Tire side wall cracks?

[rider9403]

My tractor is 13 months old. Should there be cracks in the sidewall on the rear tires? Is this normal? It's seems to me that at a year old this should not start happening yet. They were not there in the late fall but I noticed them this past week.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

My tractor is 13 months old. Should there be cracks in the sidewall on the rear tires? Is this normal? It's seems to me that at a year old this should not start happening yet. They were not there in the late fall but I noticed them this past week.

I have heard that the sun will promote this sort of thing.

Dry rot.?? If I had this problem I would be looking a rubber rejuvenator to try and preserve the rubber. Armorall or the like.

Where do you store your tractor.??

 

[Markcuda]

Are your rear tires under inflated?

 

[bigbull338]

now thats weird a new tractors back tires cracking all ready.yes they will crack open with age an time,an need replacing.an that usually takes 10yrs more or less for them to crack like that.sounds like you just got a bad set of tires on your tractor.

 

[Zork]

It has got to be the manufacturing process and/ or the additives (or the lack of) within the rubber because I recently discarded two tires from circa 60's VW rims that have sat in the sun since the late 70's and they were minimally cracked. Additionally, the rear tires on my 1971 Power-king were original and those tires were only moderately cracked. What I'm getting at is the tires compound did not change, maybe the sun did, but the tires were not effected as severely as the newer tires I have seen.

 

[TripleR]

Agree with bigbull338, that definitely should not be happening. I have some that are seven years old and are starting to crack and even that is a little disappointing to me.

 

[PILOON]

My tractor is 13 months old. Should there be cracks in the sidewall on the rear tires? Is this normal? It's seems to me that at a year old this should not start happening yet. They were not there in the late fall but I noticed them this past week.

At 13 months I think you should be talking to your dealer, sounds like warranty issue to me.
Just think what they will look like in 5 years? 10 years?

I needed to change mine after 25 yrs and said bye bye to close to $1000.! on a tractor that I paid $3500. OUCH!

 

[Gordon Gould]

I wonder what brand they are just out of curiousity. I was looking at mine today. They are 9 yrs old. My treads are beat up looking but the side walls are brand new looking. They even still have the wiskers on them. They are Good Years.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

I had a Montana with titian tires. They were cracked within a year. Dealship never did anything for me. O well I since bought a kubota but it peves me off how companies puts out crap and gets away with it. Small claims court is a wonderfull thing and if more people took them there they would not be so quick to put the garbage on the market or refuse warrenty.

 

[jonyyuma]

Please send details of who made your tires. My last set cracked early...But they did not lose chunks of rubber or separate.Different brands vary a lot, But sunshine will speed the process.....a lot. Jy.

 

[Toyboy]

Your beef is with the tire manufacturer, not Kubota. The tire manufacturer should warranty them. Find a dealer for that brand (locally if possible) and have them look at them.
I bought a boat & trailer a few years back and the trailer tires started "checking" in the second year. Local tire dealer replaced them both no charge.

 

[crazyal]

The tires on my Case BH started cracking after about 2 years but they were some Chinese brand I never heard of. I was doing work on blasted rock that ate the last set and finally cut the sidewall on one of the tires. It didn't go flat but the tube bulged out. The replacement tires were about 1/3 of a good name brand tire. It's been 4 years now and they have gotten a little worse but still are very usable.

If it's a new tractor I think I would ask the dealer for a replacement set. The last set of tractor tires I had that had cracks like that for years started loosing chunks of rubber. For me I would want to be replacing the tires do to either being worn out or because of self inflicted damage, not because premature dry rot.

 

[adjusterr]

My tractor is 13 months old. Should there be cracks in the sidewall on the rear tires? Is this normal? It's seems to me that at a year old this should not start happening yet. They were not there in the late fall but I noticed them this past week.

I have a JD 1010 built in the 60's, original tires have some very minor cracking. My Kubota built in 89, has no cracks, you need to put some pressure on the dealership as it appears you have some defective tires.. Like a previous poster said, use small claims court, it is a very effective tool for individuals and companies who refuse to correct problems. Small claims court generally costs $5-15.00 to file, it's simple, just fill out the forms, the court does the rest, generally had $5000. limits. It has all the power of any other court, the defendant must answer which generally, in the case of a corporation, means hiring a local attorney at several hundred dollars per hour. The Judge will look out for the Plaintiff, and the corporation generally will attempt to settle rather than waste a lot of money on defense.

Regarding the cracks, I took my motorhome to a local tire dealer some years ago as the sidewalls were beginning to check (crack). The dealer advised me the checking is generally caused by exposure to sunlight but it really does not constitute a significant safety issue. He said the rubber that checks on the sidewalls is actually little more than a finish cover over the sidewall cords. The strength of the tire sidewall is in the rubber and nylon under the finish coat. He said cracks will not present a problem until they get large enough to allow small pieces of stone to lodge in the cracks and rub the cords. I took his advice and used the tires about three more years until I lost my nerve and replaced them. I'm no tire expert, I'm only passing on what the dealer told me. Good luck

 

[Wacky]

I have just found out recently that there is a code on every tire produced and in the code is the year it was produced. I can't remember what it is, but search online. Car mfgs. buy "old stock" tires at a major discount, I guess tractor mfgs. could do the like. If that is a 5 yr. old tire on a yr old tractor, I would raise cain.

 

[SixHoeBob]

Chinese tires, or tires manufactured to Chinese standards, And sadly none cares.
I would be talking to the dealer, the tractor manufacturer (they chose the brand of tire on the tractor) and the tire manufacturer. The dealer or the tractor manufacturer might do something. The tire manufacturer already knows what changes were made, that cause tires not to last like they once did. And they just don't care.

 

[Mounted Madness]

I bought a set of R4's for winter 2008/09 and had them loaded. Before I took the rears to the tire shop for loading, I noted that the sidewalls were cracked. I got them from the Kubota dealer, mounted on rims - full set $350 and figured the price explained the cracking. Then I looked at the place of manufacture...North Americas industrial shop...China.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. If they can feed melamine to their kids, poison our dogs with tainted pet food, I guess my only response is why would I expect quality chemistry in their tires? Hey, they work, they are round, the price was right...and they haven't gone flat...yet...and would the dealer ship them back...not likely.

:thumbsup:

 

[Markcuda]

Then I looked at the place of manufacture...North Americas industrial shop...China.

Who would of thunk it:laughing:
God for bid any tractors made/built/assembled there.

 

[rider9403]

The tires are titian tires. I thought they were a good brand. The tractor is stored out side but it's in the shade most of the time. It's all pine trees on our lot and I usually park it in the shade. I'll start with the dealer.

Thanks guys!

 

[rd_macgregor]

My Kioti DK45 has Titan R4s front and rear. The first winter I had it, I noticed cracks in the front treads...the rears are fine. The dealer seemed to think it was just cosmetic, but I've documented it just in case it is a more serious issue. I've attached a close-up of the front tread to show what I'm talking about.
BOB

 

[Markcuda]

Where are the Titan tires made?