18 wheelers, tractor trailer units; whatever you call them; they certainly have wheels considerably larger than those found on the cars that we personally own and drive. Additionally, they have more wheels and often, each wheel might be a double wheel.
What If They Get A Flat, Blowout; Or, Other Tire Problem?
Our personal cars all carry a spare wheel (or they should do and that wheel should already have a good condition, correctly inflated tire fitted to its rim). Additionally, we carry either a small hydraulic jack, or some sort of screwed mechanical device; so we can easily lift a problem wheel off the road so that we can take it off and replace it with our spare. Despite the jokes; even most ladies can change a wheel when called upon to do so.
Surely, the same principle can be applied to trucks of any size? OK; a pick up is more or less a car with an open back end and everything is more or less the same size as found on a sedan model, etc. But, once we enter the mainstream of heavier goods transportation; everything becomes larger, heavier and more rugged. While most of them do carry spare wheels; the jacking device to change a wheel must be correspondingly much bigger and of increased lifting capacity. Road side wheel changes are not such a simple matter for the driver of an 18 wheeler, who may well need to get his vehicle to a specialized service center that has all the equipment needed for a heavy duty wheel change.
All 18 Are Not Necessarily The Same
On an 18 wheeler, the wheels at different positions along the length of the combined tractor and trailer unit have to operate under different conditions regarding load and other forces. Their tires are all made from a base polymer (generically what we call rubber); but, this will have to be built up in different configurations and combinations depending on what use it will be put to once finished.
Different grades of rubber can be used and, these days, all will have some sort of reinforcement for additional strength. Reinforcement materials can be synthetic textile filaments (such as Nylon or Kevlar); or, they may be metallic wires. Each type is categorized by the position it has on the vehicle; e.g.:- steering, drive axle, or trailer.
With so much specialization; anyone seeking to; either repair existing; or purchase new Truck Tires In Chicago has to carefully select who to go to. One such expert is the company called Wilrae Inc. in Bridgeview. Visit them at
