Flat Tires Versus Blown Tires On Heavy Equipment

Posted on: 29 August 2016

In truth, you should fix flat tires and blown tires if you ever want to drive your heavy equipment again. However, when given the option, you should want to fix the flats to avoid the blown tires. Here are the differences between these two commonly confused terms and why it is better to fix a flat tire before it turns into a fully-blown tire.

Fixing a Flat

As heavy as heavy construction trucks and equipment are, that is how much weight their massive tires have to support every day. It should come as no surprise then, when a tire starts to go flat. Before it goes all the way flat and you have to hire a really expensive tow truck to carry your truck offsite to a heavy equipment repair shop, drive it slowly to the shop yourself. As long as the distance is not too great and you drive very slowly, you can make it to the shop in time. There the tire can be removed, patched, and inflated, or if need be, replaced.

"Fixing" a Blown Tire

It is a terrifying thing when a blown tire blows because it literally blows up and chunks of the tire spin out all over the road. The tire is completely shot, and there is absolutely no way to put it back together. This is an especially unfortunate situation when the tires on your equipment trucks were fairly new already, but there is really no other solution but to tow the truck into the shop and replace the affected tires. You cannot drive the truck in because there is no tire on the rim and no way for any roadside service to put another tire on these massive vehicles.

Why the Terms Get Confused

Lots of people say that they have "blown a tire" when really they just got a flat on the highway. However, it was just popped and flattened. Only when a tire rips to shreds and peels away from the rim in pieces is it truly blown. You can always fix or patch a flat and drive on it—you cannot do that with a blown tire. Additionally, fixing the flat prevents the blown tire from ever occurring, and that should always be on your mind when you see a tire start to go flat on one of your heavy construction vehicles.

To learn more, contact local professionals in heavy equipment repair.

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