The Making of Tire Balls
I recently had the opportunity to visit Tire Balls
in Crestwood, KY to see what these magic balls are all about. I met with Wade Summers the founder of Tire Balls, along with Curt, Paul, Jeff and Brock.
I always pictured a huge building with these large machines strung from one end to the other, pumping out Tire Balls. Well it is a somewhat large building but not as big as I pictured and don’t think that it’s as small as a broom closet because it’s not.
Some of you might notice the John Deere in the background. That's not for
cutting grass around the shop, that mean machine has 4 tires full of Tire
Balls. They are inventing Tire Balls for more things than just ATV's and
motorcycles. Some are hush hush so I won't go into detail.
I was happily greeted by Curt at the door with a smile and a "How’s it going Rico?" He was pretty eager to get me to the secret room were these magic flat proof system, Tire Balls, were made. Brock the head tire ball maker lead us to the back room were a few small but very sophisticated machines formed a circle. The first thing I noticed was a roll of what appeared to be thin Rubber. It’s actually 25 mm thick polyurethane rolled up ready to be stamped on a press into small square pieces, which would later be turned into round pieces.
The first series of Tire Balls made were a 2 ply version. Two 25 mm thick pieces were put together to make the ball with a 50mm thick sidewall. Now they have the light version of Tire Balls that have been in testing by top XC riders and they have been holding up better than thought. What this does is lower production cost and the cost to the end user that purchases the Tire Balls. It truly is a win, win situation for all parties involved. The stamp used to form the squares vary on the application. Size depends on whether it’s for an ATV or Motorcycle use and the size of tire.
Once the proper size stamp has been placed on the press the process begins.
The rubber is pulled over the stamp which is laid on a press. The top of the press is pulled over into place.
With the push of a button and Cah-chunk the start of a Tire Balls is underway.
The next step is to insert a valve so that air can fill up the ball when it’s been finished. About one step away is the press that inserts the small valve. The small 1st step parts of the tire ball are placed on a die that holds the piece in place along with the valve that’s to be inserted/welded to the ball.
It’s then placed in a press.
With the push of a button and a Cah-chunk this process is complete.
You now have half of a Tire Balls made with valve in place.
The next step is to apply the back side or other half of the Tire Balls to the first piece. This process is also done with a press. The biggest question I had about Tire Balls is what kind of adhesive or solution do they use to make the seam of the ball. I new they were made of two parts put together, but what could be used to hold in air even when a truck drives over one or a forklift for that matter? Well to my amazement radio frequency waves are used to weld the too materials together.
The 2 rubber pieces are placed on a billet piece of Aluminum with guides on four corners to
hold it in place.
It’s then put in the Frequency machine so that both pieces of rubber will become one.
The process takes place within seconds and you now have a complete Tire Ball in its early stage.
The last step is cutting off the excessive material left over. This also gets put on a press and with the push of a button and a Cah-chunk it’s now round. All excessive material is recycled. This is great for the environment and means there is no waste of product.
In the end you have a Tire Ball which has taken over the off road world of ATV and motorcycle racing.
A view of Tire Balls installed in ATV Tires.
All the top riders on bikes and quads and many amateurs now run the Tire Balls to help reduce flats, better traction and also cost. Some might say "What do you mean reduce cost"?? They’re not cheap items to install in 4 ATV tires. The cost to fill up one ATV tire with Tire Balls is almost the same cost as two 6 ply ATV tires. Now a nice sidewall puncture to a brand new tire just cost you $70+ dollars and is of no use to you anymore. With Tire Balls you don’t have to worry about the holes all thru the tire and can actually get more wear out of the tire and tread over a longer period of time. Most avid ATV riders and racers know that flats are common and the horrid sidewall holes usually cannot be plugged or patched. Logically Tire Balls can and will save you money in the long run.
Another very large benefit of running Tire Balls is the traction and better handling that it offers. Most riders that run Tire Balls will agree that it’s just like having another set of shocks and that the suspension of the quad is so much better than before. Some even stated that running them with stock shocks is like running a quad with aftermarket shocks. Also the traction increased so much that it was as if the tires were glued to the ground. If you’re a racer then Tire Balls are almost a must. Anyone that races knows when you come to a creek crossing or a rocky section you slow down and almost tip toe thru the dangerous area to keep from getting a flat. Well with Tire Balls installed you won’t even need to slow down. Tire Balls recently started a contingency program to help riders that support them. If your Interested in Tire Balls fill free to contact them at 1-877-TIREBAL (877-847-3225)
TBDC, LLC
The Tire Ball Development Company
6244 Old LaGrange Rd
Suite 20
Crestwood, KY 40014
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-TIREBAL (877-847-3225)