Repair is half the plant's work
Retreading gets the attention, but the plant's other job, repairing damaged casings, is where much of the value is decided.
A casing with an injury is not finished. A puncture, a cut or a small section of damage can often be repaired, and a repaired casing can go on to be retreaded. What usually ends it is not the injury itself but what happens after.
Running on the damage. A tire with a puncture that keeps working lets moisture and debris into the structure, and the damage spreads well beyond the original hole.
Leaving it in the yard. A damaged tire set aside to deal with later often stays outside for months. By the time anyone sends it, the injury that was repairable may not be.
A plug from the outside only. A quick roadside plug gets a tire home. It is not the same as a proper repair from the inside, and the casing should come in for one.
The rule that follows is simple: a damaged casing should travel to the plant soon, not eventually.
What the plant works on
Eight casing categories, retreaded or repaired: commercial truck, agricultural, OTR, industrial, light truck, passenger, trailer, and UTV and ATV. Tracks are not retreaded at any Purcell plant.
These are casings the plant works on, not tires it sells. For tires in Salt Lake City, contact the Commercial & Consumer store or the Truck Tire Center.
Who sends casings here
Purcell stores collect casings and bring them to the plant, including the Salt Lake City Commercial & Consumer store, the Truck Tire Center, Ogden, Orem, Tremonton and Washington. In northern Nevada, Reno, Fernley and Elko send casings here as their nearest plant.
The 4:00 AM shift
The plant runs a production shift from 4:00 AM to 3:00 PM. If you are delivering casings yourself rather than through a store, plan around that window, and call ahead with anything that has a date attached.
Plant details
Salt Lake City plant, 3350 W 2100 S, (801) 907-9500, managed by Jay Kinney. The Salt Lake City page explains how the plant differs from the city's three other Purcell listings.
See Purcell retreading for how the program works and for the 54 locations that collect casings.