Kinder Australia has added another vital piece of the puzzle to its innovative product range with the K-OTR Sidewall Protector.
Well-known as a specialist in conveyor belt solutions, the company has branched out to provide the K-OTR (off the road) Sidewall Protector for tyres in abrasive environments like mines or quarries.
Kinder took lessons from around the world’s extractive industry to learn more about sidewall protection devices and used this to develop the best design with the best materials available.
Kinder Australia business development manager Sean Kinder said only the best would suit the company’s tough applications in mining and quarrying
“The K-OTR Sidewall Protector is made from polyurethane, using a specially engineered formula which has been used reliably and widely in the quarrying industry for lining applications,” he told Quarry.
“It’s been proven to survive in very abrasive environments, with high-impact abrasion and wear qualities. Given that it’s had such success in the bulk-handling and quarrying industry, we selected it as a good material for our sidewall protector.
“The material can also change shape under heavy loads and return to its original shape once the load is removed.”
The K-OTR Sidewall Protector is designed to take any abrasion that may be caused by jagged rocks or obstacles on a quarry site, sparing the significant cost and downtime associated with a punctured OTR tyre.
Kinder described the sidewall protector as being much like an insurance policy, or even a “safety boot”, for mobile quarrying equipment.
“It’s not quite like a liner you’d find in a crusher or a chute, for example, which last for a predictable amount of time and wear out over a linear period,” he said. “Tyres aren’t constantly and predictably being subjected to abrasion, but loader tyres especially tend to dig into stockpiles as they work, threatening to pierce the sidewall.
“It’s this kind of random abrasion that the K-OTR Sidewall Protector is designed to mitigate.”
Kinder Australia’s sidewall protector was designed to be installed easily and efficiently, especially when compared to replacing a whole OTR tyre. Available to fit over any brand of size of tyre, the K-OTR presents as a much more convenient solution compared to a punctured tyre.
Of course, as with most insurance policies, life can go on without them, but it’s all about judging your risk management, according to Kinder.
“If you have no protection and just bare tyres, of course that will be cheaper, but the downtime of a punctured tyre is well worth considering,” he said.
“As soon as there’s a puncture it’s going to deflate immediately. This will potentially strand your vehicle somewhere out on site, getting in the way of other vehicles and being difficult to return to the workshop.”
The installation process can be taught to any fitter on site, removing the need to outsource specialist contractors that would cost more time and money.
Kinder has spent eight years as a field applications specialist, with a considerable amount of experience working up close and personal with the K-OTR. He said this was yet another example of the company going one step further to better serve the Australian quarrying industry.
“This innovation is something that will set Kinder apart. To our knowledge there are no others on the market and it’s a solution I feel the quarry industry has been needing for a while,” he said. •
For more information about Kinder’s K-OTR Sidewall Protector and other products, visit kinder.com.au
This article also appears in the March edition of Quarry Magazine.