ive read here in hef about the difficulty of obtaining the huge tires used on the end loaders and scrapers, not to mention the price! can anyone recap those monsters? or is there to much torque applied to such a big tire that, that the bond just wouldnt hold?
Counter I have a 412B scraper and I spoke to our local tire shop about this same issue and told me that there weren't any ways of retreading this type of tire. They didn't think with the torque to the tire that the bond of the new rubber to casing would even hold.
I don't think it would hold either. We we bought one of our 12G graders, they had recapped radials on the front, but that's the front not a drive axle.
OTR retreads are a perfectly valid option providing you hook up with a reputable retreader and send in well maintained casings. Go with a pre-cure retread system and you should be fine. Mold cure systems or "hot caps" are pretty much worthless. As with any process in this world, things can go wrong which is why it's highly recommended to do your homework before selecting a decent retreader. The method in which a pre-cure retread is applied to a casing is very similar to the way your original tread was applied at the tire factory when new. Look around for a authorized Continuum dealer. From what I understand, it's owned by Bandag. Bandag knows their stuff when it comes to retreading. A good friend of mine owns a small retread shop in San Antonio, TX. Here is his website in case you want to browse around some photos. http://www.mcdonaldtire.com/
this looks like a more informative website that appears to be closer to you http://hhindustriesinc.com/
I have used retreads in many applications before. Some have worked well, others are not so good. Some I just know are not a good idea. Loader tires, they may make it oon the rear, but not so good on the front. Scrapers I have run them front and rear. They work fine, but I did have some of the "hot caps", and they only lasted 500 hrs or so. Articulated trucks, I have ran them front and rear, with about 75% to 80% of the life of original rubber, if the casing was good to start with. Like anything else, there are good ones and bad ones, so do your research.
I totally agree. Also goes for section repaired tires on front of loaders. Not a good combo.
Try talking to Scott @ Yearwood Tire. yearwoodtire.com They do some impressive work.
Retread technology has advanced considerably...I would contact several of the larger players such as Bandag. You might lose a little time, you might save alot of money.
The two major contractors that I worked for ran recaps on blades, loaders and trucks. I don't know who recapped them but a Goodyear truck hauled them out and returned them. Shot rock and water is a tire eating combination. I would guess that if running recaps was not cost effective they would not have run them. One time I was passing a 657 scraper and the left rear tire blew out. There was a loud boom, a ball of fire, smoke, dust and rocks bouncing off my pickup. Scared the devil out of me.