Retreading in Springfield, MO

Fleets usually think of retreading as a purchasing decision, made in an office. In practice, most of what decides whether a casing passes inspection at the plant happens behind the wheel, long before anyone sends it anywhere.

A handful of driving habits do most of the damage:

• Running on a tire that has gone soft. A tire losing air builds heat inside its structure. A few miles low can finish a casing that looked fine from the outside.
• Scrubbing duals on tight turns. Swinging a loaded trailer around a tight corner drags the tires sideways and tears at the shoulders.
• Curbing. Climbing curbs and kissing dock edges damages sidewalls, and sidewall damage usually ends a casing.
• Ignoring a pull or a vibration. Both wear tires unevenly, and uneven wear can leave too little usable structure.

None of that shows on a purchase order. All of it shows at the plant.

A two-minute talk with drivers covers it: stop when a tire is losing air rather than limping to the yard, take tight turns wide when loaded, and report a pull or a shake. A fleet that does that will see more of its casings accepted, which is where retreading pays.

This store works with Purcell's retreading program. Casings are collected here in Springfield, retreaded at the Potosi plant, and returned ready to run. A fleet using mobile service can have casings collected during the visit, and a site on mining fleet services can ask about retreading suitable equipment casings as part of the program.

Joplin and Osage Beach also collect casings.

The Springfield store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Steve Richardson.

See the national retreading page for how the program works and for all 54 collecting locations.