Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. says it will be the first retreader in the world to have a 57-inch mold.
The mold is scheduled to be installed at Purcell's Potosi, Mo., retread plant next month, Purcell President Dennis Flynn told moderntiredealer.com.
"Bigger is better" has always been a theme at Purcell, which is the largest independently owned retreader in the United States, second only to Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems LLC (owned by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.) and Michelin North America Inc.'s Tire Centers LLC subsidiary.
The August 2006 issue of Modern Tire Dealer profiled a giant curing chamber that was installed at the dealership's Potosi facility earlier in the summer.
The chamber, which can cure up to 63-inch OTR tires, stands 18 feet tall, is 18 feet wide, weighs 73,000 pounds and has an inside diameter of 180 inches.
Purcell produces 100 OTR, 1,000 medium truck and 150 light truck retreads a day out of five plants, according to MTD's 2006 Top U.S. Retreaders List.
