"Old" tires

[Freightrain]

So, my drives are 22 yrs old now!  Ya, new back in 2001 when I swapped the truck to radials.  I put new steers on it again 9 yrs ago, just because.  Ive let the drives go since there are 4 and less chance of crashing if I would loose one at 65 mph.

 

I just checked my local shop(where I got them last time), $650/ea and near $3k mounted and all the fees.  Yowza!!  They were just $200 each back then.

They have no age cracks, still look brand new but I've been getting a bit leary on loosing one more every year.

I was going to have my buddy price 4 and get them wholesale, but then I have to swap them myself.  Surely have to buy one of those fancy tire tools they offer because my back won't survive doing them with just spoons(I do car tires with spoons and it kills me). Likely save $1500 doing it myself?  Ugh, have to make up my mind.

[mrsmackpaul]

Must be flash donuts at that price, I  never pay anything like that 

Anyway I guess I'm a tight ass with short arms and deep pockets 

I look at tyres alike this, it's not so much the stuff around when one blows but the damage they do

I have never changed a tyre based on it's age, I only change them on their condition

Having said that, the last blow out was on a steer on a freeway in the wee small hours, from the time I felt the tyre belt seperating until it went pop wasn't very long

I was climbing a hill and the familiar thump thump as the belt started coming apart was probably only a few humdred yards until pop

So if I was doing 65 MPH instead of 65 kmh things may of been very different 

Having just typed all of that, got to a big town and just bunged tyres on all the way around the little truck

7 tyres, the bloke fitting them said "even the spare" and words of advice from my Dad ran out my mouth " my spare is my last chance so it has to be the best, yes even the spare"

So I guess my pointless ramblings are, if it's on your mind then change them, it makes things a lot more enjoyable to drive when Im not worried about them

 

Paul 

[HarryS]

Larry, I hear you. I'm looking to go from bias to radial. The ones I have now (Firestone bias/tubes) date back to the early 90s. Look good, hardly any wear, no cracks or dry rot. Prices I have seen are from $400s all the way up to $700. Of course I need wheels, etc too.

[Freightrain]

2 hours ago, HarryS said:

Larry, I hear you. I'm looking to go from bias to radial. The ones I have now (Firestone bias/tubes) date back to the early 90s. Look good, hardly any wear, no cracks or dry rot. Prices I have seen are from $400s all the way up to $700. Of course I need wheels, etc too.

I was $200- tire, $50 painted used rim back in 2001.  $1600 for all six mounted up when I bought the truck and changed to radial.

Double that for only 4 tires.  Geez o pete.

[MACKS]

Look on line,simple tire . Com or even e bay,some good deals and some deliver to you door for free,u could always have someone come to you and mount them..

[BOBWhite]

Heck we still got trailers with split rim tires. Those dudes were made way before date codes came around.

We never get dot inspected and we drive so slow that a tire on the rear blows out every 2 years or so and we just drive it to the tire shop and get an equally worn tire put on. Steers are the tires we don't cheep out on though. eBays a great place to get tires if you have all the tire tools and if your this guy. 

 

[Freightrain]

I'm waiting on my buddy to price them.  Wholesale and local pickup.

Biggest scare is what it might do to the nose of my race trailer if it comes apart really bad.

[Mark T]

Are they tubeless ? 

[Draggin Wagon]

I'm in same boat except I have the wreck body to capture most of the flying rubber.  In your case, damage to front of race trailer and sleeper could be serious! BUT several years back we put 8 new chineesum drives on Pete. By 80,000 miles, 4 of them scattered. Moral of story - it's a crap shoot

[Freightrain]

1 hour ago, Mark T said:

Are they tubeless ? 

Yes.  Yokohama's.

 

I know any tire is a crap shoot.  Today even worse then 20 yrs ago.

 

The 3 yr old tires on my pickup were already showing signs of cracking around the bead area.  Luckily they were near replacing anyhow.  Granted the Mack stays inside 99% of its life.

[Mark T]

Truck tires are way easier to mount and dismount than car tires.   Sounds dumb, but  I think they're way easier. Tubeless ones anyway. 

[Freightrain]

14 minutes ago, Mark T said:

Truck tires are way easier to mount and dismount than car tires.   Sounds dumb, but  I think they're way easier. Tubeless ones anyway. 

Agree.  With one of those new fangled tire bars it looks doable.  Just need to borrow friends bead blaster tank.

[Mark T]

You can use a bicycle tube.

[mowerman]

That’s a ingenius I had not thought of that…. And yes tires are a fortune now I don’t know what I’m going to do when I need to get all 10 ???? Bob

[Draggin Wagon]

Don't get exicited about the bead blaster. 2 X 4 blocks inbetween the beads to spread sidewall. By the time you have enough nerve and energy to tackle the job a week later, tires will inflate (may have to remove core to get air in faster)  

[mechohaulic]

On 4/24/2023 at 7:58 PM, Mark T said:

Truck tires are way easier to mount and dismount than car tires.   Sounds dumb, but  I think they're way easier. Tubeless ones anyway. 

the bigger the tire the easier the job.  little john Deere 318 riding mower tires were worse then a Farmall H rear tire for me, and the Farmall tire was loaded.

[mrsmackpaul]

A lot of people wrap a ratchet strap around the tyre (following the tread way) and pull it in a bit and the walls touch the rim enough to seal that a bead blaster isn't needed

This is a bit of stuffing about but will work if your in a bind

 

Paul 

[Hayseed]

On 4/25/2023 at 10:36 AM, Mark T said:

You can use a bicycle tube.

That's a Cunning Stunt........LOL

 

I have seen someone (with bigger gonads than I) put a clip on  Tyre chuck  on & fold/Kink the hose over to  block it, Dribble a little bit of Petrol (gas to you) around the Bead, then throw a lighted match & let the hose unkink at the same Time. 

The Whoosh creates a vacuum & the rush of Air will seat the Bead..!!

[MACKS]

On 4/24/2023 at 8:14 PM, Freightrain said:

Agree.  With one of those new fangled tire bars it looks doable.  Just need to borrow friends bead blaster tank.

I bpoght one of years back,they work awesome I’m 72 and still do my own tires because I have that tool,that and lots of good lube makes it a lot easier..

[MACKS]

5 hours ago, mrsmackpaul said:

A lot of people wrap a ratchet strap around the tyre (following the tread way) and pull it in a bit and the walls touch the rim enough to seal that a bead blaster isn't needed

This is a bit of stuffing about but will work if your in a bind

 

Paul 

Starting fluid works great also..

 

[tjc transport]

Larry, bead blasters have come down in price drastically in the past few years. 

i have a 5 gallon unit similar to this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Giantex-Gallon-Blaster-Seating-Inflator/dp/B00TL98V5W/ref=asc_df_B00TL98V5W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309735728871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16098473741715799106&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003677&hvtargid=pla-405661491768&psc=1

works great.

[doubleclutchinweasel]

Have seen guys change the front tires right on the truck with a bar.  Not even remove the rim from the spindle.  Spindle makes a pretty good pivot.

Seen the starting fluid thing done many times.  Not something the OSHA folks would approve of!

[Freightrain]

Still remember back 25 yrs ago helping my friend change tires on his truck.  Had one we just beaded up with starting fluid, airline was adding air....and BOOM....a big chunk of sidewall come apart.  My ears rang for quite a while because I was standing right by it, with my back to it.

They were used tires that his dad had given to him to run.

[mrsmackpaul]

5 hours ago, tjc transport said:

Larry, bead blasters have come down in price drastically in the past few years. 

i have a 5 gallon unit similar to this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Giantex-Gallon-Blaster-Seating-Inflator/dp/B00TL98V5W/ref=asc_df_B00TL98V5W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309735728871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16098473741715799106&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003677&hvtargid=pla-405661491768&psc=1

works great.

Thats dirt cheap to my and my way of thinking 

Proper tool for the job for less than a 100 bucks

Not worth stuffing around with lighter fluid or ratchet straps

Paul

[67RModel]

I dunno. I can smell the cheap Chinese paint and packaging of that thing through the computer screen. I think I would rather stuff around with lighter fluid and binders than to put 125 psi in that tin foil pressure vessel. I wouldn't trust that PSV, the welds, or the tin foil that thing is made of.