More power to wheeled excavators with Michelin’s new Power Digger tyre

Michelin has launched an innovative new cross ply tyre for wheeled excavators that improves productivity, damage resistance and site safety, and helps reduce costs.

The Michelin Power Digger tyre joins Michelin’s Compact Line range and has been designed to address the main issues operators of wheeled excavators face when using conventional tyres – significant risk of tyre damage, high wear rates and issues with stability when working at 360-degrees.

Cuts can be a huge problem on excavator tyres due to the type of work they are required to do. The Power Digger combats this by reducing the surface area of the groove in the centre of the tread – where the rubber is stretched and so most susceptible to cuts and splitting – from an average 15mm on competitor tyres, to 5mm for the Power Digger. An increased number of plies within the sidewall also reduces the strain on each ply, making the tyre more resistant to cuts.

With a sidewall that is 57 per cent thicker than the current market leader, the chances of getting a puncture on a Michelin Power Digger tyre are greatly reduced. The added resistance also stems the general wear normally seen on an excavator tyre.

Safety is also maximised by providing the best possible stability for 360-degree work, thanks to Michelin’s patented diamond-shaped tread pattern, as pioneered in the Michelin BibLoad Hard Surface tyre. These multi-directional tread blocks work from six different angles and feature 12 ridges per block, providing much greater traction for wheeled excavators. When the wheeled excavator’s stabilisers are not in use, the Power Digger’s shoulder lugs also expand to ensure stability.

Wear and tear is addressed with two additional lugs to bring the total to 24 per tyre, creating a greater contact patch with the ground. The distribution of the rubber in the centre of the tread is spread evenly, as this is where the wear is generally most concentrated in cross ply tyres. The Power Digger has a Load Index of 147 compared with the standard 146 in equivalent competitor tyres.

Martyn Pointer, Commercial Director for Michelin’s agricultural division in the UK, Ireland and Nordic markets, comments: “Innovation is what Michelin does. We identify areas where heavy machinery operators are facing issues, and then solve those problems. The Power Digger tyre is the latest example of this, and testament to the more than €700m we invest in research and development every year.

“From the outset our team focused on the four key areas our customers in this sector care most about – safety, cost, damage resistance and lifespan. The net result is the most robust dual-fitment excavator tyre we’ve ever manufactured.”

The Michelin Power Digger tyre is available as both original equipment and on the replacement market.

For more information about the range of Michelin agricultural and Compact Line tyres available visit http://agricultural.michelin.co.uk or tweet @MichelinAgriUK.

Ends

Michelin, the leading tyre company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tyres, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 111,700 employees and operates 68 production facilities in 17 countries which together produced 187 million tyres in 2016. (www.michelin.com)

For further press information please contact:
David Johnson, Michelin Press Office
Tel: + 44 (0) 1782 402341      Email:
d.johnson@michelin.com

Beth Laws or James Keeler, Garnett Keeler PR, Inver House, 37-39 Pound Street,
Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3PG
Tel: +44 (0)20 8647 4467   E-mail: beth.laws@garnettkeeler.com or james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com

 

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About Michelin

Michelin’s ambition is to sustainably improve its customers’ mobility. The leader in the mobility sector, Michelin designs, manufactures, and distributes the tyres best suited to their requirements and uses as well as services and solutions to improve transport efficacy. With its offers Michelin allows its customers to enjoy unique moments when traveling.
Michelin also develops high-technology equipment intended for multiple fields. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin is present in 175 countries, employs 132,200 people and operates 67 tyre factories that, together, produced approximately 200 million tyres in 2022. (www.michelin.com)


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