The steer axle is arguably the most essential part of a sem-truck as it’s directly influenced by every movement of the steering wheel. Thus, it’s vital that you buy excellent steer axle tires that fit your preferences and needs. Having proper steering axle semi truck tires means your vehicle stays on the road generating income for longer while keeping the driver and other road users safe. Here are special considerations for picking your truck’s steer axle tires.
- Good water drainage
Ensure that you pick a steering axle tire with good water drainage properties for your truck. By checking the "Grip on wet surface" label, you can figure this out.
- Good steering properties
The tires for your semi truck must have good steering properties and allow for smooth steering. Moreover, the tires should be able to cover many miles in a straight line without turning unnecessarily.
- Maximum roundness
You should pick semi truck tires with maximum roundness. They will improve driver comfort by reducing vibrations to the cabin.
Rethreading
Now that you have fitted the perfect new tires to your semi truck fleet, you don’t have to deal with the high cost of purchasing new tires every time they wear out. Rethreading allows you to keep the cost of tire replacement down during your semi truck repair by up to two-thirds. Rethreads are permitted on any wheel position on a vehicle, including the steer axles. However, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration) has banned commercial passenger buses from using steer axle rethreads.
You should know that although steer axle rethreads are allowed on semi trucks, it’s under a strict guideline. The special considerations for steer axle tire rethread on semi trucks involve tire casing. They encompass rethreading only original life tire casing, maximum casing age limits, and a maximum number of tire repairs.
You must make sure that the rethreaders working on your fleet thoroughly inspect and analyze the casing of each tire before beginning the rethreading process. There is non-destructive testing equipment available for damage and separations to the casing. During semi truck repair, it’s imperative that only the casings that achieve the highest ratings be considered for rethreading and installation on the steering axles.
When it comes to puncture repair for the steer axle tires on semi-trucks, the FMCSA put no limit on the number of times it can be done as long as none of the puncture repairs overlap. However, it caps the maximum repairable puncture size at 3/8-in diameter after preparation.
Do You Need Help With Semi Truck Tires?
J&M Trailer Repair is a top-class mobile truck and trailer repair service provider located in the City of Ocala, Florida. We provide 24-hour services to clients across the regions to help you take care of your equipment so that you can get back to business. We run two repair trucks and three mobile repair units, plus seven full-sized trailer and truck bays. Contact us for excellent semi truck roadside assistance and other semi truck repair services.