Family-owned since 1944, Bauer Built has helped commercial fleets and owner-operators across the Midwest keep their equipment safe and on the road. Wheel reconditioning is part of how we do that, restoring worn steel and aluminum wheels to a safe, road-ready, like-new finish so you spend less time on repairs and more time in operation.
Why You Should Recondition Your Commercial Wheels
It’s important to know when it’s time to recondition your wheels to prevent small issues from becoming bigger, costlier repairs. Proper wheel maintenance also reduces the chance of compromised fleet performance due to rusty bolts or cracked wheels.
Professional wheel reconditioning and refinishing can help you save money and keep you or your drivers safe on the road. Here’s how:
- Safety & Diagnostics: Our diagnostic testing includes removing rust, old paint and debris so we can find potential defects, such as hairline fractures, rusted bolts and improperly threading nuts.
- Tire Health: A well-maintained finish makes tires easier to mount and dismount and supports better bead seats, less tire bead damage and air retention, helping maintain proper PSI and reduce the risk of a blowout on the road.
- Longer Service Life: Preserving a professional finish on your wheels helps protect against corrosion and rust, extending wheel service life and making future refinishing more efficient.
- Vehicle Appearance: Your rig is like a billboard on wheels. Refinished wheels create a visually appealing aesthetic that can enhance your brand image. Bauer Built offers seven finish colors, including white, black, gray, orange, yellow, red and blue.
- Regulatory Compliance: We adhere to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) safety enforcement program and Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) standards, tailoring our reconditioning services to reduce vehicle violations and safety issues with your tractor and trailer tires, so you can drive with peace of mind.
What’s Included in Our Wheel Reconditioning
Our commercial wheel reconditioning combines inspection, cleaning, refinishing and curing into one complete process, so your wheels come back safe, road-ready and looking like new.
Inspection and Cleaning
Our expert technicians conduct visual inspections to look for oblong holes, cracks, worn mounting faces and bent flanges that could hinder the wheel reconditioning process.
Paint and Grease Removal
Each commercial wheel is moved into a containment chamber and blasted with hot steel bearings to remove all prior coatings, paint, grease and oil.
Second Inspection
We inspect the wheels again before priming and painting to check for signs of damage, inconsistencies and wear that may require further repairs.
Cured Wheels
Commercial wheels are painted via a robotic powder application to ensure a 3-mil thickness then cured in an oven for 15 minutes for a glossy finish.
What Happens to Your Wheels (From Drop-Off to Return)
From drop-off to return, here’s every stage your wheels move through at Bauer Built.
- Drop-off & shipping: You bring your wheels to your local Bauer Built tire center, and we send them to one of our wheel refinishing plants.
- Cleaning & inspection: At the plant, your wheels are cleaned, then blasted with steel shot and abrasive grit to remove built-up dirt, grease and old paint, and inspected for potential safety issues.
- Painting: Our Lesta robotic painter applies an even powder coat to a 3-mil thickness, including primer when you request it.
- Curing: Wheels cure in an infrared catalyst oven for 15 minutes, transforming the powder coating into a durable, permanent finish that looks like new.
- Final check & return: We complete a final inspection and label every wheel for accurate record-keeping and asset tracking, so you get your own originals back.
Read more about our wheel reconditioning process.
Wheel Reconditioning Locations
Contact any of the following Bauer Built locations for more information on wheel reconditioning:
Missouri:
Joplin
Kansas City
Nebraska:
Fremont
Grand Island
Lexington
Lincoln
Norfolk
Omaha
North Dakota:
Fargo
Wisconsin:
Durand
Eau Claire
Manitowoc
Stevens Point
Waukesha
