WHEELS · BANOVIĆI · 30 KM
Wheels from the mining country
Gravel, unmade tracks and sharp asphalt edges grind away at barrels. Thirty kilometres and your rim is on the runout gauge.
Roads that spare no wheel
In mining country the surface under the tyres keeps changing. Gravel, protruding stone, the step from asphalt onto an unmade track and the ruts left by heavy vehicles mean the wheel takes hits from the side and from below. The flange gives way first, and then the runout starts.
The typical damage from here is a battered flange, a collapsed bead seat and a barrel that no longer runs straight. The edge is cleaned, built up by welding where necessary and machined, while the barrel goes onto the press until the runout is back within limits the wheel can work with.
The lathe follows, and balancing finishes the job, because a rim that is straight but unbalanced still shakes at speed. Should the damage turn out to run too deep for a safe repair, you hear that plainly before any work is carried out on the wheel.
From Banovići to Momanovo
It is about 30 kilometres to 3. tuzlanske brigade 128 in Tuzla. If you drive towards the city during the week anyway, the rim can be dropped off on the way. A message to +387 61 570 429 with a short description of what happened and how many wheels are involved is enough to arrange it.
Repairs for damage off the tarmac
From a chewed up flange to a barrel with visible runout, these are the jobs that come in most often from this part of the canton.
Welding and crack repair
Cracks, breaks, holes in the bead seat and missing chunks of metal. The area is welded through its full thickness and machined back to the wheel's original line.
More on thisStraightening buckled wheels
A wheel that hops, shakes the steering or has gone oval after a pothole is pressed back into a true circle in small stages, with the metal checked as it goes.
More on thisCNC refinishing and lip polishing
Taking a thin layer off on the lathe restores an even circle and a flat bead seat, while polishing gives the outer lip the shine of bare metal.
More on thisPreparation and wheel painting
Old lacquer and corrosion come off down to sound metal, then primer and topcoat go on in a colour agreed before any work starts.
More on thisTyre fitting and balancing
Tyres off and back on, new rubber fitted, seasonal changeovers and wheel balancing so the steering stays calm out on the open road.
More on thisBrake caliper painting
Rusty calipers are cleaned back to metal and coated in heat-resistant paint, so the gap between the spokes shows a tidy detail instead of corrosion.
More on thisWhy not keep driving on a damaged rim
Runout gets worse
A barrel that already runs untrue gives way further with every impact that follows. The sooner it is straightened, the less material has to be touched.
The tyre suffers with it
When the flange is no longer flat, the tyre sits unevenly and wears down on one side. Repairing the barrel therefore protects the tyre riding on it.
Checking the whole set
On poor surfaces it is rare for only one wheel to suffer. Where possible every barrel is inspected, not just the one that shakes noticeably.
Questions from Banovići
The wheel shakes after a gravel road, can it be straightened?
In most cases it can. The barrel goes on the gauge to show how much it runs out and in which direction, then it is pressed straight and machined if needed. Finally the wheel is balanced, so the steering settles down again. If the damage is too deep, we will say so.
What does it mean when a wheel has vertical runout?
It means the barrel is no longer perfectly round, so the wheel lifts and drops as it turns. It feels like a rhythmic hop that grows with speed. The usual cause is an impact against a hole or a stone, and it is corrected by pressing and machining until it runs level.
Do you repair damaged rim edges after hitting a stone?
That is regular work here. The battered edge is cleaned, the damaged spot is built up with fresh material by welding and then machined so the shape of the flange returns. On alloys the bead seat can be polished as well. Where the metal has thinned too far, the repair is declined.
Is it worth coming from Banovići for a single wheel?
It is, because the whole job finishes in one place: straightening, welding, machining and balancing. If you have more than one barrel, bring them together. Send a picture to +387 61 570 429 before you leave so you know what to expect.
What if a crack is only welded and the wheel is not machined?
Then excess material and an uneven surface stay behind at the weld, so the wheel still runs out and the tyre does not seat as it should. That is why welding is never the end of the job: the area is turned on the lathe until the surface is flat, and only then is the wheel balanced.
Other locations in the canton
Tuzla, Lukavac, Živinice, Srebrenik and Gračanica are covered on separate pages of this site, each with its own details.
Do not drive on a rim that runs out
Send a picture before you set off and find out whether the wheel can go back into service.