A welded wheel is a question for the inspection
On a working site, when a wheel cracks or bends, there is often somebody nearby with a welder and a reason to keep the machine running. The repair looks solid, the machine goes back to work, and the wheel quietly becomes the riskiest part of the assembly.
Wheels are made from steel that has been formed and heat-treated to carry a particular load. Welding puts intense local heat into that steel and changes its properties around the repair. The weld itself may be strong while the metal beside it has been weakened, and a wheel under the pressure of a large tire is not a place for a weak spot. Industry safety guidance generally treats welding or heating a tire rim as something not to do.
That makes two practical rules worth keeping.
Tell the store about any wheel that has been welded or heated, even a small repair done years ago. It changes what the inspection is looking for.
Do not refit a tire to a welded wheel until it has been looked at. Inflating a tire on a compromised wheel is the moment of greatest risk.
What refurbishing does
Cleaning back to sound metal, inspecting for cracks, distortion and corrosion, restoring the bead seat so the tire seals, and refinishing so the wheel is protected for its next service life. The inspection comes first and decides whether the wheel can be refurbished at all.
A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.
Equipment wheels come off during OTR services, which makes a tire change the natural moment to send them, and a wheel that keeps losing its balance is worth a look too. Tire and wheel balancing is at the same store. The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process.
Other stores nearby
De Soto and Washington also refurbish wheels in Missouri.
About this store
The Viburnum store is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and is managed by Justin Turnbough.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.