Titan International, which produces Goodyear Farm Tires and Titan Tires, has introduced 30-ply and 32-ply tires in the Goodyear Logger Lug line, now the highest ply ratings in the forestry industry.
The new higher-ply tires were developed to help address the higher torque and load capacity requirements on today’s heavier machines.
“Forestry equipment is 25 -30% larger than a decade ago, and attachments are getting bigger, too,” says Johni Francis, global OTR product manager for Titan. “The problem is that the tires are expected to carry the weight of the bigger machine but end up enduring greater punishment. Fitting machines with standard lower-ply tires runs the risk of sidewall separation, cracking and increased wear – costing loggers the productivity that’s crucial to their success.”
Titan partnered with Alexandria, Louisiana, tire dealer Despino Tire and their forestry customers to test the higher-ply tires on their forestry equipment. The new 30-ply and 32-ply Goodyear Logger Lugs quickly proved themselves in the field and made a huge difference for the loggers.
“Prior to making the switch, many of my customers were running 26-ply tires and having problems with sidewall separation and cracking. They were getting about 500 hours out of them and replacing the tires about every 10 weeks,” says Randy Despino, owner of Despino Tire. “We started out testing the new higher-ply Logger Lugs with six customers, and all six have been running them for nearly a year and well over 2,400 hours without a single problem. These tires are truly the best option on the market and are saving my customers money and reducing their downtime.”
The new higher ply ratings are available in the Goodyear Logger Lug 30.5L-32 and 35.5L-32 sizes. For more information, visit titan-intl.com/forestry.
