Tractor tire around the tree....

[Cantoo]

****, like a fool I've been buying my tires at the tire shop. I guess they maybe won't grow well this far north. Do you have to plant a certain tree to get R4"s? What about sizes, if you just leave them will they grow into those big mining truck tires?

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Seeing as it's an elm, they don't grow that fast. A maple would do that in 20 years.
Looks like the ground is kind of dry and sandy, with little organic material, which would slow growth.
South Carolina has a longer growing season though.
It looks about a foot thick, the tire rubber is oxidized, but doesn't look like it's flaking or peeling yet.
I'm going to guess about 40 years.

 

[budlite]

Without doing any research on winded elms, I'm going to guess 14 years. Does the tire have some kind of date code for when it was manufactured? At least you would have an upper limit on the age of the tree.

 

[SPYDERLK]

****, like a fool I've been buying my tires at the tire shop. I guess they maybe won't grow well this far north. Do you have to plant a certain tree to get R4"s? What about sizes, if you just leave them will they grow into those big mining truck tires?