Wheel Refurbishing in Henderson, KY

When a farm or a small fleet buys a used trailer, the inspection usually covers the frame, the floor, the lights, the brakes and the tires. The wheels underneath tend to get a glance and nothing more, and a fresh coat of paint can make a tired set of wheels look nearly new.

That is the problem. Paint hides exactly the things a wheel inspection is looking for.

Corrosion at the bead seat. Where the tire seals against the wheel. Pitting there causes slow leaks that get blamed on the tires.

Cracks. Around the stud holes and at the joint between the rim and the disc. Paint can fill a fine crack and make it invisible.

Worn stud holes. Holes that have been run with loose nuts become oval, and the wheel never seats properly again.

Bends and dents. A flange bent by a curb or a ditch edge may have been hammered back roughly into shape.

A set of wheels on a used trailer may have had any history at all, and the seller may genuinely not know it.

The time to look is before the first load, not after the first slow leak. With the tires off, a wheel can be cleaned back and inspected properly, and the ones that are sound can be refurbished so the trailer starts its working life with you on known wheels.

The inspection comes first, and it decides what can be saved. A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.

Cleaning back to sound metal, restoring the bead seat, and a protective finish. The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process and why a persistent leak is often the wheel. With the trailer in the shop, trailer alignment is worth doing at the same time, and new or retreaded tires can go on through retreading, both here.

Owensboro and Princeton also refurbish wheels.

The Henderson store runs sixteen services and is managed by Derrick Madewell.

See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.