Continental has launched three new radial tyres for port applications – the ContiRT20 Radial, ContainerMaster Radial and StraddleMaster Radial – for vehicles utilised in load & carry applications, such as heavy forklift trucks, empty container handlers, reach stackers, straddle carriers and terminal tractors. The tyres were launched in Europe recently and will be available in the Middle East in 2020.
With this newly expanded port tyre portfolio specifically designed for load & carry applications, Continental has become a full solutions provider for port operations, offering a product range that includes V.ply tyres, radial tyres and digital solutions.
ContiRT20 Radial.
ContainerMaster Radial
StraddleMaster Radial
Hamzeh Afaneh, head of sales – BU CST Middle East, commercial specialty tyres, Continental Middle East, says: “Continental OTR V.ply tyres are popular among customers in available for port applications in the Middle East region. We are now introducing a new generation of OTR radial tyres in response to customer requirements for larger and more heat-resistant tyres for carry & load applications.”
Hamzeh Afaneh, head of sales – BU CST Middle East.
Radial and V.ply tyres are designed for specific applications and cannot replace each other. Radial tyres are suitable for vehicles travelling long distances, typically in load & carry applications such as transporting containers many kilometres from one location to another on a large port. Continental’s radial tyres feature a single steel body construction: the sidewall and tread work independently of each other, which makes the contact patch stiffer and wider with a more even distribution on the ground surface. This ensures an improved traction and braking behaviour as well as a more even tread wear when transporting containers over longer distances from one location to another. Furthermore, radial tyres minimise heat generation, and a flat tread contour ensures a high level of endurance and mileage over longer distances.
V.ply tyres offer better performance in pick & stack applications with limited distances. When loading and unloading containers around the container stack, mobile crane type vehicles such as reach stackers, empty container handlers and rubber tired gantry cranes (RTG), need to drive short distances at low speed. However, they have a high load requirement and a high degree of turning on the spot. Continental’s V.ply tyres offer a high degree of stability and turning on the spot conditions, strong sidewalls and new abrasive and crack resistant compound.
With the expansion of our port tyre portfolio, Continental is able to offer the most suitable tyres for different vehicle/application combinations, such as pick & stack or load & carry applications, or both tasks,” says Afaneh.
The ContiRT20 Radial has been developed for the requirements of empty container handlers and heavy fork lift trucks used in port and industrial applications. When loading and unloading containers, traction on all kinds of surfaces is important. The tyre design therefore features a high number of multiple tread edges offering a good grip and high mileage performance. The large robust tread blocks are linked with tie bars to provide tread stability with less vibration and a stable delivery of tractive forces. Tyre life is maximized due to the tread compound with a high resistance to abrasive wear. The tyres are available in 24” sizes: 12.00 R 24 and 14.00 R 24.
The ContainerMaster Radial tyre is an all-round tyre that can be used in both pick & stack and load & carry applications. With its open shoulder design and deep tread depth, the tyre performs best on heavy forklifts, reach stackers and loaded container handler/top Loaders, where a high tyre mileage and lifetime is important. With its multiple steel belt construction and deep u-shaped tread grooves, the tyre ejects stones and foreign objects from port surfaces increasing resistance to damage that can cause punctures. This effect is enhanced with the innovative tread compound with a high resistance to tread cracking leading to increased durability.
The StraddleMaster Radial tyres have been developed for the requirements of straddle and shuttle carriers operating in load & carry applications. The central tyre rib and the closed shoulder ensure longitudinal driving and cornering stability resulting in a high driver comfort and steering precision which is needed when transporting containers over longer distances in ports. The tyre is ideally suited even in wet conditions: Due to the deep wide longitudinal tread grooves, water is dissipated quickly to ensure that traction is maintained. The tread compound ensures a low heat build-up and reduced wear in higher speed and longer distance applications. This leads to an increased lifetime and endurance of the tyre.
All the three models will come with factory-installed tyre sensors that measure inflation pressure and tyre temperature, simplifying pressure maintenance to increase the overall lifetime of the tyre and allowing customers to avoid tyre-related downtimes.
“All our new radial tyres will be supplied from the factory equipped with sensors by the end of this year. Following extensive customer trials, we plan to launch these new models through our Middle East dealer network in 2020,” says Afaneh.
