Re - Caps ? Anyone run them?

[blueriver]

With the current snowfall I have been thinking about Mud/Snow tires for the winter ... while searching re-caps come up alot .. so does anyone use them?

 

[JakeBrake]

I am talking about car and pickup tires. Back in the day, say 45 years ago, I used recaps all the time and had good results with them. There was one place in town that did custom recapping. You could bring you vehicle in in the morning and it would be ready to go in the afternoon with with 4 (or 5) of your own newly recapped tires.

Back then there was a big price differential between new and recapped tires. Over the years recaps became more expensive and new tires became less expensive and lasted much longer. The original tread on a tire will last longer than the recap tread.

Now, most tire stores around here do not sell recaps. Honestly, I have not looked for recaps in many years.

 

[blueriver]

Near as I can tell ... about $50 per tire ... thats a pretty good savings if they are what they say they are ...

 

[s78wingrider]

Around here I haven't heard of recaps for years. When they were around you were always wondering when caps were going to come off :confused2:. Some were good, some not

 

[Taylortractornut]

I dont know about smaller tired but truck and heavy equipment tires are pretty economical to run. We save our virgin tries that have road wear and send them to have them capped. One of our rolloffs at work the pull tires are 400 each times 8. we have them capped for about 200 each. It gets us a year and half out of them. Back a few years ago when the equipment tire shortage hit lots of places were running caps on loaders and scrapers adn wheel dozers and OR dumps.

 

[RadarTech]

Isn't there a set of rules about no recaps on steering tires on semis and dump trucks?

 

[Duffster]

Isn't there a set of rules about no recaps on steering tires on semis and dump trucks?

NO...

 

[RadarTech]

NO...

That is surprising!
I remember back in the 80s dad worked for american freight, which was terminal transport.

One of our old neighbors owned his own truck, he talked about getting fined if caught running recaps for his steering axle..
But then again that is nearly 30 years ago!

 

[DanD78]

I think the recaps on stearing axles only applied to buses but that is a 30 year old memory.

Dan

 

[RadarTech]

I think the recaps on stearing axles only applied to buses but that is a 30 year old memory.

Dan

Yea.. A, memory that stuck very well!

 

[VitaBene]

NO...

In MA, it is not legal to use caps on steer wheels. In practice, it should be illegal everywhere.

 

[Pops15]

Isn't there a set of rules about no recaps on steering tires on semis and dump trucks?

Back in the 80's I knew a guy that worked for a company that sold and serviced truck tires. Back then it was illegal to run recaps on steering axles. I can't imagine the laws getting less restrictive since then.
More recently a buddy of mine drove a semi dump for a big construction company. Whenever they would get a new tractor or trailer they'd pull all of the new tires off except for the steering tires and put recaps on. They'd save all of the new tires for future use as steering tires.

 

[zman007007]

It's illegal in S.C. from what I have always been told too run recaps on the front of big trucks. zman

 

[wdchyd]

IIRC, NH is the same, illegal on front...

 

[blueriver]

It's illegal in S.C. from what I have always been told too run recaps on the front of big trucks. zman

Understood ... big trucks travel the country ... I guess I should have explained in my post ... farm truck, 4x4 dually about 7500 miles a year.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Its illegal nation wide to run them on the steer axles. Im not sure on a uad steer rig like a crane carrier or super heavy haul truck. On a tri or quad rear axle with spring loaded steering you can run them since they steer indempendent of the front wheels. We run them on the tandems 8 tires per tandem on the roll offs. I had a cheap customer that ran recaps on the front of his hobby farm truck. A 100 dollar savings cost him his life when the right steering tire blew.

The main reason the recaps seperate is low tire pressure. It causes heat to build between the add on plys and they will seperate. Ive run Caps on the back of my 2 ton dump for 5 years never had a problem. Some recapped loader tires get a lope in them. I ran a 988 Cat for a company I worked for and it had Caps on the front tires for working in shot rock. On the road even with the ride control on the front tires would hop at each place where they were joined.

 

[sandman2234]

I would be interested in seeing these laws in print.
Bus steer tires I get, but the rest are suspect, probably just a good idea instead of actually being law.
Tractor trailers are not forbidden to run caps on steer tires,but I know of none that do,
David from jax

 

[Duffster]

I would be interested in seeing these laws in print.

Same here.

I was doing some research a while back on caps. I will have to see if I can find it.

Edit:

Found it.

This thread pretty much spells it all out.

http://www.truckersforum.net/forum/f97/can-you-run-recaps-your-steer-tires-12973/index2.html

 

[Mace Canute]

Just FYI...since this relates to Saskatchewan only and nowhere else. From http://www.qp.gov.sk.ca/documents/English/Regulations/Regulations/V2-1R10.pdf

(4)The tires on the steering axle of a type A-2 vehicle shall not be retreaded tires, unless the tires on that axle are of a type that cannot be transferred to another axle of the vehicle.

(10)Notwithstanding subsection (4), the administrator may approve the use of retreaded tires on a steering axle.

(oo) Type A vehicle means a self-propelled vehicle designed for operation on highways and includes a car, truck, van, motorhome, multipurpose passenger vehicle, power unit and bus as defined in CMVSS and type A-1 to type A-3 vehicles, but does not include a vintage vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, motorcyle or special mobile machine.

(pp) Type A-1 vehicle means a type A vehicle that is a car, truck, van, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck that is 2060 millimetres or less in width.

(qq) Type A-2 vehicle means a type A vehicle that is a bus, power unit, chassis cab or truck that is more than 2060 millimetres width.

(rr) Type A-3 vehicle means a type A vehicle that is registered with the administrator as a school bus and is designed and used primarily for the transportation of school children.

(2060 millimetres is 81.1 inches)

 

[QRTRHRS]

I too grew up with caps and I am definately in favor of cold caps on trucks but not on the front axle. If I was told to get in a highway truck with caps on the front, I would say give me my money and see ya!

Nor have I got a list of states that do ban front caps but I do know New Jersey does and has for quite some time.

One thing that has changed is there is a time limit on capping tires now. Tires have manufacturing dates and after five years I believe, they are no longer legally cappable.