Cooper Tire & Rubber Company announced that it is adding to its Roadmaster line of commercial tires with a new entry designed specifically to withstand the demands of sanitation trucks. The new RM230 WH is an all-position waste-haul tire available in size 315/80R22.5 with load range L. “We designed this tire specifically with the steer position in mind, since the life expectancy for many steer tires on sanitation trucks is often gauged in months, not miles,” said Gary Schroeder, director of commercial vehicle and OEM sales. “For sanitation operators, tires are often the biggest expense, surpassing even fuel in some severe applications. We are confident that customers will see the RM230 WH as an industry leader for this application when the big picture of life expectancy, affordable price and retreadability is considered.”The Roadmaster RM230 WH is an inch wider than its predecessor, with a 20% larger footprint than any previous Roadmaster waste-haul tire.“The wider footprint helps evenly distribute the weight on this tire to enhance tread life,” Schroeder said. “When you have up to 10,000 pounds per tire riding on that footprint, and constant scrubbing and curbing, bigger is better. Years of development went into this tire, and we anticipate that it will serve our customers’ needs extremely well moving forward.”The RM230 WH also features a stone protector ledge in the center groove of the tire to help guard against stone penetration, preserving casing retreadability, the company said. The tire’s four-rib design gives it excellent traction, and the RM230 WH is made of a new wear-resistant tread compound designed especially for waste hauling fleets. The new tire also has a 24/32nds of tread depth to provide more miles—and months—on the job. Cooper provides a warranty on the RM230 WH that offers two retreads within six years, and the tire features a high-tensile strength four-belt package to aid in retreadability. “For waste fleets, steer tire casings provide the life for the drive tires, and trailer tires too if the fleet also runs transfer dump operations,” Schroeder said. “The casing we’ve developed for this tire, along with the warranty, provide life and cost efficiency beyond the original tread.”
