GARNER, Iowa (Mar. 13, 2000)—Iowa Mold Tooling Co. Inc. has developed a new tire-service vehicle it said will handle giant off-the-road tires in ways no other equipment can.
The unit has a 160-inch boom capable of handling tires up to 14,000 pounds in weight, said Mark Zipse, IMT market and product manager.
IMT unveiled the new system at the Tire Association of North America´s Off-the-Road Conference, Feb. 17-19 in Tucson, Ariz.
The Commander IV can manipulate tires as large as 55/80R63—used on 360-ton mining haul trucks—while still on the rim. The unit can rotate the tire and move it as much as 7.5 feet in and out without changing the tire´s vertical orientation.
Mr. Zipse said he knows of no other system made by IMT or its competitors that is able to do this. "The amount of tire-handler articulation," he said, "is a big improvement over past products."
The boom also features a wireless remote control that has fully proportional control levers.
"He (the operator) can control the crane from remote locations, " Mr. Zipse said, "generally improving the visibility and really working from a safe distance."
Mr. Zipse said IMT is developing additional attachments to the machine that will hold heavy tire tools and parts, such as flange rings that weigh several hundred pounds. "There will be a device that can attach to the tire hand and put that hardware up close to the rim for installation," he said.
Other features include an 85 cfm screw compressor with dual half-inch air service hoses, curbside hose reels that feed the hoses to the street side of the truck, and drawers and compartments for tools.
IMT´s new unit will be mounted on a 60,000-pound gross vehicle weight tandem-axle truck. The bed is 20.5-feet in length and has a 12,000-pound capacity.
The Commander IV—including the chassis, compressor system, tire-handler and truck body—will be priced at about $170,000 and will be available in mid-March, Mr. Zipse said.
Purchasers of the unit also will receive a free one-year subscription to IMT´s ValuePlus Fleet Management Program, which includes: computer tracking of maintenance requirements for each vehicle in a fleet; a one-year supply of maintenance parts and a choice of TANA´s training videos or a complimentary enrollment in the International Tire and Rubber Association´s commercial tire service training program.
The equipment and materials in the Commander IV adhere to standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for quality and stability, Mr. Zipse said.