Tires can be one of the most problematic materials to recycle due to their extreme durability and the large number of scrap tires generated by consumers. In spite of that, once a tire is no longer fit for its original purpose, it is also one of the materials most likely to be recycled, since the resulting material is so resilient and works well for many secondary uses such as roadways, recreation surfaces, and even new tires (retreads). The United States Environmental Agency reports notes that upwards of 290 million scrap tires are generated annually, of which roughly 15 percent were used to make auto and truck retreads.

Refuse tires are typically an undesirable item at landfills. Their cumbersome shape takes up excessive space and the methane gas they emit causes them to bubble to the surface. This can damage landfill liners and pollute nearby ground and surface water.

These are likely some of the reasons for the following restrictions, described in a Rubber Manufacturers Association report in 2009: 38 states banned whole tires from landfills, 35 allowed shredded tires, 12 banned all tires from landfills and 20 allowed processed tires in mono-fills. These developments and other variables have contributed to an emergence in various recycling markets for scrap tires, and equipment such as tire derimmers and shears are used in many of those markets.

Multitek has manufactured rim crushers since 1983 and still have many of the original machines in the field today. According to Marcus Steigerwaldt, the firm’s business development manager, “Our line of rim crushers consolidates the rim at either one or three points, depending on the model. The rims are crushed down and the tire is removed at the same time. With an easy-to-use, one lever, detented hydraulic cylinder, the operator is a safe distance from the crushing action. We offer a heavy-duty, single-cylinder truck rim crusher as well. Our TRC-460 product offers a 48” opening, a 6” custom-made cylinder and a diesel engine to crush even stubborn truck rims.”

Multitek’s best-selling, high-volume wheel crusher is the WC-500 model. “It is designed for light truck and car rims. With a 3-ram design, the machine removes the tire and efficiently crushes 120 wheels per hour. This has been our number one rim crusher for 30 years and is popular throughout North America, Europe and Asia.”

To meet end-user requirements, all of the company’s wheel crushers are offered in either stationary electric or diesel configurations. “Our machines are built to withstand years of heavy use, and only the highest grade components are put into our products, including Multitek-manufactured hydraulic cylinders, AR-400 crushing rails, Yanmar or Kubota diesel engines, and a set of wear pads to ensure no steel on steel wear,” said Steigerwaldt.

A family-owned and operated Iowa-based company, Desco has been manufacturing and selling tire and wheel recycling equipment for over 25 years. “We’re proud that our complete line of tire shears and derimmers are designed and built to last, and easy to operate and maintain,” said Lew Smith, a co-owner.

Desco’s customer base “ranges from tire shops that need to reduce cost on disposing of up to 400 tires weekly, to waste haulers. Haulers often look for ways to turn the never-ending flow of tires in their containers into a profit center. Cutting tires also saves on hauling costs – you can haul a lot more cut tires in a container then you can whole tires. We also serve those with a landfill, who cut up and use refuse tires for filtration and daily top cover, and tire recyclers use our products to cut up large semi tires before shredding them,” Smith said.

He added, “Our company provides equipment to anyone who needs to cut scrap tire disposal cost. The ease of operation we’ve built into our machines allow the shears to cut around 80 to 100 tires an hour. Our derimmers are just as effective, derimming around 115 to 145 wheels within an hour.”

Wally Welander, sales manager, said that Eagle International provides car and truck tire derimmers, and that both offer several operator safety features along with aspects such as little to no lifting required, industrial quality hydraulic components, Kohler industrial gas, and Kubota (car) and Isuzu diesel (truck), and electric engine motors.

Eagle, started in 1991, provides equipment to meet the worldwide environmental needs of the waste tire industry. One of their products, the Tru-Cut, is for car, truck and rear tractor tires. Eagle’s Titan II cuts OTR and mining tires up to 48” across the tread and up to 13’ in diameter. “The design and location of our cylinder mount is one example of the uniqueness of our product,” Welander said and he added, “That design allows our product blades to cut with equal cutting pressure throughout the cut cycle. Our entire line of cutters has registered patents.”

Other products offered include debeaders, side wall cutters, balers and hoppers. With an eye to the future of the industry, Eagle is active with all government agencies in the development of beneficial uses for waste tires. For instance, the unique features of the “Enviro-Block” product offers many uses for discarded tires.

Regarding the future of the industry, Steigerwaldt commented, “We saw a slowdown in demand for rim crushers in 2009, largely due to scrap steel fetching lower prices. Looking forward, we see an uptick in scrap prices and industrial output in Asia and North America.”

Smith stated that 2009 was trying and “We’ve learned that now, more than ever, we have to find ways to save money every chance we can, and find new ways to grow our business. We know our products have a proven track record to meet those objectives.”