tires tires tires

hey guys i am new here and just starting the scrapping game, i have never hauled a load of scrap myself but my grandpa had done it many times with his truck and trailer, which is the same trailer different truck that i will be using, i was wondering what you guys did about tires, more specifically about getting nails and bits of metal in the tires, this seemed to be a problem with the yard we have around here because my grandpa never put decent or new trailer tires or truck tires on, well we have had the trucks and trailer for a few years now and all of them have brand new tires on them, which means i am concerned about what to do about the tires, my step dad finished up my grandpa'a scrap pile and says the area where you bring copper is spotless but the area you bring iron the ground crunches with every step, what should i do?HELP please

Carry a jack and a spare

Try a different yard. Some are cleaner than others.

I went through 12 tires last year. I rotate tires off the truck onto the trailers. Trailers all have older tires, but the trucks have good tires for safety reasons. I get the road hazard warranty to take care of new tires. Another thing purchase a cordless ratchet for quickly changing tires. A plate from a railroad tie and bottle jack work great on soft ground. I never have a flat on hard ground, always in a mud puddle on gravel roads.

i always carry a spare n jack ,always have a plug kit .....i liked the ,go to a different yard comment but sometimes thats not an option .......first yard i started going to was pretty good about keeping the steel area clean ,and would offer you a used tire if you got a flat there ,they kept after peaple dumping to keep sharp stuff in bins too ,.......second yard i started going to was horrible ,.....you had to take a broom just to pull in or else you left with a flat ,i stoped going there ,they sucked ....third yard and my current one is pretty decent ,but i've had a few flats .....they keep it clean the best they can ,and i'm always mindfull where i drive ,if i gotta pull in a scary looking section ,i get out and walk the ground before i pull in ,.....still get a flat every now and then ,but can't be avoided sometimes

We buy military surplus tires, they used to have 35''x12.50''x16.5'' but all the new ones are 37'' so we will start buying those, full set is $600.00 and 90% tread
of coarse this only works if you have a truck big enough to run them. PLUGS PLUGS PLUGS you will get good at it, we are fortunate to have an air compressor with us most the time.
Jason

Does anyone use the starting fluid and a match to blow up tires that are off the bead? I started doing that with my skidsteer (had to do it today by the way) and it is a time saver and a back saver. Just make sure the vehicle is jacked up so the tire can inflate with the mild explosion that will take place and then apply air immediately. There are alot of instructional YouTube flicks on the topic.

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Boy I can see that going awry. I've seen some "old hands" do it regularly but,,,,

Well I'm old so that must make me an "old hand"....I'll take that as a compliment

Originally Posted by Yunkman

Does anyone use the starting fluid and a match to blow up tires that are off the bead? I started doing that with my skidsteer (had to do it today by the way) and it is a time saver and a back saver. Just make sure the vehicle is jacked up so the tire can inflate with the mild explosion that will take place and then apply air immediately. There are alot of instructional YouTube flicks on the topic.

I do this changing out my truck tires but off the truck. works good to set the bead, but I have seen it done sense I was a lil kid one grand daddys farm. Not something to play around with for sure, that one extra squirt of starting fluid may be one to many..lol
Plugs have got me home many a time, then breakdown the tire and patch once safely back at the shop
Jason

I put a big old gash in my skidsteer tire this past summer and was so used to plugging it to keep going that I forgot it had a tube in it.


Needless to say..............the plugs (which were numerous) weren't doing much good. Age has its benefits...LOL