Tire rot- 11 years... Normal? RE; 2004 model 2210 scut, 912 hours

[SPYDERLK]

I just sold my old JD lawn mower that still had the original tires, and was 20 years old. Where were your tires made? I know some of the cheap Chinese tires won't last over 10 years. It's all about the compound they use. I have a couple pairs of rubber boots, stored side by side. One is a 35 year old pair made by LaCrosse (when they were made in USA) and the other pair is another brand import, less than 10 years old. The Lacrosse boots are still in fairly good shape and waterproof. The imports are disintegrating and going in the trash. I'm not saying there aren't good imports, but there's a big difference in the quality of rubber in these 2 pairs.

That IS a puzzle.... I can only think that I occasionally use Extreme Green to wash the tractor wheels and tires every year.??? The rear tires do not get exposed to the same treatment and they are fine....

Have you been able to find this out yet?

 

[megotatractor]

DOT code on the old HDAP's starts with a "C", possibly made in China? Wouldn't surprise me. The rest of the code states they were made in the 26th week of 2003. So they are in fact a little over 12 years old.

Anyone out there with HDAP tires (Carlisle HD Field Trax) should know that I was able to aquire a brand new pair of the 18x8.50-10 "HDAP" tires -a.k.a. Carlisle HD Field Trax- from Discount Tire Direct. They arrived in only two days and only paid $133.oo for the pair + free shipping.
I went back to a new front pair so that they will still match the rears which appear to be in good shape. The big thing that I do not like about these is the knobby tread holds mud like you wouldn't believe! These tires do give a pretty decent ride around a bumpy yard, however. I would imagine that the R4 Industrial tread tires would be hard as rocks? I would also consider some sort of AG type tires if I was assured of a decent ride. For now it is fall with winter snow in the near future and the HDAP's are great in the snow and having a fresh set of treads on the front will not hurt.

 

[Steve IA]

Try this to ID the place of manufacture: DOT Markings

Essentially the DOT marking serves as the tire's fingerprint. DOT signifies that the tire complies with U.S. Department of Transportation Tire Safety Standards, and is permitted for highway use.

For example refer to the following markings:

DOT M5H3 459X 064.

Tractor tires will not have word “DOT”, just the code

The first letter and number following DOT designate the tire's manufacturer and plant code. The third, fourth and fifth number and letter, 59X, is the tire size code which is an optional manufacturers code that identifies the tire size and other specific characteristics of the tire. The final three numbers denote when the tire was produced, with the first two indicating the week, and the last number indicating the year (064 indicates the tire was built in the 6th week of 1994).

Write down the DOT number, then go to the link below, uncheck everything except "tires" in the left column and enter the first two digits after DOT into the "DOT ID" box at the bottom of the right column.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/manufacture/index.html

example above shows Michelin , Kentville, NovaScotia , Canada
Steve IA