (227 tonnes)-at a speed of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph).

The Quincy-based tyre maker said 10 days of testing is equivalent to a year of field use and will allow the company to know how the tyre will perform. Testing will confirm the casing of the tyre and its heat characteristics, according to Titan.

“There were many who doubted Titan's ability to produce and test this tyre,” said Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice Taylor Jr. “Never underestimate a small entrepreneurial company. This tyre has surpassed all of Titan's expectations.”

Mr. Taylor commended his team for keeping the project under the $8 million originally budgeted for it.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)

Press release from Titan