Mining – tire flatproofing saves money

July 1, 2011

With almost all tire prices continuing to increase, demand is simply not keeping up with supply as some large mining tires have already passed the $100,000 per piece on the spot market (see article here).    The solution?  Polyurethane Tire Fill will extend tire life,  increase productivity and reduce the cost of tire repair or replacement. See here for what mining equipment can be tire flatproofed:

Tire Fill Mining Equipment

Commonly referred to as foam fill, tire fill, and poly fill, Arnco's patented products

Armored vehicle – Bullet Proof & a Soft Ride!

June 27, 2011

It is not unusual for the state Military Police operating armored vehicles in the "flavelas" of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to encounter gunfire from drug traffickers as they patrol this hilly terrain. 

This time however, shots from an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle did not cause  flat tires and the Military Police were able to complete their mission without fear of abandoning their vehicle due to flat tires. Compared to solid rubber tires, the softer durometer foam fill used, SuperFlex,

SuperFlex replaces solid rubber tires and increases load capacity

June 9, 2011

At a transfer station for commercial garbage in Northern California,  solid rubber tires were transferring so much force back into the loader, that the frame actually cracked and the ladder to climb into the loader fell off and had to be welded back on.  Pneumatics were not an option as flat tires were costing over $150 per week. Superflex, a softer durometer tire flatproofing material was then tested on all four 26.5 - 25 tires with L-5 slicks put on the front for longer wear characteristics. 

From the archive, Front-end loader at recycling plant

May 25, 2011

At a big glass recycling plant in Portland, Oregon, Shift Foreman Don Gordon drives the front-end loader into a glittering green slope of broken bottles.   

"Without having my tires foam filled, my machine would probably be out of service at least once EACH hour" After about six months, the tires are also retreaded by Industrial Tire Service in Portland, "We can recap most of these 6 or 7

From the archives – Fork Truck – “A Flat Every 15 Minutes!”

April 29, 2011

According to Dave Snyder, shear foreman at a large scrapyard in Omaha, Nebraska- "If these tires weren't flatproofed, that fork truck would be down with a flat every 15 minutes". The yard draws scrap metal - 100,000 tons a year - from seven western states, compacting it and shipping it out again to steel plants within a 300-mile

Military Application – Tank Hauler

April 8, 2011

The M-1000 Heavy Duty Tank Hauler was losing an average of two tires daily due to extreme operating conditions.  After flatproofing these tires with RePneu,  it required over five months to experience the same two tire failures that were originally occurring each day!  Not only does foam filling increase productivity,  but significantly reduces costs as in just the first five months alone, this application realized an improvement of

TLC Challenge – Easier dismounting for 27.00 x 49′s

March 9, 2011

Upon a recent visit to a customer in the Midwest, I was approached by a energetic Tire Technician named Jake. It seems as though he remembered the challenge I gave him in March of 2010. You see, Jake, is the Technician responsible for changing large OTR tires in the field. I recall showing him a sample of TLC, (Tire Lube & Conditioner) and asking him to try the product and report back. He recently received a call to change out a couple of  2700 x 49's in which the product was installed. Jake said he was very impressed with the ease of the tire removal as well as the

Straddle Carrier

February 28, 2011

Tire Flatproofing can be used even if the tire does not receive punctures.  For safety reasons, sometimes the application requires tires that never lose air pressure. This Straddle Carrier was at a port in Sweden with 8 tires of size 18.00-33. The flatproofing volume of each tire was approximately 560kgs and required almost one hour to fill each tire with Arnco's RePneu and pressurized them to 10,0 bar (145 psi). Although tires had been pre-stretched thoroughly, the tire dealer had to return to add more poly fill as

What is Tire Flatproofing or Foam Fill?

February 27, 2011

If you have heard of Foam Fill or Poly Fill, Tire Flatproofing is the exact the same thing and can only be installed by an authorized tire dealer.  Whatever the product has been called during the past forty years, it is simply liquid polyurethane that is injected into the tire that then begins to solidify inside the tire until the polymer replaces all the air.  All suppliers offer different durometers of poly fill such as a soft, medium, and hard.  The vast majority of the market uses a medium hardness which usually equates to a 30 durometer. The result is a