Off-road equipment is getting bigger and heavier, sending tire engineers back to the proverbial drawing board.

There’s no denying that off-road equipment is getting bigger, and so are the tires these massive machines need in order to function in the extreme conditions they’re regularly exposed to.

“We’re seeing an increase in metric sizes, starting first in the OEM sector, which has now migrated to the aftermarket,” says John Hagg, VP, Sales and Operations at HTC/Double Coin.

Gregory Pickering, Segment Manager, Non DOT Products at Dynamic Tire agrees. “We’re seeing a shift towards larger sizes and applications. These machines are becoming bigger, they’re carrying more payload, and they need bigger tires. We’re also seeing a shift to larger tires in haulage applications. We’re talking open-pit mines, and even construction-type applications.”

Another interesting trend is solid OTR tires. “They’re more prominent in the market in certain applications,” Gregory says. “So when you look at scrap yards or recycling yards, it makes sense to use solid OTR tires in those conditions because the tires will never go flat.”

Pickering notes that even through solid OTR tires are more expensive, they’re well worth the money for companies that operate in conditions where a flat tire means a loss of productivity. “Ten years ago, solid OTR tires weren’t really available that much,” he adds. “Now, they’re everywhere.”

Solid tires are a logical replacement for foam-filled tires, Pickering argues. “If you cut the sidewall of a foam-filled tire, the foam will eventually leak out and the tire will be useless. They certainly last longer than a pneumatic tire, but a solid tire will work even if you drive a nail into it.”

Radial tires & retreading

While radial OTR tires aren’t new, the industry is certainly benefiting from the advantage they offer. “The majority of OTR tires sold in Canada are radials,” says Dan Parker, Mining Sales Manager, Canada Region for Maxam Tire North America. “Supply is very good and radials work far better due to the loads and speed in the industries they serve.”

John Hagg from HTC/Double Coin notes that, “Canada is one of the more advanced nations in the radialization of the OTR tire industry.” That said, he admits that, “there are applications where bias works well, including certain ag sectors, construction and port applications, and with some older equipment.”

In short, radial OTR tires are better in many ways. “They’re bigger, they can carry more load, and they dissipate heat so you can go faster,” say’s Dynamic Tire’s Gregory Pickering. “They also offer better traction, and a smoother ride, because they deflect a bit more.”

Pickering agrees that there are benefits to bias-ply tires, and that despite the benefits radial OTR tires offer, bias-ply is likely here to stay. “They’re especially popular in the mining industry and in some port applications,” he says. “They’re hauling heavy loads and they want a stiffer sidewall. They don’t want the tire to deflect.”

Retreading is another area of interest for the OTR tire market. “OTR retreading is becoming more popular, as most OTR tires are now built for retreading,” explains John Hagg from HTC/Double Coin. “There are multi-use casings that reduce waste and lessen the environmental impact, with fleet efficiencies, and reduced operating costs gained through using the casings more than once.”

Dan Parker, from Maxam Tire notes that whether or not a company decides to retread an OTR tire, can depend on the reasons they’re doing so, as well as how much they may be willing to invest in a set of new tires. “Retreading OTR tires [costs] about the same, or a little lower, as [a new tire would] cost from an overseas manufacturer,” he explains.

In other words, if someone is weighing the cost of a less expensive OTR with the cost of retreading, they may opt to buy the new tire. However, if they’re thinking about retreading for environmental reasons, Parker notes that they may choose to go with retreading. “Some mining companies are looking more at this option [from the point of view of their] green footprint,” he says.

Electrification of heavy equipment

When we talk about electric vehicles, we often think about cars, SUVs and pick-ups. However, off-road equipment is not immune to this trend, and a growing number of electrified off-road machines are coming onto the market, which in turn is creating challenges for the OTR tire market.

“With the electrification of mining equipment allowing haul trucks to run more hours and carrying more tonnage, this impacts the consumption of tires at a faster rate,” says Maxam Tire’s Dan Parker.

John Hagg from HTC/Double Coin agrees, adding, “As a manufacturer, we are monitoring higher load-carrying capacity requirements and their impact on tire performance due to the heavier EV equipment.”

Just as on-road EVs have sent tire engineers back to the proverbial drawing board, Dynamic Tire’s Gregory Pickering believes that OTR tire manufacturers are going to have to rethink the way they design their products too.

“Engineers are going to have to to come up with more durable compounds and stiffer bead bundles to handle the added stress and torque,” Pickering concludes. “We also think they’re going to transition to larger wheels. So you’re going to see 29 inches more than 25, and maybe you’ll see 33 inches more, and 49 inches more, just because these machines are going to be bigger and stronger.”

In The Spotlight

Double Coin REM-2S

Dynamo Xtreme Grip II

Maxam MS453 PRO