RSC Equipment Rental, Inc. has adopted solid tires nationwide on all new reach forklifts.

Solid rubber tires have a longer usable lifetime than either standard or foam-filled tires, lasting three to four times longer than their counterparts, leading to a decrease in down time, fewer costly replacements and elimination of waste, RSC said.

“This exciting step will benefit our rental customers by further reducing the likelihood of downtime caused by flats and related tire issues,” said John McVeigh, vice president of product management. “This investment will provide huge benefits in efficiency, customer service, reliability and availability, while positively impacting the environment and saving significant costs.”

Using tires with a longer life span will help reduce the number of tires in landfills. However, according to RSC, there also are additional advantages beyond those of reliability and sustainability. Solid tires are designed to increase ride comfort when compared against other flat-resistant tires and they also meet the designated weight/ballast requirements for applicable reach forklifts, an important safety consideration for this type of machinery.

The prior field evaluation and successful implementation of similar tires on applicable skid-steer and industrial forklifts in 2005 helped lead RSC to the decision to make solid tires the new standard spec for all newly purchased reach forklifts. RSC started to introduce solid tires to all new forklifts in May.

RSC said it believes the best customer driven innovations benefit the customer, the company and the environment. By implementing an equipment refurbishment program in 2001, its environmentally safe parts washers in 2003 and beginning the evaluation of solid tires in 2005, RSC said it has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 26 million tons.

RSC anticipates that it has saved more than $100 million by the implementation of these and other programs that focus on the needs of their customers while positively impacting the environment.

“As an innovative leader in the rental industry and by partnering with our great suppliers, the introduction of products with a longer lifetime is also a responsible step in terms of managing our overall waste, efficiency and use of resources,” McVeigh said. “We believe this is a responsible choice in a differentiating area for our customers and our communities.”

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