Hytex Airboss manufactures a segmented tyre system that reportedly reduces waste rubber and maintenance costs plus possesses the added bonus of a lower carbon footprint than regular tyres. Each tyre is comprised of individual rubber segments fitted around a metal rim, and the only parts that ever need replacing due to wear are the segments, eliminating the need to dispose of a whole tyre each time the tread wears.
The Airboss tyre system is also promoted as a solution to vehicle downtime due to punctures. Airboss tyre segments can be changed in minutes by machine operators, thus avoiding being put out of action for a long period of time while a tyre is replaced – a frequent occurrence for heavy equipment operators.
Furthermore, Hytex Airboss point out that a large proportion of the tyres scrapped each year come from heavy machinery and plant vehicles, and these tyres are often replaced before they are fully worn out because the frequency of punctures they experience reaches an unacceptable level. A user-friendly segmented tyre alleviates the pressure placed upon the nation’s scrap tyre stockpile, an important consideration following the U.K. implementation of the EU Landfill Directive in 1999.
Hytex Airboss CEO Don Gillanders is confident his company’s system provides a viable means by through which companies can tackle these increasingly important concerns. “Although initiatives such as cryogenic reprocessing have been developed, environmental issues remain an important factor to people that deal with tyres. Airboss have been keen to approach the issue head-on and our system provides a way for big manufacturers to do their bit.”
Early adopters of the Airboss ‘green tyre system’ included JCB, Caterpillar and Bobcat, and a further feather in the Airboss cap came during construction of the channel tunnel, when vehicles fitted with Airboss tyres were selected for use due to being deemed most suitable for the extremely hostile working environment encountered during construction work.
