OTR Services in Washington, MO

OTR tends to bring haul trucks and giant loaders to mind. Around a town like Washington, most of the off-the-road tires actually turning belong to smaller machines: the skid steer at a contractor's yard, the backhoe on a utility job, the compact loader at a farm or a plant. Their tires get far less attention than a mining tire, and they work just as hard for their size.

A skid steer is a particularly hard case. It steers by skidding its tires sideways, so every turn scrubs tread. It works on concrete, gravel, demolition debris and mud, sometimes in the same day. It also tends to be run until a tire is visibly finished, because the tires are small enough to feel cheap.

• Keep pressures even side to side. A skid steer with one side lower than the other tracks badly and wears the low side faster.
• Replace in pairs or sets. A new tire beside a worn one on the same side changes rolling diameter, and the machine fights itself on every turn.
• Match the tire to the ground. Tread built for dirt wears quickly on concrete, and a hard-surface tire struggles in mud. Tell the store where the machine mostly works.
• Ask about puncture risk. On sites full of debris, some owners choose a different tire construction. Ask the store what suits the work and the machine.

Small OTR tires still mount on rims that need care, and fitting is not a job for a garage floor. A tire with a cut may be repairable depending on where the damage sits, and the assessment decides. The rims behind the tires are wheel refurbishing, and equipment that moves on a trailer between jobs can have the trailer checked with trailer alignment, both here.

The national OTR services page covers fitting, repair and supply in more detail.

Fenton offers OTR services toward St. Louis, and Viburnum works with heavier equipment to the south.

The Washington store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Kurt Kottwitz.

See the national OTR services page for all 41 locations.