Rotating tire question

[Ricky Beals]

I have a 2000 Mack RD dump truck thats a tandem. I run Hercules tires somewhat like all terrain tires. . Im definitely new at this and didn’t do a good job of rotating my tires. So Im probably looking at all new tires on the back in a couple months. I run about 65% pavement ,35% gravel. What pattern do you use? Do I need to rotate tires from one side of truck to the other. Any recommendations will be appreciated.

Edited August 8 by Ricky Beals

[mrsmackpaul]

Is it a Mack back end or something different ?

 

Paul

[Ricky Beals]

Mack rear end, camelback.

Edited August 8 by Ricky Beals

[Geoff Weeks]

Before buying new tires have the rear suspension checked. There are plenty of "wear points" that can allow the rears to be out of alignment, and new tires would be a waste of money if those problems are addressed 1st.

[Ricky Beals]

Thats good advice but we replaced the suspension 30,000 miles ago. Im looking for information on what pattern to follow and how often to rotate.

[mrsmackpaul]

A Mack back end doesn't have a normal power divider like a Eaton or Rockwell or any other brand

This is why Macks are so good off road

The power divider locks and lets go, sort of, check out this link and it will explain better than I  ever can 

https://www.roadtrains.com.au/tech-tips/how-a-mack-power-divider-works/

So the up shot of it is, when you rotate tyres about you need to measure them, this isn't some hair brained skippy the bush kangaroo I have been in the sun to long bull crap, it is true 

So measure your 8 tyres on your back end 

Now match the into the closest matching sets of two you can make up

So smallest set goes on the left rear, the second smallest set goes on the right front

And of the biggest goes on the right rear and second biggest goes on the left front

What this allows is, because you don't have a true interaxle power divider, this allows the diff centers to compensate for this

Before bogie drives had power dividers at all this was a standard procedure 

Hope this helps

 

Paul

 

 

[TheJigsaw]

On 8/8/2024 at 8:45 PM, Geoff Weeks said:

Before buying new tires have the rear suspension checked. There are plenty of "wear points" that can allow the rears to be out of alignment, and new tires would be a waste of money if those problems are addressed 1st.

It's actually a good point. I remember how once I almost bought new tyres, w/o checking the suspention. Gladly, I consulted with another mechanic, and he helped me.

[TheJigsaw]

For your setup (OP), given that you don’t have a typical interaxle power divider, it’s a good idea to rotate the tires front to back but avoid switching them from side to side. Try to keep the smallest pairs on the left rear and the largest on the right rear. This helps balance out the wear and tear.

It's also smart to rotate your tires every 8,000 to 10,000 miles to maximize their lifespan and maintain even wear, which is crucial considering your 65/35 pavement-to-gravel driving ratio. Here at https://stuck.solutions/ you can find a bit more details regarding this question. You might want to double-check your suspension alignment periodically too, even if it’s been recently replaced.

Edited August 26 by TheJigsaw

[JoeH]

I like closed shoulder/open center for my tire treads.  Closed shoulder really helps each pair of tires to wear evenly. Open center gives that occasionally needed off-road grip. We replace tires one pair at a time.  New pair goes on, old pair goes out to get capped, then it'll replace the next pair to get thin or blow a tire.