tires tires tires

hey guys i am new here and just starting the scrapping game, i have never hauled a load of scrap myself but my grandpa had done it many times with his truck and trailer, which is the same trailer different truck that i will be using, i was wondering what you guys did about tires, more specifically about getting nails and bits of metal in the tires, this seemed to be a problem with the yard we have around here because my grandpa never put decent or new trailer tires or truck tires on, well we have had the trucks and trailer for a few years now and all of them have brand new tires on them, which means i am concerned about what to do about the tires, my step dad finished up my grandpa'a scrap pile and says the area where you bring copper is spotless but the area you bring iron the ground crunches with every step, what should i do?HELP please

Carry a jack and a spare

Try a different yard. Some are cleaner than others.

I went through 12 tires last year. I rotate tires off the truck onto the trailers. Trailers all have older tires, but the trucks have good tires for safety reasons. I get the road hazard warranty to take care of new tires. Another thing purchase a cordless ratchet for quickly changing tires. A plate from a railroad tie and bottle jack work great on soft ground. I never have a flat on hard ground, always in a mud puddle on gravel roads.

After going through a few tires myself, I don't have an easy answer here lol. one yard always seemed to use a blower to clean the parking area but not so much any more. the other yard is such a smaller confined space i get out and check the area before backing up to the bin for nails.

I try to ''sweep'' my breakdown area at home at all times after a break down too because any nail or sharp screw can fall out of the truck or a piece of scrap when offloading. now, I buy ''used'' good tires for this reason. last time I spent almost 200.00 on each of 4 tires i still ran over a nail(s) and got a flat.

A couple of members carry a tire patch kit, I think Tater was one. This plus a portable air tank would be a good start.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4114mKGkFJL.jpg

i always carry a spare n jack ,always have a plug kit .....i liked the ,go to a different yard comment but sometimes thats not an option .......first yard i started going to was pretty good about keeping the steel area clean ,and would offer you a used tire if you got a flat there ,they kept after peaple dumping to keep sharp stuff in bins too ,.......second yard i started going to was horrible ,.....you had to take a broom just to pull in or else you left with a flat ,i stoped going there ,they sucked ....third yard and my current one is pretty decent ,but i've had a few flats .....they keep it clean the best they can ,and i'm always mindfull where i drive ,if i gotta pull in a scary looking section ,i get out and walk the ground before i pull in ,.....still get a flat every now and then ,but can't be avoided sometimes

I always buy used tires for this reason. I'd rather lose a $30 used tire than a $180 brand new one.

We buy military surplus tires, they used to have 35''x12.50''x16.5'' but all the new ones are 37'' so we will start buying those, full set is $600.00 and 90% tread
of coarse this only works if you have a truck big enough to run them. PLUGS PLUGS PLUGS you will get good at it, we are fortunate to have an air compressor with us most the time.
Jason
http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0ab58a92.jpg

Does anyone use the starting fluid and a match to blow up tires that are off the bead? I started doing that with my skidsteer (had to do it today by the way) and it is a time saver and a back saver. Just make sure the vehicle is jacked up so the tire can inflate with the mild explosion that will take place and then apply air immediately. There are alot of instructional YouTube flicks on the topic.

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Does anyone use the starting fluid and a match to blow up tires that are off the bead?

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Boy I can see that going awry. I've seen some "old hands" do it regularly but,,,,

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Boy I can see that going awry. I've seen some "old hands" do it regularly but,,,,

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Well I'm old so that must make me an "old hand"....I'll take that as a compliment ;)

I watched it done on a semi-truck tire. The tire was laying flat on the ground, +starter fluid, +flame = tire jumping 6-8" off the pavement but it was inflated. Mike

Tater, tire plug ? Uhmm, no ! Plugs are for lawn mower tires NOT pick up tires. Ether ? Only if you don't like all your fingers, toes, head, you know stupid stuff like that. A cheetah works wonders, and won't start the inside of your tire on fire. I run 10 ply tires good tires on the pickup but I'll run whatever free take off tire I can find on my car trailer, provided its a 6 ply tire. Tater repairs using tech tire patches like the good lord intended, plugs are great, for women and breaking cords in a tire.

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Originally Posted by Yunkman

Does anyone use the starting fluid and a match to blow up tires that are off the bead? I started doing that with my skidsteer (had to do it today by the way) and it is a time saver and a back saver. Just make sure the vehicle is jacked up so the tire can inflate with the mild explosion that will take place and then apply air immediately. There are alot of instructional YouTube flicks on the topic.

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I do this changing out my truck tires but off the truck. works good to set the bead, but I have seen it done sense I was a lil kid one grand daddys farm. Not something to play around with for sure, that one extra squirt of starting fluid may be one to many..lol
Plugs have got me home many a time, then breakdown the tire and patch once safely back at the shop
Jason

Our shop uses a patch/plug combo. (Made as one piece. Has a solid rubber plug with a patch on top) for car and truck tires. Havent had an issue. We WILL NOT repair tires that have a nail or hole anywhere from the side wall inwards about 1/4 of an inch. Liability. Pisses some customers off but some guys just dont understand why we refuse to fix some of the tires that come in. we would rather have a customer pissed that he needs a new tire instead of pissed that our repair caused him to write off his vehicle.

I use the 10 ply on the truck and trailer
Never had a problem with a plug

Several years ago, On this trailer, I did have a tire I couldn't plug
Going down the road I was getting a speed related click click clicking
faster I went >> Faster the clicking was
Finally remembered to check it at the end of the day
This is what I found >> Tire still had over 60 pounds of air and I had picked up a couple cars that day
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/johnc4x4/tire_wbolt.jpg
If you look close at the end of the bolt in the photo below you will see the shinny metal where it was hitting the trailer >> Hence the speed related clcik click click
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/johnc4x4/tirewbolt1.jpg

I put a big old gash in my skidsteer tire this past summer and was so used to plugging it to keep going that I forgot it had a tube in it.


Needless to say..............the plugs (which were numerous) weren't doing much good. Age has its benefits...LOL

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Originally Posted by jord0690

Our shop uses a patch/plug combo. (Made as one piece. Has a solid rubber plug with a patch on top) for car and truck tires. Havent had an issue. We WILL NOT repair tires that have a nail or hole anywhere from the side wall inwards about 1/4 of an inch. Liability. Pisses some customers off but some guys just dont understand why we refuse to fix some of the tires that come in. we would rather have a customer pissed that he needs a new tire instead of pissed that our repair caused him to write off his vehicle.

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Liability ? Yes, but can a patch in the corner of the tire hold ? Yes, I've patched many this way and even holes in the sidewall.