Wisdom of takeoffs?

[Paladin]

First: It's not my wish to question anyones preferences, in fact I'm kind of interested but want to know the pros and cons since maybe over the winter I'll start looking a bit for new or used shoes for the beast.

Many people have told me that new tires are the way to go. It's obvious to see why new is a good thing but won't they rot out before I ever get to wear them out? Those things are expensive!

Many people have said that buying used takeoffs are the way to go. It's also obvious to see potential benefits of this idea but then again you can buy some guys old junk that blows out and damages part of your rig and may also cause a crash.

So I'd like to hear the bottom line, what is everyones opinion on them? How many here run on takeoffs?

If you like them, what brands do you look for? What are some of the more common brands that you'll see? Michelin? Toyo?
Where do you find the best deals? Bus companies, trucking companies?
What should you look for to avoid besides obvious wear and rot?
How much should you expect to pay on average for the tires and does the place also like to mount them for you to get a little extra money in their pockets? Should you go this route or take them elsewhere?

Also, personally I'm very wary of retreads and I know you can't run them on the steer. What's everyones general feeling on them? Yeah, I know many trucks run them.



-Dave

[lostagain]

Retreads are great. Its a good way to recycle the rubber in the casings, which can be retreaded several times. They won't come apart if you keep the pressure up. I've run them on both my buses with no problems.

JC

[Paladin]

Really?

I know I'm biased and living in the past, I remember my dad buying retreads for the car when I was little and them always leaving alligators behind. I'm sure things are much better now, I hope.

Never heard dad cuss much but those alligators sure ticked him off!

[Dallas]

I put millions of miles on trucks and semi trailers running recaps.
I had no more problem with them than I did with new rubber. As far as I know, modern retreaders use an X-ray to determine the suitability of a casing for reuse.

The last set of Bandag caps that I bought for my truck ran well over 220,000 miles with no problems, hauling primarily oversize, overweight and permit loads.

I think it's just a matter of personal preference any more with many people living in the past, remembering the days of bad retreading practices, where any tire that came through the shop got a new layer of rubber put on it. Those days are long gone, I'm glad to say.

It's just up to you and your driving habits

Dallas

[captain ron]

I had retreads on my bus and thought they were in great shape, looked new. My bus always had a vibration and it was worse in the rear. On the way back from Sturgis I blew an outside drive (retread) the next day I buy a used tire and start down the road, 200 miles later I lose the inside drive on the same side (retread) both tires looked brand new. I bought 4 takeoffs from a bus co. and boy did it make a big difference, smooth, no vibration and I paid $600.00 mounted for them. I would love to have the peace of mind of all "NEW" tire but can't afford them. I will never use retreads again and would advise against them. I'm only glad they never came loose on my way to Sturgis and hit a biker. They are a big risk and liability.

[Jeremy]

With relation to car tyres (which may or may not have any relevance to bus/truck tyres), the UK market is constantly awash with take-off tyres from Germany, where they have a law requiring all cars to switch to 'winter' tyres in the winter months - some people keep two sets of wheels/tyres for their cars, others buy new ones each time, which means lots of lightly-worn used tyres for Britain. I have a set of them on my Lexus at the moment with no problems - but when I bought them I was sure to inspect them closely as when I had previously bought a set for my Range Rover one of them was later confiscated by a tyre repair place - I had taken it in for a puncture repair and they found it had had an illegal repair to it's sidewall - nothing to do with the puncture I suffered, but they wouldn't let it go back on the road.

Jeremy

[Kristinsgrandpa]

Dax, if you are going to consider recaps remember to look at the manufacturing date code on the side wall.

It will tell you the date of mfg. It'll be "some" indication of the usefullness of the tire. If you can't find the code don't walk, run away.

A couple of weeks ago I talked to the local truck sales/repair shop owner and was told my tires were too old to have recapped, as there was an age limit here in Ohio, (maybe everywhere)

I believe he said 5 yrs was the limit.  That said, I'll say he didn't recap tires, just sold new ones.

Some people say "there are more alligators left on the roadside from new tires than from recaps". Check the archives on both boards.

Ed

[HB of CJ]

Yeah, again, pretty much the same answer.  In my situation, the budget gets top priority; the less $money$ spent the better.  No money spent is best.  More money spent is bad and usually impossible,  since there isn't any.

To find great deals on take-off's stop at your local friendly truck stop and gather up all the $free$ (I love that word!) advertising magazines at the cash register.  Inside them you will usually find all sorts of  offers on truck tires, sometimes....

....with Alcoa wheels mounted on them.  Or is it the other way around.  Hummm.  Yeah again, check the date and amount of tread left, also ask if they were repaired or such, a lot of times they know and they will tell you yes or no.

Obviously one would want a complete set of six (6) or ten off the same truck.  Make sure they fit your coach.  Go for the same Brand and lot number.  If Alcoa's come with the tires, have them inspected for dents, bump, runs and errors.

I almost (but not quite) bought a set of ten (10) Michelins on Alcoas, the asking price was just a little bit too much for my budget, which again, is very low.  Sometimes you can cut a cash deal including inspection, mounting and balancing.

Are takes-off's a good idea?  Dunno.  If one can afford it, new tires are the best bet.  I for one have a slight problem using retreads on the back which is what I have now.  I can't afford new, sooss take-off;s are the way to go for me. 

[buswarrior]

Save some money.

Hook up with a trucker who likes to wear new shoes.

Take his perfectly good old virgin shoes off his truck a little earlier and for a better price than the tire man will give him for the used casing.

They are already running fine and you run them until your trucker friend is in the cycle again and do it all over again. If the time line stays tight enough, the take offs from the bus will still be young enough to re-tread, saving a couple more dollars for someone.

Really easy if you both run the same rims.

Or, do the opposite, you run the new shoes for a year or two and sell them for a better price to the trucker.

Or start your own transport company to fascilitate the deal....

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[jjrbus]

I would have used takeoff's if I could have found them. I spent a considerable amount of time in SW Florida looking and could find none. I also contacted some salvage yards, they had nothing I would consider putting on my bus.
I did sell my 6 year old Michlens to a trucker and bought brand new tires.

[Jerry32]

Some truck stops have good used tires but hard to find in the more populated areas. I stopped at a place in Rawlins WY  that had many good used tires but didn't see any with alcoa's Jerry

[Slow Rider]

The take offs you all are finding, are they 11's or 12's?

Frank

[captain ron]

There's some take offs at BK's all you gotta do is takem off that MC8 that's been sitting there for a while.

[prevost82]

I put my old steer tire on the tag slxe. Got 4 new recaps for the drivers and bought 2 steering (50% take-offs) from a wreaking yard for the steering tires.
Ron

[bigtim44]

I'm happy with the new Hancooks on the steers,the bandag recaps on the drives are doing fine.The wore out steers on the tag axle do alright aswell,all tires are 315X80X22.5. I always check my tire pressures before hitting the road.

Tim