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What is the best time to replace my tires?
This is one of the most frequent questions we hear when we are talking to our customers, whether on the phone or at their location. It is also the one question that doesn’t have a definitive answer because it really does depend on the customer’s use and expectations for their industrial tire needs.
General guidelines for replacement for the steel band press on, or POB for short, is generally when the tire wears down to right above where the numbers are for the given tire’s size. This will usually indicate a percentage of tire that has been used and will fall at the minimum weight carrying capacity of that size tire. For instance, a 21x7x15 POB tire should not be used any further after its overall diameter gets to around 18.5”. Since POB type tires have different widths and the same overall diameter, the minimum diameter for each will still be the same.
We have a handy ruler type gauge that we use for this. Please let your representative know if you’d like one.
There are of course exceptions to this. If, for instance, the customer’s safety requirements dictate a minimum amount of tread depth, or tire diameter, then even though the tire can still be used, it would need to be replaced.
Another exception may be for traction requirements. Most of the typical drive tire sizes can be purchased with either a smooth or traction style tread. If the customer uses the traction tread pattern, then after the tread blocks have been worn smooth, the tire would need to be replaced.
Guidelines for pneumatic tires that are not urethane filled are more specific. Generally when the tread pattern is mostly smooth or just a minimum of the original tread pattern can be seen, it is the best time to replace them. These tires shouldn’t ever reach the point where the cords of the belts start to show. Tires that get there are severely compromised and should be replaced as soon as it is practical. Steel belted radial tires retain more integrity when the cords are showing but are still in need of immediate replacement.
Lastly there are the resilient, or solid pneumatic style of industrial tires. These are the ones we see with the greatest variables related to replacement. Industry guidelines for replacement are when the overall diameter has worn down to the 60J line on the tire. This line is usually indicated by a molded in line that runs around the tire right below the beginning of the tread pattern. For multi-layer tires such as the Continental SC 18, this is where the outer tread layer and the inner heat dissipation layer meet. Once past this point, the tire will deteriorate rapidly. This is a lesser concern to both a single or two layer type of resilient; however, they should still be replaced.
As with the POB tires, there are exceptions to when tires need replacing. Starting in the fall here in Minnesota, many customers will be operating outside in the snow, so even though there may be tread left, it may not be sufficient to provide the required level of traction through the winter.
If you are not sure whether the tires on your forklifts or other types of equipment need replacing, please give us a call, and we will be happy to help.
New Technology to Reuse and Recycle
How to dispose of all the used up tires we take in and what do we do with them has been a frequently asked customer question. Some industrial tires, while sometimes bearing a similar appearance to PLT products, require different disposal and recycling methods. In the not too distant past, these were usually trucked out of state and dumped into the vast tire disposal sites we’ve all seen pictures of. As environmental awareness becomes increasingly part of our world, that method will no longer work. Butler Industrial Tire has been actively pursuing several methods over the years to responsibly dispose of and reuse the scrap tire we take in from our customers.
Retreading is one of the common ways in which a resilient industrial tire can be put to continued use after the original tread has been worn off. Similar to the way commercial truck tires are retreaded, the main carcass of the tire is smoothed off at the tread face, and then a suitable tread pattern is applied based on the customer’s work environment and expectations. The tire can then have a second and sometimes even a third life if the main carcass of the tire remains intact. This process can be applied to pneumatic and radial industrial products as well. Before recommending this option to our customers, Butler Industrial Tire commonly will provide a complete assessment to determine if the retreading option will be the correct decision for our customers.
In the past five years there has been another manufacture driven option. In their efforts to satisfy the largest customer base, manufacturers have been adding a remolded option to their lineup of products. This process can be applied to the resilient and POB type of tires and has a two part component. We as wholesalers and direct sellers take in the scrap tires from our customers and send them to companies that can then process them for remolding. In our case we send them to Treadstone LLC in Niles, MI.
Treadstone sorts the tires and grades them according to the requirements of the manufacturers. For the tires that don’t measure up, the rubber is ground up and used as a non-decomposing mulch for various applications, and the steel, such as that on a POB type tire, is then recycled. The tires that can be recycled are processed in a similar way, but with 40-50% of the original tire left for the rebonding process. This saves on material costs and helps in the sustainability of the industry in general. The manufacturers then remold a new sidewall and tread face onto the core that they receive, making sure that they meet strict quality control requirements. These tires are then marketed by Butler Industrial Tire and other industrial tire outlets as a value based product for customers with less demanding requirements. For more information on Treadstone LLC, please visit their website, http://www.treadstonellc.com.
Butler Industrial Tire strives to be on the forefront of new technology to reuse and recycle to create a better and sustainable environment for our future. If you have any questions regarding our remolded products, please contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Buying for Fitness of Purpose
When Butler Industrial Tire started 28 years ago, we dedicated our sales philosophy to provide only the best products we could find in the industrial tire and wheel market. We did this because we felt it better to solve our customers’ problems and service their needs than to just have the best bottom line on… Continue Reading