A Truck Tire Handling Manipulator is a specialized industrial lifting device designed to assist operators in moving, rotating, and mounting heavy-duty tires (ranging from 50kg to 250kg+) during vehicle assembly or maintenance.
Handling truck tires is one of the most physically demanding tasks in the automotive industry due to their weight, size, and the precision required to align the tire’s bolt holes with the vehicle’s studs.
Key Functionalities
Unlike a standard crane, a tire manipulator provides active control over the tire’s orientation:
Weightless Movement (Zero-Gravity): Uses pneumatic or electronic balancing so the operator can move a 150kg tire with just a few grams of force.
Stud Alignment (Rotation): The most critical feature. The manipulator allows the tire to be rotated around its own axis so the holes line up perfectly with the wheel studs.
Pitching & Tilting: Allows the tire to be picked up from a horizontal stack on a pallet and flipped vertically for mounting onto the axle.
Types of Tire Manipulators
A. Rigid-Arm Pneumatic Manipulators: The industry standard for assembly lines.
Structure: A solid, multi-jointed arm that prevents the tire from swinging.
Best For: Precision mounting where the tire must be held perfectly steady while being pushed onto the studs.
Benefit: Allows for “reach-in” capabilities, moving the tire deep into a wheel well.
B. Mobile Tire Handlers (Service/Maintenance): Often seen in large fleet workshops or mining sites.
Structure: A mobile unit (similar to a specialized pallet jack or forklift attachment) with hydraulic arms.
Best For: Changing tires on large trucks or earthmoving equipment in a shop environment where overhead rails are not available.
C. Fully Automated Robotic Tire Assembly: A 6-axis industrial robot integrated into high-speed production lines.
Structure: Equipped with 3D vision to locate the studs on the axle.
Best For: High-volume truck manufacturing where cycle time and 100% autonomy are required.
Typical Applications
Truck & Bus Assembly Lines: Installing wheels on the chassis.
Heavy Equipment Maintenance: Changing tires on tractors, loaders, and mining trucks.
Tire Warehousing: Moving large tires from high-density racks to shipping docks.
Retreading Facilities: Moving tires through the various stages of the retreading process.
