Tire Handling & Storage
Evan Lockridge
Contributing Editor
The proper storage and handling of truck tires isn't rocket science, but doing it incorrectly can be costly, in terms of dollars, injury and even death. Storing your tires in less than optimal conditions can result in sudden tire failure while in service. And not taking the proper precautions in mounting or dismounting them can result in disaster for the tire technician.
Tire makers recommend that tires be stored in a cool dry place indoors, so there's no danger of water collecting inside. Even a slight amount of moisture inside a tire can lead to damage when it's mounted. When pressurized, this moisture can permeate the tire casing, causing deterioration of the steel belt.
Proper storage also means storing tires away from direct sunlight, as well as away from electric motors and generators that produce ozone. Ozone is one of a tire's biggest enemies on the road, where it can lead to cracking and weakening of the rubber. No sense in giving it a head start.
When putting the tires in racks, these surfaces need to free of grease, fuel and other petroleum products or solvents, which can deteriorate the rubber. If tires are not stored in horizontal stacks, limit them to 5 feet in areas free of these damaging substances.
While storing tires requires little more than common sense, the handling of them is a bit more complex. One of the biggest reasons is that Uncle Sam has regulations on the matter. And while it's easy to scoff at having the federal government – specifically the Occupational Safety & Health Administration or OSHA – looking over your shoulder, there's good reason they do. Improper handling of tires and wheels is dangerous and has resulted in serious injuries and deaths.
OSHA requires that all people who service truck tires and wheels be properly trained. (You can read these regulations by logging on to their web site at www.osha.gov and searching the site using the term "CFR Part 1910.177."
In a nutshell, these regulations require employers to "provide a program to train all employees who service rim wheels in the hazards involved in servicing those rim wheels and the safety procedures to be followed."
Such a program must cover topics such as: demounting of tires (including deflation); inspection and identification of the rim wheel components; mounting of tires; use of a restraining device or barrier during inflation; handling of rim wheels; inflation of mounted tires on a vehicle; understanding the necessity of standing outside the blast trajectory during tire inflation, and inspection of the wheel rim following inflation and installation and removal of wheel rims.
OSHA also requires employers to evaluate a tire technician's ability to perform this work. Though not required, it's a good idea to keep written records of this training.
There are steps you can have tire technicians follow to make sure they are handling tires correctly.
When it comes to demounting tires, completely deflate the tire while it's on the vehicle by removing the valve core. Once deflated, you can then remove the tire from the vehicle and begin removing the tire from the rim using the proper tools, being careful to avoid damage to the tire or wheel. Proper lubrication of both beads using a vegetable-based lubricant can make this task easier. Using a petroleum-based lubricant or other products can damage the tire's rubber, and might result in a tire adjustment being disallowed by the manufacturer if there is evidence of contamination with non-recommended lubricants
While time may be of the essence when it comes to getting a tire back on, take just a moment to clean and inspect the rim or wheel for damage. Look for cracks, bends or other damage. Use new valves, cores and caps. Just as important, never mount a tire that's damaged.
In mounting a tire, proper precautions should be exercised without exception. Inspect the inside of the tire to make sure it is free of all moisture and dirt. Lubricating the tire beads minimizes the possibility of damage to the tire from mounting tools, but make sure the lubricant is free of dirt and other hard particles and do not over-lubricate.
When it comes to inflating the tire, always do it in an approved safety cage or equivalent restraining device. This is one of the most important OSHA requirements, because it's where there is the most potential for injury to a tire technician. Tire makers recommend inflating the tire to no more than 20 psi to 40 psi to seat the tire beads. If they haven't seated by this time, then you need to deflate, reposition the tire on the rim, and try again. Once the beads are seated, you can then inflate, but never more than the pressure shows on the sidewall of the tire and/or rim.
While these tips are only the highlights, they underscore the need for safety. By following this advice, rules set forth by the feds and recommendations from your tire maker, you can be assured you are doing as much as possible to reduce damage to tires during storage and handling, and more important, doing everything possible to avoid injuries to the people who perform these jobs.
