How Does the U.S. Mining Industry Benefit the Economy? Let Us Count the Ways

Although the U.S. mining industry has had its ups and downs lately, nobody can deny that its very existence is a great benefit to our country's economy. At least, they shouldn't deny it. The mining industry is extremely influential, providing much-needed assets to other industries, creating jobs, and generating revenue.

Just in case anybody needs convincing, we've gathered the facts and crunched the numbers.

Providing Assets

When it comes to natural resources, America is blessed. This country has the largest coal reserves in the world, and is the leading producer of clay, lithium, phosphate, magnesium, sulfer, and salt. American mines also are the world's second-largest producers of both gold and copper. Through the efforts of the American mining industry, the world is provided with the raw materials needed to create, explore, invent, and produce.

Creating Jobs

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Natural Resources and Mining Super-sector employs upwards of 700,000 men and women across the country--not to mention the millions involved in supportive roles. Although these numbers have fallen slightly between 2015 and 2016, this is still a strong industry with plenty of employment opportunities.

Generating Revenue

Stat-gathering site Statistica estimates that the mining industry adds $453 billion in value to the country's overall economy per year. With U.S. mining generating a gross profit of $300 billion in 2012 alone, we can only stand in awe of such numbers and wonder where we would all be without mining.

Here at Buy Big Tires, we are proud to stand in support of the U.S. Mining Industry, and we are thankful for all of the men and women who daily commit themselves to excellence.

Remember that we carry a full complement of OTR tires for all of your mining equipment needs. Feel free to contact us with questions, comments, or hints on our current deals.

The post How Does the U.S. Mining Industry Benefit the Economy? Let Us Count the Ways appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

Canadian Mining Industry News Roundup

Although we haven't said much lately about the Canadian mining industry, we've been keeping tabs on recent developments. Today we bring you a roundup of recent news stories from the web to keep you apprised of what's been going on with our mining friends to the north.

Canadian Mining Industry News Roundup

• "R&D Provides Much Needed Boost in the East" - In recent years, the funding funneled into Newfoundland and Labrador by the mining sector has been a huge boon to the entire area. Along with helping local mines to tap into the region's huge mineral deposits, this funding has aided in innovation and exploration.
• "Indigenous Women Ask Questions" - One year ago, the Native Women's Association of Canada received funding to help indigenous women overcome barriers -- including barriers in the advancement of those pursuing mining careers. A group of indigenous Native women met to take part in constructive dialogue to determine if the steps taken have been effective. Since the term indigenous encompasses First Nations, Metis and Inuit women, this ongoing dialogue has far-reaching implications. We look forward to seeing how these women are able to effect change and contribute to the mining industry.
• "Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Industry Leaders" - At its 28th annual induction ceremony recently in Toronto, the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inducted five men for their contributions to the industry: Keith Brimacombe, Harold Williams, Stewart Blusson, Louis Gignac, and Robert Friedland. Each one's investment of time, talent, and skill has advanced the effectiveness of both the Canadian mining industry and the industry as a whole.

As we contemplate these stories, we're pleased to note that all of them are generally positive. We're happy to know that Canada's mining future seems bright, and that we can all look forward to seeing more good reports in the future.

Remember that we carry a full line of OTR tires for all of your mining needs. Please feel free to contact us for the best deals.

The post Canadian Mining Industry News Roundup appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

OTR Tires Tarriff: The Saga Draws Toward a Conclusion

If you've been keeping up with what's been going on in the world of OTR tires lately, then you already know about Titan and the United Steel Worker's Union (USW) having joined forces to protest what they perceived as the over-subsidizing of imported OTR tires. As of our last report, the two groups had called upon the International Trade Commission (ITC) to meet and discuss the issue, which they did on January 29.

After just a few weeks of investigation,the ITC decided to drop their probe into the Chinese corner of the market. After a 6-0 vote confirming no need to continue the China probe, they then voted 6-0 to continue investigating OTR tires coming from India and Sri Lanka, with a promise to hand down a decision regarding those two countries early in March.

As we continue to follow this story, we look forward to seeing how it all shakes out. With the importers of foreign tires claiming that Titan and USWU are guilty of a "gross misrepresentation of facts" in order to blame other companies for their own losses, we know that the ITC's decision whether or not to take action will carry a far-reaching impact.

Do you have thoughts or opinions regarding the actions taken by Titan and USW? Do you think the ITC is doing the right thing in not pursuing action against importers of Chinese OTR tires? We want to hear from you. Feel free to sound off in the comments.

Remember that we carry a full line of OTR tires for all of your mining needs, both foreign and domestic. Feel free to contact us for more information or to ask about our current deals.

Image credit: European Rubber Journal

The post OTR Tires Tarriff: The Saga Draws Toward a Conclusion appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

Will the Zika Virus Affect the Brazilian Mining Industry?

For months, news of the Brazilian outbreak of the Zika Virus has dominated headlines. Declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization, the Zika Virus carries almost no symptoms and leads to no real lasting harm. The problem is that the infection of pregnant women has been linked to a rise in birth defects, specifically congenital microcephaly.

Congenital microcephaly is often a sign of the brain not developing normally during pregnancy. Health authorities in Brazil, with assistance from the Pan American Health Organization, CDC, and other agencies, have been investigating the possible association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly (CDC).

The official position of the Centers for Disease Control is that while understanding of the disease and its links to birth defects in the children of infected women is evolving, pregnant women should be especially careful and exercise caution when considering a trip to South America, especially Brazil.

How all of this could affect the Brazilian mining industry remains to be seen. Obviously, a percentage of the mining population in Brazil is made up of women who could be directly affected as well as husbands and fathers whose families are at risk.

On a grand scale, ongoing concerns regarding Brazil's overall political, social, and economic stability are always a concern, and a major health crisis does nothing to allay the fears of international investors that the Brazilian mining industry has everything under control.

It's our hope, of course, that the Brazilian government's efforts to eradicate the spread of the Zika virus are successful--and we don't just hope that for the good of the Brazilian mining industry. We hope to hear news soon that the disease has been contained and that both Brazil and the world need no longer fear its dangers.

Remember that we carry a full supply of OTR tires for all of your mining needs. Feel free to contact us for the best deals.

Image credit: CDC

The post Will the Zika Virus Affect the Brazilian Mining Industry? appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

OTR Tires Tarriff: The Saga Continues

In late January, we posted to update you on recent developments in the world of OTR tires. At that time, we alerted you that Titan had joined up with the United Steel Worker's Union (USW) to protest what they thought to be the unfair pricing and over-subsidizing of imported OTR tires. At the time of our report, they had gone so far as to voice their concerns to the International Trade Commission (ITC), and the ITC had agreed to meet and discuss the issue.

That meeting of the ITC took place on January 29, with both sides of the argument stating strong cases. The thrust of the Titan/USW petition seems to be how the prevalence of foreign-made goods influences their place in the market.

“The OTR tire industry provides high-paying, high-skilled jobs with family-supporting benefits,” Stan Johnson, USW international secretary-treasurer, said at the hearing. “All of that is now at risk because of these dumped and subsidized imports from China, India and Sri Lanka" (Rubber News)

Opponents of the petition argue, however, that Titan's place in the market was affected more by the overall market downturn coupled with the company's own recent business strategy missteps than by imported OTR tires. The ruling is expected to be handed down in February, and we are interested to see how the ITC interprets the data.

Do you have an opinion on this matter? Do you think that these foreign tire manufacturers are dumping their products into US and other Western markets below production costs? Or do you think that Titan and other domestic manufacturers are suffering more from the overall downturn and perhaps their own strategic blunders? Feel free to sound off in the comment section.

As always, remember that we carry a full line of OTR tires for all of your mining needs. Feel free to contact us for the best deals.

Image credit: European Rubber Journal

The post OTR Tires Tarriff: The Saga Continues appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

More Positive Developments for the Australian Mining Industry

Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the Australian mining industry?

As most of you know, we have been keeping an eye on the Australian mining industry, looking for clues that the struggling industry has begun to rebound. As we reported recently, positive developments have begun to roll in. We're happy to bring you even more good examples today.

First, while certain sources claim that it is unlikely that the Australian mining industry will fully bounce back in 2016, they also say that the industry is still fully viable and will continue to play an important role in Australia's overall GDP.

Second, Mining Weekly reports that Australian mining companies have begun investing in technologies to improve safety and manage costs. They have time-targeted goals in place to ensure that these improvements benefit their workers soon.

Over the next two years, a significant number of respondents yet to invest were expected to make investments in tyre monitoring, collision avoidance and proximity detection, and remote control and machine automation technologies.

This concentration on moving forward shows that these companies do not plan to go quietly into the night. They plan to keep moving forward, growing, and changing for the good of their employees, their overall industry, and all of the other industries that depend on the materials that mining produces.

We're happy to see signs that those inside the industry are making long-range plans to keep Australian mines viable. We look forwarding to bringing you more stories like these in the future.

Remember that we carry a full complement of big tires for all of your mining needs. We routinely ship tires to numerous mines throughout Australia. Feel free to contact us for the best deals.

Image credit: Paolo Crosetto on Flickr

The post More Positive Developments for the Australian Mining Industry appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.

Sherp ATV: Russian firm makes one of the coolest ATVs ever!

Sherp was founded in 2012 with a mission to create the ultimate all terrain vehicle, the Sherp ATV. The company partnered with renowned technologist Aleksei Garagashian to develop the Sherp ATV. After three years of strenuous development and testing the Sherp ATV entered commercial production. The company is very confident that this is the ultimate ATV ever manufactured. The company claims that they have used the Sherp ATV to get to places in Russia that a human has never set foot on. From the far corners of Siberian tundra and taiga, to the mountains to Kola peninsula and across the swamps of Yugra. This ATV has done it all and after seeing the video below, I think you'll agree, this tough toy truck will be able to handle anything you can throw at it!

VIDEO: Sherp ATV in Action

A vehicle with performance capability like this won't come cheap. The standard version will cost you a cool $65,000! Being purveyors of off the road tires, you know we were very interested in the unique OTR tires this ATV wears. According to the Sherp website, the tires are patented, tubeless ultra-low pressure 1600 x 600 x 25 tires with a patented inflation system. We'll let you know if we ever get any in stock! ;)

The Sherp ATV is powered by a 4 cylinder Kubota V1505-t diesel engine with a maximum power output of about 44.3 horsepower. The power is transfered to the wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. You maneuver the Sherp with a skid steer system which should make driving in the snow or mud a ton of fun. The Sherp ATV has a top speed of approximately 45 km/h (about 28 mph).

So what do you think? Are you going to add the Sherp ATV to your Christmas list for this year? Or are you going to start saving up for one? Don't forget to check out the vehicle specifications and photo gallery below. For more information or to order your Sherp ATV, please visit: Sherp.ru.

Sherp ATV Specifications

length, cm	3400
width, cm	2520
height, cm	2300
Body	steel
Weight, kg / lbs	1300 / 2866
Engine	Kubota V1505-t
Fuel type	Diesel
Volume, cc	1498
Max. hp	44,3
Gear-box	mechanical, 5-step
Suspension	pneumocirculation
Parking break system	independent
Coupling	SACHS
Clearance, cm	60
Cylindercount	4
A carrying capacity, kg	1000
Seats equipped with belts	2
Sleeping seating / capacity	4

Speed of movement:
Maximal (on a higher transmission), km/h	45
Minimum (on more subzero transmission), km/h	1,5
On water, km/h	6
Tire type	tubeless, ultralow pressure
Tire size	1600 х 600 х 25
Passing through soils	any
Fuel expense (depends on offroad usage), L/h	2-3
Fuel tank volume, L	58
Additional fuel tanks volume	50 х 4
Height of the overcome obstacle, cm	100
An angle of overcome obstacle, °C	35
Maintenance required, motor hours	50

Sherp ATV Photo Gallery

For more photos, see the Sherp ATV Website Gallery.



Image credits: Sherp.ru
(h/t: Jalopnik)

The post Sherp ATV: Russian firm makes one of the coolest ATVs ever! appeared first on BuyBigTires.com.