Case Study
Wheel manufacturer co-develops a new
solution for OEM telehandler application
The current offering of wheels has been designed to meet a broad range of offhighway equipment applications. On occasion OEM’s will demand unique solutions
to match specific, and often highly challenging, conditions. In such circumstances
the ability for the OEM, tire, and wheel manufacturers to work closely together can
provide greater value to the end user.
The benefits of this type of collaboration are clearly
demonstrated in a design project undertaken by GKN Wheels
in North America with JLG Industries. JLG was seeking a way to
differentiate their products. This resulted in the development of
a solution that provided enhanced telehandler stability, greater
tread life and lower operating costs. Rather than considering
a wheel and tire design in isolation, it was recognized that
the co-development of the products could maximize overall
performance and offer the best value.
GKN Wheels Armstrong was selected to design and develop the
new wheel due to their engineering expertise and in-house test
capabilities.
GKN worked in liaison with the engineers of Bridgestone
Americas’ Off Road Division to develop this wheel in parallel
with their new tire, the Firestone DuraForce MH.
Len Hensel, Technical Director at GKN Wheels, North America,
stated: “The project took into account JLG’s requirements, the
characteristics of a newly developed tire, and the operational
and service elements. From the outset, the approach focused
on a close working relationship between all three companies,
rather than each working in isolation. Instead of selecting
standard product as the basis for development, the solution
was engineered from a clean sheet of paper.
Historically, wheels for this type of application were a 24" or
25" diameter utilizing 9mm gauge steel. The unique GKN design
resulted in a new 28" diameter size to fit the tire geometry and
has a specific shape which enables the wheel to support the
loading and durability requirements of the machine, while using
a lighter 8mm gauge steel.
GKN Wheels worked with Bridgestone Americas for a JLG project.
Highlights
• Unique solution to a specific design challenge
• The wheel specification and development is an
integral part of the application design
• Collaborative working between OEM, wheel,
and tire manufacturers
• Improved tire serviceability, reduced servicing
costs = value to customer
• Optimized design led to reduced number of
parts = reduced inventory
• New design enabled OEM market differentiation
• Solution was engineered from a clean sheet of
paper, tested and delivered to the customer
Case Study
In addition the 28" rim shape offers improved tire serviceability
relative to the conventional wheels, despite the stiffer tire sidewall,
resulting in reduced servicing costs.
The wheel and tire combination provides superior customer value
from the enhanced tread wear characteristics that result in a projected
tire life that is up to three times more than the Firestone SGG. The
new designs have also allowed JLG to reduce from four tire options
down to two. This means fewer parts to stock and reduced inventorycarrying costs for JLG distribution.
The final wheel and tire created for JLG.
Testimonals
State of the art design tools are used to develop and test solutions.
Bridgestone Americas Off Road is extremely
proud to have collaborated with JLG and GKN
to bring one of the most exciting introductions
to Material Handlers in many years. We utilized
the collective strengths of all 3 organizations,
to deliver a superior product that dramatically
improves the total cost of ownership and
the overall stability of the machine. The new
DuraForce MH is being launched at the 2011
ConExpo in Las Vegas and we are certain that
Customers will truly appreciate the results and
savings!”
Michael Poirier – General Manager of Corporate
Accounts for Bridgestone America’s Off Road
Division (BAOR).
GKN Wheels is a world leader in the design, manufacture and supply of wheels for off-highway applications, including the agricultural, construction, industrial
and mining machinery industries. The company has five manufacturing locations, two major test centres and employs some 1,540 people. It has key
manufacturing bases in China, Denmark, Italy, the UK and the USA. It is part of the GKN Land Systems Division of GKN PLC.
GKN Land Systems is a global organization with over 5,000 employees worldwide and annual sales in excess of £600 million. It is one of four divisions within
GKN PLC, the others being Aerospace, Driveline and Sinter Metals. Together, these divisions employ some 36,000 people.
For further information please visit us at www.gknwheels.com or email us at marketing.wheels@gkn.com
September 2012