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Importance of wearing the right snow shoes

Snow clearing operators such as Stadelmann Enterprises know the importance of the right tread for the conditions

 

The importance of good winter tyres certainly isn’t lost on companies such as Stadelmann Enterprises.

Trucks, like cars and four-wheel-drives, need the right winter tyres for safe driving in low ambient temperatures on the snow and ice risk sections of Australia’s alpine roads.

‘It is the tyres that make a vehicle grip the road in these snow and icy conditions, not the vehicle drive system,’ says Richard Townley of Snow Drive Solutions.

Accordingly, Richard says the tread compounds of Nokian winter tyres used by both the Stadelmann and Transport for NSW snow clearing operations are designed to remain flexible in extremely cold temperatures so the tyre tread ‘keys’ into the road surface.

Normal drive and steer tyres are less effective when temperatures drop below 7 degrees C as the tread compound becomes harder, offering less grip.

Consequently, he says it’s essential for log trucks, snow clearing trucks and passenger buses operating in low temperature conditions on snow, icy and slush covered roads to fit the right tyres for the conditions.

Made in Finland where snow and ice are an everyday part of life, the Nokian Hakka Truck E2 traction winter drive tyre, Nokian Noktop E2 drive retreads and Nokian F2 winter steer tyres are designed for the most extreme demands and to minimise the need for snow chains on alpine roads.

‘The increased traction is provided by the tread compound, the deep open tread, extensive tread siping and the connected-block tread design to give the maximum level of snow and ice grip that lasts the entire service life of the tyre,’ Richard Townley states, adding that the truck tyres are also available with studs to further improve grip and safety on icy road conditions.


RELATED ARTICLE: MAN Trucks clear the driven snow


Nokian lays claim to making the world’s first winter tyre for trucks back in 1934 and since 2004, its winter tyres have been available in Australia from the snowtyres.com.au division of Roof Carrier Systems Pty Ltd.

Snow Chains

As a specialist supplier of snow chains as well as winter tyres, Richard Townley also offers worthwhile advice on the use of snow chains, explaining that for chains to work effectively, they must penetrate into a compacted surface.

Snow chains, he says, will grip to the snow and ice but will wear very quickly when they are driven on a bare road, with the wear problem compounded by the camber of the road, the weight and torque of the vehicle.

Consequently, snow chains need to have firm, compacted snow or ice to penetrate to provide the maximum amount of traction.

Traction is often lost, and wheel slip and spinning are experienced when the snow or ice begins to break up and melt.

In certain situations, the vehicle can slide on the wheel chains especially under braking when driving downhill.

The overall message is that while there’s certainly a place for snow chains in winter conditions, their use needs to be carefully considered. 

 

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