A different set of problems
An industrial tire rarely fails from highway wear. It fails from standing weight, from tight turns on hard surfaces, from chips and cuts on a yard that never gets swept, and from the sheer number of hours a machine accumulates without ever leaving the site.
That changes what matters. Load capacity and stability come first, because the machine is lifting. Surface comes second: a smooth warehouse floor, a rough concrete yard and a gravel lot all wear tires differently and want different rubber. Speed is almost irrelevant, which is why a tire that would be useless on a truck is exactly right here.
Equipment this covers
- Forklifts, counterbalance and reach
- Telehandlers and rough terrain handlers
- Yard and warehouse equipment
- Plant and processing machinery on tires
- Skid steers and compact loaders, which often sit between industrial and OTR tires depending on the work
Where the machine is genuinely off-highway, haul trucks and loaders and graders, the category is OTR. Where it runs on tracks, see tracks.
Construction matters as much as size
Industrial tires come in constructions that are not interchangeable, and getting this wrong is a more expensive mistake than picking the wrong tread:
- Pneumatic, air filled, which cushions the machine and suits rougher outdoor surfaces.
- Solid pneumatic, the same shape in solid rubber, which cannot puncture and suits yards full of debris.
- Press-on solid, fitted to a band rather than a rim, common on smaller indoor forklifts.
The machine usually dictates which of the three it takes. Tell the store the make, model and what is currently fitted, and confirm the construction before ordering rather than after.
What to have ready
- The machine, by make and model, and its rated capacity.
- The size on the tire currently fitted.
- The surface it works on, and whether that is indoors, outdoors or both.
- The hours it runs in a day.
- What is failing: chunking, cuts, flat spots, or straightforward wear.
Purcell works with 14 tire brands across the business, listed on the brands page. Stock varies by location, so confirm with the store before you plan a change.
Service and retreading
Industrial tires are fitted and serviced at Purcell's service locations alongside everything else they handle. Six of Purcell's seven retread plants list industrial casings among the tires they retread or repair, so a sound casing has a second life rather than going to scrap. See retreading.
Wheel refurbishing, at 42 locations, is worth knowing about here. Industrial wheels take a beating from the same conditions that destroy the tires, and refurbishing one is usually a fraction of replacing it.
Availability
Where Purcell carries industrial tires
52 of 64 locations, in 12 states: Arizona 7, Missouri 10, Utah 7, Colorado 5, Arkansas 4, Kentucky 4, Nevada 4, Idaho 3, Washington 3, Alaska 2, Montana 2 and New Mexico 1.
Twelve locations do not carry them. Seven are the retread plants, which work on casings. Two are the consumer stores in Idaho Falls, ID and Paducah, KY. The other three are commercial stores that carry the rest of the categories but not this one: Anchorage, AK, Fairbanks, AK and Elko, NV.
In Alaska that leaves the Wasilla commercial store and the Wasilla distribution location as the two carrying industrial tires, both at 7340 W. Marigold Dr.