OTR Wheel Engineering and all of its associated divisions are recognized as being the largest supplier of foam filled tire/wheel assemblies in United States by volume of foam pumped annually. A big part of OTR Wheel Engineering’s business is being a major supplier of mounted tire/wheel assemblies to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) that manufacture rubber tired equipment. Many of the OEM’s that we service either build equipment or have customers that demand foam filled tires.
2. OTR is a diversified integrator,
engineering firm, manufacturer
and distributor with a Global
footprint for specialized Tires,
Wheels, Steel Castings, Rubber
Tracks, and other fabricated
goods.
4. Benefits of Partnering with OTR
Major supplier to OEM’s of mounted tire/wheel
assemblies.
Largest provider of foam filled assemblies in the
United States by volume of foam pumped.
Your experts in polyurethane foam fills.
Competitive total package pricing.
One source for tires, wheels, foam fill, and assembly
providing Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery and problem
resolution.
Local/worldwide representation.
Proven design capabilities to meet performance
requirements through extensive product innovations.
6. What is polyurethane foam fill?
Polyurethane foam fills in
tires has been around
since 1970.
Fill for tires is composed
of a two part liquid
polymer (Part A and Part
B formulas).
Pumped into the tires
through a specialized
pump.
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7. How does it work?
Mount a tire on a wheel.
Inflate to recommended
pressure to stretch tire
carcass for 24 hours.
Deflate the mounted tire.
Drill a hole in tire to allow
air in cavity to escape when
foam is pumped in.
In specialized foam fill
pump, part A and B
compounds are mixed and a
chemical reaction begins to
take place.
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8. How does it work?
Liquid foam fill is pumped into
mounted tire/wheel assembly
through the valve stem.
Air is displaced with foam fill.
When foam begins to come out of
hole in tire, hole is plugged.
Foam is continued to be pump in
to a specified pressure.
Foam fill mixture then cures for
24 to 48 hours into a synthetic
rubber-like core.
Tire is now flat proofed!
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9. Polyurethane Foam Fill Options
Soft Medium Medium Hard Hard
More air like ride 20 to 28 durometer 30 to 35 Durometer 45 Durometer and
8 to 12 durometer greater
Fills come in different hardness ratings (durometer scale) for
different applications.
There is a large variety of applications suitable for foam fills.
Large variety of equipment types
End user site specific conditions
Unique requirements for operational consideration
Choosing the right durometer of foam fill is essential.
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10. The benefits of using foam fills in tires are many
Features and benefits of a Flat Proofed Tire
Tires can be punctured, cut and chipped and
the tire will not go flat and the equipment will
continue to roll and do its work.
Works in any tubeless or tube type tire with a
sound casing.
Will work in extremely adverse weather
conditions even down to 70 degrees below
zero Fahrenheit.
Excellent heat dissipation qualities to reduce
heat buildup.
Choosing the right durometer of foam fill is
essential.
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11. The benefits of using foam fills in tires are many
Safety
No chance of a tire blow out causing
instantaneous flats.
Protects your operators, other workers or
pedestrians in the work area from the
explosive force of a blown out tire.
Limited chance of equipment tip-overs due to
operators losing control of equipment to due
to instantaneous tire failure.
Increased weight and tire ballast in overload
or applications were ballast is required or
beneficial.
Limp-in capability. Severe tire damage won’t
stop the equipment from moving to a safe
stop location out of the work area.
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12. The benefits of using foam fills in tires are many
Cost Savings
Greater productivity due to elimination of
equipment down time due flat or leaking tires.
Eliminate or greatly lower your tire repair
costs. Flats and down time are expensive.
Retreading is possible to extend the service
life of the foam filled mounted tire/wheel.
Improved tire life due to tires maintaining
proper inflation and deflection on the work
surface.
Reduction in lost wages and income due to
equipment down time.
Typically the cost of the foam fill will pay for
itself the first time you need it.
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13. The benefits of using foam fills in tires are many
Flexibility
Multiple ranges of foam fill hardness can be
pumped.
There is nearly limitless variety of tires it can
be used with.
There is a very broad range of equipment
applications it can be used with.
Remember no two applications are identical.
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14. The benefits of using foam fills in tires are many
Cons – There are a few cons.
Polyurethane foam components Part A and
Part B are composed of petroleum based
chemicals and are subject to the price
fluctuations of crude oil.
They add significant weight to the mounted
tire/wheel assembly.
A draw back if weight is an operational
consideration.
A benefit when increased ballast is desirable.
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15. OTR “Green” Polyurethane
Foam Fill Choices
Recently recognition of Green or environmentally
friendly initiatives.
Specialized equipment designed to reutilize
previously cured foam.
For many years, once the tire in a foam filled
assembly reached the end of its useful life, in many
cases the foam was disposed of as waste in a
landfill.
A better solution was arrived with the introduction of re-
grind equipment.
Re-grinding takes previously used foam fill chunks and
grinds the foam into small pieces.
The new foam fill equipment with re-grind pumps blends
the small pieces of re-grind foam back in again with
virgin liquid foam fill and is pumped back into the new
tire/wheel assembly.
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16. OTR “Green” Polyurethane
Foam Fill Choices
The Pros for using regrind are many:
1. The process is eco-friendly.
2. Most or all of the cured foam is reutilized saving disposal cost and landfill
space.
3. Up to 50% less virgin foam fill is required saving the customer money.
4. The cure time is the same as pumping virgin foam fill.
5. There are not voids that can form around chunked foam since there are no
chunks.
6. The reused material is very uniform in size and is evenly distributed with the
virgin foam pumped back in the tire.
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17. Evolution in Green foam fill solutions arrives…
Ecofil™
In 2009 Arnco introduced a new polyurethane
product called Ecofil™.
Ecofil is mostly composed of natural, earthly,
renewable resources
It utilizes 50% less petroleum based products
than traditional flat proofing tire fills.
Less oil means more savings and benefits to
both the environment and the consumer.
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18. Evolution in Green foam fill solutions arrives…
Ecofil™
Ecofil offers all the features and benefits of conventional foam
fills but also adds:
1.Made from mostly renewable resources
2. Reduces oil dependency
3. Performs better than granulated fills
4. Application specific formulas
5. Costs less than conventional foam fills
6. Ecofil pumps faster than conventional fills saving labor costs
7. Is odorless
8. Is not flammable which is very advantageous in certain
applications.
9. It can be disposed in a landfill because it is inert and it won’t
cause chemical leaching into the ground water.
Bottom line Ecofil is safer, cheaper and greener.
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19. Evolution in Green foam fill solutions arrives…
Ecofil™
Ecofil comes is three different formulations.
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20. Some notes about “Chunking” foam fill
Some foam fill servicing companies cut up
the previously used foam into smaller
chunks.
They put the chunks back inside of the
new tire being remounted on the wheel.
Then virgin fill is pumped into the tire with
the chunks dispersing throughout the
foam.
This process is known as “chunking”.
The pros for chunking is that you need
less virgin foam fill to refill the new tire
assembly.
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21. Some notes about “Chunking” foam fill
They can save the customer purchasing the new foam filled
assembly some money.
The cons for chunking are that the chunks are not consistent or
uniform in size.
They are not dispersed evenly throughout the new foam filled
assembly.
The chunks can lead to voids in the foam filled assembly.
Those voids can lead to flat spots forming in the tire.
And possible premature failure of the foam filled assembly due
to the chunks moving inside the foam fill leading it to fracture
and break down of the foam inside the tire.
OTR does NOT do any “chunking”!
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22. What kind of equipment and
applications are suitable of foam fill?
If you are an OEM or a company
with large fleets of equipment
Call OTR Wheel Engineering for a
consultation on how OTR can
help you with your foam filled tire
needs.
The range of equipment
applications is very long and we
are the company that can help
you meet foam filling needs.
Contact us today for a free
consultation.
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23. Applications for Foam Fill
Agricultural equipment and implements Recycling equipment
Backhoes Road building equipment
Construction equipment Sand and gravel equipment
Golf Course Maintenance Sewer working equipment
Irrigation equipment Skid Steer loaders
Junkyard equipment Sod farming equipment
Landfill equipment Sweepers
Loaders Tractors (Front and rear)
Lumber yard equipment Trash removal equipment
Material handling equipment Trenchers
Mobile cranes Utility Vehicles
Mowing Equipment Road Graders
Paving equipment Rough-Terrain Forklifts
Personnel Vehicles Tree service equipment
Railroad equipment
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24. Applications for Foam Fill
Ground Support equipment such as: Ramp maintenance equipment
Air stairs Refueling carts
Baggage carts
Scissor lifts
Belt loaders
Skid Steers
Boarding bridges
Boom lifts Tow bars
Cargo dollies Water carts
Catering trucks
Container handlers
Deicing trucks
Emergency equipment
Forklifts
Fuel trucks
Lavatory carts
Mobile cranes
Nitrogen carts
Oxygen carts
Personnel carriers
Push back tractors 24
26. ISO 9001:2008 Certification
• Registered with NSF-ISR Ann Arbor MI.
• Chambersburg PA. Facility ISO Certified –
February 2007
• Washington State Facilities (Moses
Lake/Redmond) ISO Certified July 2007
• Las Vegas NV Facility ISO Certified October 2007
• Global Wheel – South Africa ISO 9001-2000
• North Shore Canada ISO 9001-2000
• Rome & Gainesville, GA passed audit June 2009
• All locations ISO 9001:2008 Certified – June 2010
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