Abstract: This disclosure relates to retread molds adapted for manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic operation in either bag or bagless retreading operations, and includes a pair of bead aligner wheels which are retracted to permit tire beads to become self-adjusting or floating thereby seeking their own natural position permitting a wider range of tire sizes to be properly cured in the same matrix, the molds further including a seal in the form of at least a single O-ring seal contacting the exterior of each tire side wall to preclude pressurized fluid within the mold cavity from escaping to atmosphere, and in the automatic version means are provided for automatically inserting a bag in the tire, locking the mold, inflating the bag, and reversing these functions prior to the removal of the cured tire.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a retreading mold having relatively movable platens, a bead aligner wheel carried by each platen, a bladder disposed between the bead aligner wheels, a continuous uninterrupted rib carried by each bead aligner wheel for hermetically sealing against the exterior surface of the bladder, the bladder including a pair of innermost edges, and each of the edges being in further hermetic sealing contact with its associated bead aligner wheel at a point radially inboard of the sealing rib whereby an annular portion of each bead aligner wheel is spanned by a portion of the bladder to form therewith a hermetically sealed annular chamber.