A test to compare the effects of high and low tire pressure on roads did not yield enough information for rural municipalities.
The test was conducted in the Saskatchewan RM of Walpole in October, and the results were presented to the November convention of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.
Advocates of central tire inflation say the use of low tire pressure in some situations will save fuel and lessen the impact on roads.
Keith Carleton, SARM board member from Neville, said the test had to be concluded after two of four planned phases because the local roads used between the test sites failed.
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“The demonstration was stopped at this point due to serious failures in the loop roads, which raised concerns with regard to safety of the truck operation,” Carleton said. “And also we didn’t want to totally destroy the roads on behalf of the municipality. It was definitely the loop roads that failed.”
The test was conducted on a portion of Highway 48 east of Wawota and on grid road 601. It used both empty and loaded B trains at varying tire pressures to examine washboarding and rutting.
Although the test couldn’t be completed, Carleton said high tire pressure caused more washboarding. About the same amount of rutting occurred at high and low pressures. A final report is being prepared.
Carleton said strong roadbed conditions in fall mean a large number of truck passes would be required before failures appear, and the real test for central tire inflation technology would be during spring thaw.
Partners in the project, SARM, Saskatchewan Highways, Agriculture Canada and Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, are looking for a rural municipality that will agree to a spring test.
