Anybody either know without a shadow of a doubt or can give me a link as to any DOT regs on tire age? I'm talking about HD trailer tires here at the moment but if you have something on large truck tires,that's fine also.Found some very hard to find new trailer tires at the right price,but I'm concerned because the DOT stamp says they're now 8 years old.Vendor says they're fine,in a controlled climate warehouse,no sun,blah,blah,but I have concerns.Heard something recently about 7 year allowance regarding DOT but can't find squat.
I regularly run tires older than that that haven't been stored inside. I have never seen anything on tire age from DOT and I try to keep on top of the maintenance regs. If the price is good go for it or send me the info on them.
mitch, the DOT cops near tuney and me are sticklers, they put a tape measure to mudflaps and everything. I know a DOT cop in one of the nearby villages, I'll shoot him an email
I don't have a definitive answer but a police officer I know who does DOT inspections said he wasn't aware of any age restrictions on tires and was pretty sure they were only concerned with condition.
Thanks for the research Steve!
Thanks Steve.
I was talking to a very reputable tire expert and he strongly advised me not to but these.Said they will most likely start checking and cracking within a few months,cause for a DOT violation and more importantly,simple not safe.
You can find a tire reference in N.F.P.A. 1911. The recommended replacement interval for tires in the fire service is 7 years. In this case N.F.P.A. stands for National Fire Protection Association.
There has never been an age restriction on tires. If they are as claimed, I would not be scared of them - provided that they are a reputable manufacturers product. UV rays are the biggest contributor to weather cracking of tires. Very few of those inside a warehouse. Tuney443, is there any chance that reputable expert would be trying to sell you some tires? Just throwing the possibility out there. I'm not saying dive in head first sight unseen, but I wouldn't tuck tail and run without some inquiry and photographic proof, minimum. Is the seller reputable or e-bay/craigslist? Satisfy my curiosity - what is the size/LR(load range/ply rating)
Just because DOT cops are sticklers doesn't mean they are knowledgeable. I've been to several scale houses on service calls in my career only to over-rule the cops claims (paint layers claimed to be cracks in a wheel, sidewall bulge from section repairs supposedly too large, tires supposedly separating when it's clearly superficial cuts in rubber only, etc.). Bosses didn't like it, but I told them to send a bill to the scale house because I wasn't gonna help cops screw a driver.
A tire out of the mold with mold release and 'sealed' surface rubber is in the category called shelf (or storage) life. A tire that has been inflated, worn in, and exposed to the environment is in the category called the service life. Shelf life plus service life equals total life. Service conditions such as loading, heating, curb jumping, under/over inflation, etc affect service life, as does the quality of the materials being used in the mfg of the item and the mfg processes applied to the item. Indeed, the rubber continues to be affected since vulcanization never really stops, but once the rubber and the internal belts are loaded by mounting and pressurizing and driving, the composite product begins to degrade from cyclical loading stresses causing such things as polymer chain interruption/cleavage/yielding, and environmental degradation. A poor storage environment and a high duress service condition would likely be the basis for the most conservative assignment of these suggested limits but the inherent variability is huge, thus the decision must rest with the operator of the tire given the effect of the consequences if these statistical limits are exceed. Maybe one day tires will be stamped with the date they are placed in service and then the clock tickers that want to waste resources and sell new tires will be satisfied. Hassle by DOT whether they are correct or not, an accident where the blame can be shifted, cost of breakdowns, etc etc are all things to be considered in such a decision to use such an item.
Ha NFPA. That would stand for Not F ing Practical Application they try to make things firefighter proof. I also think they are in cahoots with the equipment makers. New guidelines equal new specs equal new equipment being sold. Btw NFPA is just a guideline not a standard however normal general practices follow NFPA then you are SOL if things go bad and you didn't follow what NFPA recommended Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Asked locally some people I know who are in the tire biz but don't have those tires so there's no conflict of interest going on.They both basically said the same thing-that tires ''out gas'' and their service life after 8 years is limited as their elasticity has diminished.Yes,I believe they are reputable--Duro tire Co.---8.75-16.5 12 ply---2,980 lbs.The more I think about it convinces me that the reason their tires are app.$125 cheaper than 1 other source I found is because they're warehouse ''old'' leftovers.
My good friend who has a huge 42' motor home also mentioned a 7 year safe practice deal on tire replacement.Some guideline by some motorcoach organization that monitors safety issues,etc.
OK. Now the question you need to ask yourself is " am I gonna wear out the tread if I buy the newer one or is the $125 per tire savings worth the potential risk of the casings rotting away too soon?" That's a question only you can answer. Personally, if I knew I wasn't gonna wear through the tread of the newer ones, I'd take the gamble(after verifying the tires condition) on the older ones. There again, if you do run that many miles with it, it still may pay to go with the older ones(where you'll wear the tread off before they are an issue). Could very well be they just want them out of their system because they are no longer gonna stock that particular size -which is a very plausible explanation. Tire cost all boils down to cost per mile (on road) or cost per hour (off road) so the math isn't hard to do.
tireman--I'm much more concerned about the sidewalls cracking after some initial use leading to bigger cracks,possible trouble with DOT,and my biggest fear is a blowout with my heavy backhoe on the trailer.
Well, they do say stress is a killer, so I doubt the added stress of all those worries is gonna be worth the $1,000 savings(assuming a tandem axle 8 wheel trailer). I'd say just go with your gut feeling. I personally don't see it being that much of an issue, but I have been wrong before and certainly will be again. Keep in mind, however, that the rubber isn't what holds the tire together - it covers up what does. Granted, once dry rot begins to show, the cords begin to deteriorate from the outside in. Maybe you need more meat under that hoe, like some 17.5's. Not sure of your set-up, but with 8 tires at 29xx,you don't have but 23,xxx capacity. If the backhoe is that heavy, a beef up would be wise. Just throwing options at ya. Like I said, the worries - regardless of how valid - probably not worth the grand.
Can't run anything but the EXACT size and ply already mentioned or else we wouldn't be having this conversation.Clearance and one particular Gestapo agent in our area dictates this.My hoe isn't the problem at all--it's the fact that this size tire,especially in 12 ply is getting rarer than hen's teeth.Thanks for your input.
That's not gonna get any better, either. Get 'em while you can. I'm surprised they're still available at all. They were phased out over twenty years ago. Clearance issues I understand, but not the gestapo agent. As long as the tires load rating isn't exceeded, no cop can tell you what size tires you can or can't run - regardless of how full of himself (or anything else) he is. But I'll just leave that issue alone. Best of luck to you. Sorry I couldn't be more help.
They're still making them in 8 and 10 ply,that I'm positive of,just I guess not so much in 12 ply.What I meant was-before I had the 12 plys,I had 10 plys on,twice being on the scales with my hoe,not a problem,then the next time-BAM--supposedly app. 1K lbs. over on each axle's tires.The guy red flagged the rig,lost the day,had to take a 400 mile round trip to a tire warehouse to get my $1800 of new tires.A-N-Y-W-A-Y---caught now between a rock and a hard place--you honestly think tireman I can get 3-4 years out of these ''new'' 8 yr. old tires?Wear isn't my issue,it's the sidewall possible deterioration as previously discussed. Thx.
First of all, keep in mind I have not seen these tires so I can't give a definite on them. What I can tell you is that if they were indoors out of the sun there should be no issue. I would buy them if I could see them and was satisfied they've been indoors all this time. If you can't put hands on them, at least get photos showing close - ups of the serial #'s and size #'s(so you know you're seeing the right tire). It is very easy to distinguish whether a tire has been in the sun or not.If they look armor-alled RUN AWAY. Considering you're talking a savings of over 50%,I would try them. Worst case a couple fall short, you can put new on the outside and run the iffy ones on the inside(hidden from prying eyes) and you're still money ahead. Personally I wouldn't be a bit scared of them if they met the aforementioned criteria, especially at the cut price. Meanwhile, I'd be looking into a different trailer, or at least modifying the axles on this one to switch to heavier duty tire size. If you get pics, post them or PM them to me(your choice) and I'll give you my opinion of them.