Tires Rice tires - dumb question

[tractorhacker]

I'm good at dumb questions so here's another. My 2050 came with the high lug "rice tires". They have cracks next to the base of the lugs. Is this dry rot and is there something I can do to keep them alive longer. They aren't leaking.

 

[BillK]

Yes we often see cracked tires on grey imports. I think its simply their age, combined with leaving the tractor outside and the sun does its work on the tires over time.

There is no real fix. We replace the tires if the cracks are bad. Having said that, the cracked tires seem to last for many years before they get so bad that you can see the tube inside. At that point(or before) they are probably at risk of a sudden blow out, and should be changed. When tires are this bad, they won't even retread them. The cases are just beyond their use by date.

Hope this helps
BillK

 

[tractorhacker]

Thanks Bill, I'll just keep an eye on them I guess.

 

[Lane]

Just keep the speed under 70 mph or so and all should be well. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Mine have shown some minor cracks for the last 10 years and are not getting any worse. They are now 21 years old!

 

[tractorhacker]

Thanks Lane