Kawasaki KLR Forum banner

Cutting up old tires. A super easy way.

2.4K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  New2kaw  
#1 ·
I've collected a small pile of motorcycle tires and spent trailer tires. At $5 to $10 each disposal, it adds up. Here in Oregon we can legally put them in the trash can IF they're cut into 4th's. I've tried a big angle grinder, bolt cutters and a reciprocating saw. They all suck. Finally found a post about using a log splitter, which I have. Nothing big. Just a 22 ton. WAMMO ! Easily cuts motorcycle tires in 1 cut and steel belted radials in 2 cuts. Back them up with sacrificial chunk of wood.
Image


Image


Image
 
#3 ·
In my neck of the woods we pay a $4 fee when a tire is purchased which covers disposal at end of life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Reveille
#7 ·
I've collected a small pile of motorcycle tires and spent trailer tires. At $5 to $10 each disposal, it adds up. Here in Oregon we can legally put them in the trash can IF they're cut into 4th's. I've tried a big angle grinder, bolt cutters and a reciprocating saw. They all suck. Finally found a post about using a log splitter, which I have. Nothing big. Just a 22 ton. WAMMO ! Easily cuts motorcycle tires in 1 cut and steel belted radials in 2 cuts. Back them up with sacrificial chunk of wood.
I never cut a MC tire up, or any tire for that matter....I am surprised to hear the sawz-all aka recip. saw was no good..maybe it binds on the rubber?
That's pretty neat using the log splitter...don't have one of those handy but if ever get one will recall your tip.
 
#9 ·
:LOL:
Maybe a new product in the making...official "KLR Knobbie Sandal" Company?
Maybe some accessory items to go along with your new knob sandals, Doo Hickey multipurpose tool...screw driver, bottle opener and key fob?

On a non joking about side of reusing stuff...an ancient "hack" the old inner tubes make great heavy duty "rubber bands".
I like re-purposing stuff...finding a new use etc...but foot wear..prob not so much ahaha
 
#11 ·
yep, like that. ahhaha
Reminds me once in Nigeria, walking from compound, had a can of Coke..the drink...bout half full/empty...bunch of little kids swarmed around...they call white folks (sounding it out) Too Ba Boo...which means white person in the lingo...anyway, I handed the can of coke to one of them...he took off like a rabbit..the others chasing him...

A few days later, walking by same huts...they had found a string, tied it on the can...one pulling it along, the others chasing after...happy as clams having big fun...kids are kids wherever in the world they are

A coke can, and a string....give that to a kid here for a "toy"....not gonna go over very good...play station, x box, cell phone..but those little kids made their own fun with a can and a string.....just a contrast I guess...

Once in some "market" area we were in search of some hardware I think it was...translator along...I was getting very overheated and sat under a tarp area at the "shop".
Local woman and little toddler in there with the husband...the kid was fascinated with the hair on my arms...pulling it...so I held him and let him feel the hair..his Momma saying Too Ba Boo..so I guess I was the first white guy he ever saw ahahah....
 
#16 ·
I’m reading these replies and I wanna comment and tell you guys about the first time I had a chance to take a Mission trip and I felt led to go with our church down to Guatemala because we were doing VBS at some sister churches that we had helped build or construct down there and then the adults we would build these little kitchen type huts that were very easy to put together And the families would use them as almost primary living,

but anyway, a couple years ago when we were going, turns out, Wal-Mart had made it into Guatemala city and we decided to save money and we could purchase more down there so we go to the Walmart and we buy a bunch of frisbees and we were gonna have fun you know with some of the games and stuff and I’ll never forget watching these little kids We were trying to teach them how to throw a frisbee and they were so excited because they thought they were plates so they were all trying to scramble to get these colored frisbees as I would throw them and then they would just runoff and disappear.

It was one of the cutest things, and I will never forget it and I’m so thankful that I went.

it also made me realize if you wanna go anywhere on the mountains. All you need is a little Toyota pick up truck with a decent set of tires, only in America do we need a lift kit and 33s to go to the mall! Lol…
 
#17 ·
haha frisbee plates...perfect.
I hesitate sometimes if I should relay some of the horrible stuff seen in other countries...esp. that Mali story...I have some for Nigeria as well...but I can relay this one similar-ish to the frisbee plates...In Mali, we used a large percent of locals...it was a joint venture...US, Turks (who supplied errrr skilled workers)...many of my issues were culture clashes betwixt (never get to use that word ahaha) between the Turks and the locals...suffice to say, it get me busy...but as to the frisbee plates...when we issued hard hats to the locals, never had they seen before let alone been required to wear them...all the standard construction PPE...hard hats, safety glasses and boots. They LOVED the safety glasses, so much they did not want to take the sticker off the lens ahaha..I had to explain (thru interpretation, another nightmare) that they had to peel that off, as it was right in the line of sight! Oh my gosh. They HATED the boots, loathed them..most were either barefoot (skin of feet mush have been tough as leather) or at best, they had what I called "flip flops", open toe rubber shower shoes type thing..boots were not a thing there. But after much issues, they wore them...a few days later my interpreter came in and said..Sir, they don't want to wear the boots. I was upset saying it was already explained, it was a condition of employment...he wanted to "show me"..so I of course went along. Man, did I feel dumb...many had giant blisters, like REALLY bad..because they had worn no SOCKS...yeah, they had no idea what socks were...so we ended up buying a ton of socks to give them...they did not llike them either but it stopped the blister issue. I never thought about socks, figuring anyone who wore boots knew you should have on socks. Eye opener.

As to the hardhats...so the first day, after issue, before prayer time..they would fill them up with water and take a "splash bath" using the hard hat as the tub..its crazy how much water they could get going with their hands...no harm I said...its JUST water..and prob keeps it cleaner.....along comes lunch time...interpreter comes in..the vendor / servers have an issue with the hard hats...what, why, they are not in hard hat area, they don't need hard hats...serve food and go...Off we go to the lunch area...it seems they were upset on the amount of food being served...as the locals were filling up the HARD HAT with food, using a a giant bowl! Eating out of it...yeah, it was always something...but that had to stop immediate, then another meeting of the workforce...NO eating out of your hard hats, ever. Can you picture having to tell someone NOT to do that? But on the other hand, I admired the resourcefulness.

Hardhat as giant food bowl, frisbee as a plate...I get it:eek:
 
#19 ·
Staying on topic I guess,

Where I work we were “allowed” to put our old pallets in the trash dumpster as long as they weren’t completely, so we started just cutting them in half with a battery powered circular saw, well that didn’t last long, hahaha

Now we have a huge trash bin we can use and I just toss them in the bottom and line the floor with them before all the other bits go in.

We pile up the old tires and a local tire vender comes and gets them.
 
#20 ·
Staying on topic I guess,

Where I work we were “allowed” to put our old pallets in the trash dumpster as long as they weren’t completely, so we started just cutting them in half with a battery powered circular saw, well that didn’t last long, hahaha

Now we have a huge trash bin we can use and I just toss them in the bottom and line the floor with them before all the other bits go in.

We pile up the old tires and a local tire vender comes and gets them.
We have quite a few folks who will come to various places that use pallets...usually stacked up in the back of stores.
Most give them away if asked but some are for re-use...the damaged ones they give away..people re purpose them, using the wood to build planters or what not.
The plastic ones, they keep for stocking merch in the stores when supply trucks come.
Even have a few places that sell used wooden pallets in good shape.
I need to check on the tire vendor recycle thing here..it maybe a "disposal fee" here, IDK.
Even if a fee, if reasonable, would not mind just to get rid of them if going to recycling versus a landfill.
For now I just pile them up in the garage but eventually going to get in my way.
 
#22 ·
Your are thinking good and I should be more mindful. I believe tires can get ground up into material for running tracks or other uses. I got way behind in the tire accumulation and the expense grew too big. I use old pallets to stack firewood on temporarily to dry or into winter. 4' x 4' and off the ground. Our dump serves most of N.W. Oregon. It's filling up fast.
 
#25 ·
I have probably 200 to get rid of right now in my pile. Probably go to the landfil.

My last high-school track was the ground up recycled tires. So many kids screwed up their knees and hips that they dug it out and redone it in less than 10 years so I don't know if thats still going on.

I use aluminum and steel pallets I was given 20 years ago for fire wood and har rolls. My plant had a mountain of pallets all the time free to anyone.....yet some of my workers threw them in the compactor. Ive seen everything in it. Propane tanks. Car parts. Bed frames (we didn't make anything to do with that). I even saw an acetylene tank in it once.

There was no limit to what my people would do out of boredom to keep from actually working.