Coming in 2020: General Brand Bias OTR Tires

Oct. 2, 2019

Continental Tire the Americas LLC plans to launch a bias line of General brand OTR tires in 2020.

The bias construction line extension will include an L5 series line, an E3 series line and an E4 series line.

Shawn Rasey, director of global business development, earthmover tires, previewed the upcoming bias products for dealers and media at the launch of the company’s Generation 3 intelligent construction tires for on/off-road applications at its Uvalde Proving Grounds in Texas.

He told attendees that while most of Continental’s focus has been on radial tire development, there is still a fairly large volume of bias construction tires sold in the U.S., across the Americas and around the world.

The L5 series are used primarily on loaders, and at mine sites, quarries and construction sites. A range of sizes, starting at 20.5-25 and ranging up to 35/65-33, is planned.

The E3 line will have a number of sizes. Rasey highlighted a size for one of the most popular scraper sizes in the world: 37.25-35. “It’s one of the products we’ve had tremendous success with in the past and so now we are bringing it to the Americas with the General brand.”

The new E4 line will likewise encompass a range of sizes. Rasey said customers are looking forward especially to a bias quarry tire in size 24.00-35. He noted that while the vast majority of rock quarries and users of this size have migrated to a radial tire due to the need to dissipate heat in severe conditions, there’s still a need for a bias option.

“Here in the U.S. and around the Americas there’s still a fairly large volume of these tires that are used kind of as an entry level and in more controlled environments, where not necessarily all of the benefits of a radial tire can be realized.”

The new bias line-up will include a grader tire. “With the addition of the G2, we’ll have the four most popular sizes around the world, which are a 13.00-24 and 14.00-24, as well as a 15.5-25 and 17.5-25. That’s probably about 85% of the grader market on the smaller sizes, so it will put us in a good position to be able to fulfill requirements,” said Rasey.

He noted grader tires are often sold to local municipalities and state and county governments for road work, so a high volume of those products are in use.

The first sizes of the new L5, E3 and E4 tires will be available in January 2020. More bias products are on the horizon as Continental plans to round out its construction line-up with a skid steer and backhoe line. “It’s part of our longer-term plan,” said Rasey. “We’ll start with the other items. Our dealers are quite excited to see the rest of the product line-up coming.”

Continental gave dealers at its Uvalde Proving Grounds the week of September 23 a look at its new intelligent radial construction tires, which are available now: the Conti HSC 3 steer and all-position tire with matching retread, the Conti HDC 3 drive tire with matching retread, and the Conti HAC 3 all-position tire.

The new construction tires deliver improved mileage, durability, traction and retreadability for on- and off-road applications over their prior versions. They are also the first full line of construction tires with factory-embedded sensors for monitoring pressure and temperature that Continental has released to the North American market. For details, read: "Continental Introduces 'Intelligent' Construction Tire Line."