Recap separation?

Looks like it got separated due to tire being rubbed up against a curb. Look at the side of the tread. It’s clearly been damaged. I think it’s the start of it coming apart. Soon to be an alligator on the road. Hopefully doesn’t injure anyone or damage anything, when it comes apart. It’s a matter of time before it separates.

 

Hand, I waited until this morning to make my reply. I would NEVER run a tractor with a tire in that condition. I, however, have run trailers with caps I knew were loose. The photo you posted looks like the driverside front outside tire. Just based on that photo I would tend to agree with what @Long FLD said. I would run it if I saw no obvious defects.

99% of the time what happens is the cap flys off but the tire will stay inflated. This is a danger in 3 ways. First depending it can cause serious damage to the trailer. It can cause damage to other vehicles and finally, it can become a road hazard another vehicle can pick up.

YOU are the Captain of that truck. It is YOU that is Per 392.7 held responsible for the operation of that truck. Not your dispatcher, not the tire shop or the shop supervisor. You are not happy, DO NOT operate that equipment. Grow a pair and stand up for yourself. If needed call your safety dept. Don't allow ANYONE even people on these boards to bully you because you are a rookie. Trust me on this. If you allow a shop boss to bully you, and something happens?? Right, that shop boss will be nowhere in sight and it is YOU that will take the hit.

 

I did road service for a recapping company for about 6 years. That picture of the tire is perfectly fine.

 

If the tire was capped by a quality company they would be proud of their product and would have trimmed it right.
Makes you wonder what other steps they skipped in the process.

 

Poor quality recap. Perfect play to ease it in and turn it in to be replaced. A long trip in the heat would most likely be the end of that tire.

 

Recaps should be made illegal.

Many of the gators people hit are because either the driver didn't do a good pre-trip, or it was just a junk recap job.

 

On what basis should they be illegal? You realize almost all commercial and military airplanes have recap tires, even many major motorcyle road race teams use recaps. If those two applications, in particular, have no issues, perhaps there is more to the story. Your second sentence I absolutely agree with the first part, the second is debateable. Seriously, how many drivers put a tire gauge on their tires at least once a week, all 18 of them? And no, "thumping" a tire is not an acceptable air pressure check.

In many states recaps are even legal in the steer position for most applications. Statistically recaps have a lower failure rate than virgin tires. Every tire you see blown out on the road seems to automatically be assumed to be a recap, a false assumption repeated over and over by both truckers and the public.

 

I agree 100%. With one exception. I think the "cold cap" recapping process should be outlawed. Most all the caps you see on the road are "cold caps". Most of the time these things fail because the recap shop owner will not follow the correct procedure and will yank the tire out of the matrix way too early. There is a better process where the tire is buffed and rubber is applied much better, then the tire is "cooked". these caps have a better reputation for lasting longer, however, they are also more expensive to recap. This youtube video at the 2:15 mark shows how this better process is done. While this tire is small, I have seen this process done with Truck tires.