OTR Tyre Downsizing: Reducing Giant Tyres for Transport and Handling

Updated on: 22nd February 2026 By:     Conor Murphy
Expert review by:     Kieran Donnelly

An ultra-class mining haul truck tyre stands approximately 4 metres tall and weighs over 5,000kg. You cannot put one on a standard transport vehicle without consuming the entire payload. You cannot load it onto a flatbed truck without specialist lifting equipment. You cannot shred it in a standard tyre shredder without preliminary size reduction. You cannot even move it on site without a wheel loader or crane. The tyre that performed flawlessly through thousands of hours of service becomes, at the moment it’s removed from the vehicle, one of the most difficult waste materials in heavy industry.

This is not a marginal problem. The global mining industry replaces enormous quantities of OTR tyres every year. A major iron ore mine operating 60 haul trucks, each with six tyres at a service life of 8,000 hours in a demanding environment, might replace 200 to 300 haul truck tyres per year. At 5,000kg each, that is 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes of waste tyre material annually from a single mine site. Transport that volume as whole tyres and you have a logistics cost that can exceed the value of the recycled material several times over.

Downsizing is the foundational solution. It transforms the problem from an impossible logistics challenge into a manageable processing operation. A haul truck tyre split into two halves, with sidewalls removed, reduces from a 4-metre monolith weighing 5,000kg to sections that fit on a flatbed, stack efficiently, and can be loaded by standard forklifts rather than specialised crane equipment. The transport cost per tonne drops dramatically. The downstream processing becomes practical.

Understanding the OTR Size Spectrum

Before selecting downsizing equipment, it’s worth understanding the range of OTR tyres you’re likely to encounter. OTR covers an enormous size range, and the same basic approach (split, then remove sidewalls) applies across it, but the equipment specification varies significantly.

Small OTR (compact loaders, small telehandlers): Tyres in the 400/80-24 to 600/65R28 range, weighing 50 to 150kg. These are awkward to handle manually but manageable with a forklift. They may be processable through the truck tyre sidewall cutter depending on sidewall thickness.

Medium OTR (medium wheel loaders, large telehandlers, articulated dump trucks): Tyres in the 20.5R25 to 26.5R25 range, weighing 150 to 350kg. These require forklift handling and OTR-specific processing equipment.

Large OTR (large wheel loaders, rigid dump trucks in the mid-size range): Tyres in the 29.5R25 to 35/65R33 range, weighing 300 to 700kg. Forklift handling is possible for the lower end; wheel loader or crane handling is needed for larger tyres in this category.

Very large OTR (large rigid dump trucks, large mining shovels on rubber): Tyres from 40.00R57 to 59/80R63 and larger, weighing 3,000 to 5,700kg or more. These require crane or specialised tyre handler equipment at every stage. The OTR tyre splitter is essential before any further processing is practical.

The Splitting Step: Why It Comes First

Splitting is the first active processing step for large OTR tyres, and it’s the step that changes the logistics equation most dramatically. By dividing the tyre into two halves along the circumference, splitting immediately halves the largest dimension and makes each half manageable by equipment that couldn’t handle the whole tyre.

Gradeall’s OTR tyre splitter applies hydraulic cutting force to divide the OTR tyre into two halves. The cutting system is designed for the thick multi-ply construction and heavy steel reinforcement of mining and civil engineering OTR tyres. The operator positions the tyre using a wheel loader or crane, aligns it in the cutting zone, and activates the hydraulic cycle.

The practical effect of splitting on transport economics is substantial. A single haul truck tyre that occupied one flatbed trailer can, once split and with sidewalls removed, be loaded alongside five to eight other processed tyres on the same trailer. Transport cost per tyre drops to a fraction of the whole-tyre figure. For mine sites generating large volumes of OTR tyres at locations far from processing facilities, this cost reduction often justifies the equipment investment within the first year of operation.

Split halves are also far easier to handle mechanically. A 5,000kg whole tyre needs a crane or specialised tyre handler. Two 2,500kg halves can be handled by a standard wheel loader with appropriate attachments. This reduces the handling infrastructure requirement and makes the processing operation practical without specialist equipment at each stage.

Sidewall Removal: The Second Stage of Downsizing

After splitting, sidewall removal provides a second stage of size reduction and prepares the material more thoroughly for downstream baling or shredding. The OTR tyre sidewall cutter processes the split halves, removing the sidewall section from each half.

The sidewall of a large OTR tyre is a substantial mass of rubber in its own right. Removing it from each half of the split tyre leaves a tread and belt section that is denser, more compact, and significantly more amenable to baling than either the whole tyre or the split half with sidewall intact.

For baling after downsizing, the combination of splitting and sidewall removal produces sections that compress well in the MKII Tyre Baler. The resulting bales are dense and stable, suitable for energy recovery transport in standard containers. The tread and belt section of a large OTR tyre, once the sidewall is removed, contains a high concentration of rubber and steel belt material that gives the bales substantial density.

For shredding after downsizing, the same pre-processing reduces the load on the shredder’s cutting system. A primary shredder handling pre-split, de-sidewalled OTR sections experiences lower blade loading per cycle than one handling whole OTR tyres. Blade service intervals extend accordingly, and throughput rates increase for the same power input.

On-Site Downsizing: The Case for Processing at the Source

The strongest argument for on-site OTR tyre downsizing is the logistics cost calculation. Transporting whole OTR haul truck tyres from a remote mine site is expensive in ways that are easy to underestimate:

Payload efficiency: A single 5,000kg haul truck tyre on a flatbed trailer uses nearly half the 26-tonne payload of a standard UK heavy goods vehicle. Three or four whole tyres fill a trailer entirely. After downsizing, the same trailer carries the processed sections from 10 to 15 tyres, depending on the specific sizes and loading configuration.

Specialist handling at both ends: Loading and unloading whole OTR tyres requires crane or specialised tyre handler equipment. Not every recycling facility or transfer station has this equipment. Processed sections can be handled with standard forklifts, expanding the range of facilities that can accept the material.

Road access and permit requirements: In some jurisdictions, transporting very large OTR tyres as indivisible loads requires special movement permits, restricted hours, and escort vehicles. Processed sections are within standard load dimensions and don’t trigger these requirements.

On-site processing equipment has a capital cost that is offset against these transport cost savings. For active mine sites generating OTR tyres continuously, the payback period for on-site downsizing equipment is typically measured in months rather than years.

Off-Site Processing: When It Makes More Sense

For smaller operations or those generating OTR tyres only occasionally, on-site processing may not be justified. The relevant scenarios:

Occasional large tyres: A civil engineering contractor who generates one or two large OTR tyres per month is better served by a specialist OTR tyre recycling contractor than by investing in processing equipment for a marginal volume.

Temporary or short-duration sites: Construction projects with defined end dates, where the tyre waste is concentrated in a specific period, may benefit more from a mobile processing service than from purchasing equipment for a finite operation.

Sites without power infrastructure: OTR splitting equipment requires three-phase power. A remote site without grid power needs a generator, which adds to the operational cost and complexity. For very remote sites, a periodic mobile processing service may be more practical.

The portable tyre baling system addresses some of these situations by providing baling capability without permanent installation, but for the initial OTR splitting and cutting steps, a fixed or semi-permanent installation with reliable power is typically required.

Transport Planning After Downsizing

After splitting and sidewall removal, planning the loading and transport of processed OTR sections requires some care. The sections are still heavy and irregular in shape; the transport improvement from downsizing is relative rather than absolute.

For flatbed transport, OTR split sections are typically loaded with a wheel loader and secured with chains or straps rated for the individual section weights. The driver needs to be trained on securing irregular loads, and the load plan should be reviewed before each shipment to confirm the total weight is within vehicle and axle limits.

For container loading (relevant for sites shipping processed OTR tyre material to energy recovery facilities or overseas processors), the sections need to be packed to maximise container utilisation without exceeding the container’s gross weight limit. A 20-foot container has a payload capacity of approximately 22 tonnes; a 40-foot container approximately 27 tonnes. The specific packing configuration depends on section sizes and weights.

For sites with ongoing export requirements, developing a standard container loading plan for your specific tyre sizes and cut section dimensions saves time and ensures consistent container utilisation across shipments.

See the full OTR tyre cutting equipment range for specifications, and contact Gradeall International to discuss the complete processing configuration for your OTR tyre volumes and sizes.

Regulatory Requirements for OTR Tyre Processing On Site

Processing OTR tyres on site at a mine or quarry may require an environmental permit or registered exemption, depending on the volume processed and the jurisdiction. In England, the Environment Agency’s T11 exemption covers certain tyre storage and processing activities without requiring a full permit; the T11 exemption has specific conditions regarding volumes and activities.

In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, equivalent exemption regimes apply under SEPA, Natural Resources Wales, and NIEA respectively. For operations that exceed exemption thresholds or that involve activities outside the scope of exemptions, a bespoke environmental permit is required.

Mine sites and quarries operating under a combined planning permission and environmental permit should confirm whether their permit already covers tyre processing activities, or whether a permit variation is required before on-site processing begins. The environmental regulator can advise on the specific requirements applicable to your site.

Frequently Asked Questions

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