Tire Explosion- Salem, NH

[Red Horse]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but an unfortunate reminder. A young worker at a Sears tire store was killed this week when a "truck tire" he was working on exploded. He was killed and the customer who was close by was badly injured. No word on exactly what was involved in this incident but a newspaper account indicated he was working on an.."industrial tire changer". I don't usually think of Sears when it comes to large truck tires but the fact that the paper referred to an "industrial tire changer" leads me to believe perhaps this was a 3 piece rim that was not caged. Again a guess.

Further point, I picked up two junk tire wheel assemblies last week- 8 x 24 rims-tough to find. One tire not holding air, the other charged. I took them over to a heavy truck shop (where I'm known and they love seeing the old to have them broken down, blasted and painted, and the owner said.."forget it-I'm done working with those".

So say a prayer for those involved in this incident which is another painful reminder of what can happen.

If anyone has anymore details please post.

Thx

[1958 F.W.D.]

Red Horse, can you post a link to the newspaper article, or what part of the world did this happen in, I can do a search?

[Freightrain]

Found this with a quick google search:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/12/nh_man_22_dies_when_tire_explodes_at_sears_in_salem

I'm guessing it was likely a "big" truck tire, like for a 4x4 or dually? Not really a "truck" tire in the sense we think of. I don't think a Sears would handle anything bigger then that? Might be wrong?

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Sad to hear. and sounds like Sears is losing their discipline- I worked in a Sears auto center in the late 60s and we were told not to mess with big truck tires and any kind of split rims, we were to refer them to the Sears truck tire center instead.

[Red Horse]

Red Horse, can you post a link to the newspaper article, or what part of the world did this happen in, I can do a search?

Freightrain's link has the same wire service story. As an aside I called one of the biggest multi location commercial tire outfits this AM to check on what it would cost me for them to blast these Daytons I picked up -(35 bucks-just the rim itself). I asked the guy what he had heard and he said..."probably an f-450/550 with 19.5's -Sears won't work on anything bigger and even those must go in a cage even though they are a one piece rim".

[Gmerrill0516]

I've shopped there a million times. Darn shame but compressed air is dangerous as we all know. Exercise caution...Extreme Caution. I just had a set of tires mounted for the fire engine. I've not seen them since they got back to the shop. I wonder how much air they left in them??? Should be zero psi right?

[Bigdogtrucker]

What a shame...R.I.P

[Freightrain]

If you read the manual for your F450(we have one) it states that when you fill the tires you are suppose to hook a long line and stay a specific distance from the tire while inflating.

It was near 20 yrs ago I was helping my buddy change some 22.5's out on his trailer. Doing it all manually. We started on one as one was filling up. Suddenly.....BOOM!!!.........the sidewall went out of the tire we just mounted. Lucky we were away from it, it was laying on the ground. Had a bit of ringing in my ear for a while, but we survived.

[Vladislav]

All that sounds bad and dangerous.

Although many of us have some or some lots of wheels done.

Would like to know is the matter of issue too bad condition of a rim/rim lock ring wich you can determine or anything you can't figure out?

[Terry T]

It doesn't have to be a large tire to kill or seriously injure. Long story but some needed background to under stand. Several years ago we were rushing against the weather to get practice in for a nice paying Late Model race at Anderson, IN. One of the teams had a failry new tire guy in the tire impound struggling to get a tire to bead up. Our Hoosier Bias ply tires are recommended to be inflated to only 40 psi. Our teams tire guy walked by this individual as he was bouncing the tire/rim on the ground, most of his body on top of the tire/rim, trying to get the bead to "pop". Stan said "still struggling I see" and the reply was "I have 80 pounds in this and it still won't pop". Stan told him he needs to empty the tire & start over again and continued to walk away. I was at our hauler working on our car about 200 feet from the tire impound area when the explosion happened. I seen the rim going straight into the air about 80' to 90' & the dust cloud was huge. Then silence everywhere, then people began yelling for help. The individual had been standing over the tire when it exploded. The rim blew out of the tire striking him nearly severing his left arm, cutting & crushing his left knee and several other injuries, the rim continued on and struck a tire cart ( a cart that is long & narrow and can hold 4 mounted tires below & 4 more above) destroying that then it contiuned straight up (which is when I seen it). The man was flown from Anderson to Methodist Hospital (where those injured at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are typically taken) in Indy where his arm was re-attached & a prosthetic knee cap was inserted. He recovered but not fully.

This is the type of wheel/tire combo that we use, sorry but the best pic I have.

[hatcity]

I DO NOT!!!! break tires down AT ALL!!

I bring them to a tire shop just a short way from me.

I keep two mounted tires for spares so I don't have to worry

[m16ty]

One of my coworkers had a sidewall blow out on a 24.5 while he was airing it up. It blew him back about 4' into a toolbox. Luckily he only suffered broken glasses and two black eyes.

I was standing about 40' away at a shop window and the concussion was so bad it broke the window where I was standing.

[Loadstar]

Very sad.......we all make mistakes.....young and old alike

[Gmerrill0516]

I keep wondering how to safely air up big tires...when on the truck. What is the correct equipment and process if any to do it while not holding the chuck with your nose at the bead? I'd appreciate some schooling on what to use. I've seen the chucks that kind of clamp onto the stem but what I have run into works badly and how do you get to the proper pressure while using one?

I'm not set up right and I think it is time to change that while I still can.

Thanks

[theakerstwo]

At one time sears had big truck service trucks ever were.Some fleets run sears tires because of the network they had.

[41chevy]

I put four 35.00x12.5Rx15 tires on my JEEP pick up at Mavis tire. Watching through the customer waiting room window as the tech was putting the 1st tire on the new Mojock rims. He struggled trying to set the beads for a bit. The "head tech" came over with a can of starting fluid, sprayed some in the tire and lit it off .Literally blew the bead up on the rim. I went out side and waited for the parts to fly past. Service manager said that's SOP for bigger truck tires. Saw a mobile tire service do the same thing with a trailer tire. ABSOILUTLY NUTS!!

Wonder if that happened at this shop? Sorry for the family and the customer to have to live with it. Paul

[bullhusk]

I was at a tire place here in Jersey a few years back waiting to get tires mounted on my pick up; well it was about 10 above zero out side and this guy pulls an alum. Bud wheel off a MACK and takes a 11R 24.5 out of the warehouse where it's about 70 plus mounts it on the cold rim and it blew off the rim and broke both his arms! He was lucky!!

BULLHUSK

[Red Horse]

Amazing huh? A lot of experienced people here and we are all (so it seems to me) now scratching our heads about what we have taken for granted as we bend over with an air chuck on a tire at 90 pds! Have to admit- only "fear" I've ever had is an uncaged lock ring taking off

[AZB755V8]

I put four 35.00x12.5Rx15 tires on my JEEP pick up at Mavis tire. Watching through the customer waiting room window as the tech was putting the 1st tire on the new Mojock rims. He struggled trying to set the beads for a bit. The "head tech" came over with a can of starting fluid, sprayed some in the tire and lit it off .Literally blew the bead up on the rim. I went out side and waited for the parts to fly past. Service manager said that's SOP for bigger truck tires. Saw a mobile tire service do the same thing with a trailer tire. ABSOILUTLY NUTS!!

Wonder if that happened at this shop? Sorry for the family and the customer to have to live with it. Paul

That is NUTS but my brother does it a lot on the farm. Said its the only way to get a skid steer tire back on the bead without taking the wheel off the machine. He had alway been a little crazy though.

Sorry to hear a person was killed setting a bead, unfortunately it will not be the last time.

[carlotpilot]

I keep wondering how to safely air up big tires...when on the truck. What is the correct equipment and process if any to do it while not holding the chuck with your nose at the bead? I'd appreciate some schooling on what to use. I've seen the chucks that kind of clamp onto the stem but what I have run into works badly and how do you get to the proper pressure while using one?

I'm not set up right and I think it is time to change that while I still can.

Thanks

there is a commerclal use tireflator with a built in pressure gauge it has a lever you sqeeze to put air in when you release it the guage pops out showing the amt. of pressure in the tire one of these connected to about 8 ft of hose with a clip on chuck att. will give you plenty of room to stand well away from the tire you are airing

[blackdog2]

The old 16.5- 16.0 rims on C-20 &F-250 in the 70s 80s the 16.5 tire would fit on the 16.0 rim and air up to a certain point and then %#@&^%!

[m16ty]

You can get hurt using either but it's unlikely it will create a huge exsplosion. Using either, you're actually working with a lot lower pressures than you are with even a partially inflated tire.

Tires are dangerous but can be worked with relitively safe if you just use some precautions. I'll contiue to change my own tires because shops want a fortune to do it for you.

[Outbehindthebarn]

That is NUTS but my brother does it a lot on the farm. Said its the only way to get a skid steer tire back on the bead without taking the wheel off the machine. He had alway been a little crazy though.

Sorry to hear a person was killed setting a bead, unfortunately it will not be the last time.

WD-40 works too.

https://www.facebook.com/PfuschAmBauGmbh/videos/725121430942788/

[thomastractorsvc]

You have to have respect for tires, no matter if they are car, light truck, large truck or industrial. Passenger tires are supposed to be inflated in a tire cage but I have never seen one in a car tire shop and most techs get a 20 minute crash course in how to run the machine and that is it. It is not uncommon for a tech to fail to release the rim clamp on the newer machines and inflate the tire and ruin a alloy rim or in the old days on the center mount machines have to deflate a tire because they failed to release the center locking clamp and the clamp get wedged on the rim or bend the center.

Everyone who checks there own tires should have a remote hose and a clip or locking air chuck. For less than $20 that is a smart investment. I made up a hose regulator and gauge with quick disconnects that I use with a regular air hose (25 ft rubber) and a locking air chuck with quick disconnect. Also on new mounted tires I over inflate by by 10lbs to 15 lbs depending on the max air single vs dual than de-flate and re-inflate to proper pressure. That is what the new automated truck tire inflators do.

[mowerman]

thats just not right....i used to due alotta split rims in the 70,s but nowdays,,,i dont really feel comfortable with them,,,although i will still work with them,,,,lotsa prayers for the man,,,and his family...bob