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S&S Tire finds profit in filling tires with Arnco quality

Arnco's Reputation for High Quality Products a Key

After meeting with all of the flatproofing suppliers S & S Tire selected Arnco because of their market penetration and reputation for only the highest quality products,” says Bill Pryse, who handles purchasing and sales for S&S Tire, which began a tire filling operation five years ago, in November 2002, at the headquarters main warehouse facility in Lexington, Kentucky.

“We were having someone else handle flatproofing for us at the time, but we needed faster turn-around due to an increasing demand,” he adds. “Arnco promoted their flatproofing materials more than other competitors and I knew they would help me build a market in Lexington. They also made application specific products for markets and it was a plus that the original equipment manufacturers such as Bobcat and Caterpillar had selected Arnco’s products as well.”

Bill Pryse made the right choice. S&S Tire’s flatproofing business has grown by more than 60 percent. The company has created a profitable niche business as a Certified Arnco Dealer, and now has six of their other locations carrying Arnco products: Nashville, Tenn.; Huntington, W. Va.; Vienna, W. Va.; Beckley, W. Va.; Florence, S.C., and Conway, S.C.

S&S Tire is selling the complete line of flatproofing products from Arnco, the world’s largest supplier of polyurethane flatproofing fill for tires. They have all four of the polyurethane fill formulations -- SuperFlex®, RePneu®, RePneu II® and HeviDuty® -- plus ReSeal™ tire sealant and rim conditioner and the new QuikGel™ self-sealing polyurethane liner that provides protection from punctures up to 5/16” in diameter. S&S Tire also is finding a growing market for Arnco’s line of smaller lightweight flat-free Carefree tires, particularly for wheelbarrows and hand carts used in the beverage business.

“Flatproofing is a must for anyone who cannot afford to lose money on downtime,” asserts the 39-year-old Pryse, who started working in the warehouse for S&S Tire after graduating from high school in 1985. “Flatproofing is not cheap – especially with the higher price of oil today – but sitting around for three hours waiting to have a flat tire repaired can be more costly,” he continues. “We are getting considerable business from our West Virginia locations where it is a necessity to flatproof mining equipment, and we are also seeing a growing trend to flatproof tires on skid steers and tractors in construction, farm and industrial applications.”

As a Certified Arnco Dealer, S&S Tire documents each step of the flatproofing procedure to ensure that it is performed correctly. Each tire and wheel is inspected for defects and the carcass is pre-stretched overnight before the tire is filled. The patented polyurethane liquid is pumped through the valve stem into the tire at a specified temperature and replaces all the air. The tire is pressurized to the recommended inflation pressure and the curing process (to a soft rubber-like material) is performed at the proper time and temperature to ensure optimum filled tire performance. Any pneumatic tire can be filled as long as it is in good working condition, and flatproofed tires can be recapped and the wheel reused as long as neither is damaged.

Founded in 1974 by President/CEO Paul Swentzel and Don Schneider, S&S Tire has grown from a single small retail store in Lexington’s Eastland shopping center into a large, multi-faceted retail, commercial, and wholesale tire distributor with locations throughout the Southeast. In addition to seven wholesale distributor warehouse locations in Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, the firm has a number of commercial locations throughout Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The company is a member of the Best One/Zurcher Group and also sells truck/car accessories and tire equipment. S & S Tire processes national and government accounts for its associate dealers and has an E-commerce package that allows wholesale customers to search inventory and order tires through its website www.sstire.com.

For further information, call 800-821-4147, or visit the newly designed Arnco website at www.arnconet.com