well as my old iron fleet grows i finding that i now have a lot of big otr tires. now non of my toys have to work for a living but at the same time i can be going out and buying to tires ether. i have very nice new tires /recaps on my S7 scraper is there some thing a guy can spray on them to keep them from cracking to help keep the rubber healthy? has anyone used this stuff called tire life http://www.fullerbros.com/tire-life/ . as i got to do some 23.5x25 on my Cat DW6. not sure if the tire life stuff is more for the rim or the tire. it seem like the rubber can dry out is there any way too add oil's back in to the rubber? i know sun is a big killer or tires ideas thoughts?
I have seen a tire paint they use on show tractors but can't for the life of me remember what it was called or a brand name.... But I do remember talking to a guy and he had said it was beneficial to the rubber if that means anything
I've never heard of tire life, I'll have to look into that. I've seen the paint, but don't have any experience. I don't think the sun is going to hurt those thick tires, not like a car tire certainly. It sure seems to me that sitting in dirt is as bad for automotive tires as the sun. Get them on gravel, or concrete if possible for long term storage.
We use tire life, one bag inside each tire as it is mounted, the bags break up at 40 mph. Scares the **** of new drivers when we change out their steer tires. Truck Shop
Best way to preserve tires is to block them up off the ground and keep the sun off of them. Dang hard when you have a pile of toys to big for the shop. Just last week I put all new virgin tires and a new spare on my classic Kenworth. The old ones were 9 years old and seeping oil out around the wheel for about a inch and a half showing a black when ring after a hundred mile run at 70 MPH. Like you I want to keep the new tires good as long as possible so I will lift it off of them when setting in the shed over winter.
Interesting part to me here is the effects (or none) from the sun. I have no idea and haven't done any research myself on the subject. But this topic makes me wonder. All these years I've heard the term "dry rot" of aged tires. I wonder if, instead, it's actually more accurate to attribute the cracking of old tires to the effects of the sun? Interesting, I never considered that, even though I've seen the effects of sunlight on many other things, just never attributed those same affects to tires, but seems plausible to me.
Ozone is what I have been told is the killer of rubber. I bought a tire protector spray for the exposed air bags on our hay baler which was supposed to protect and keep the rubber soft and keep it from cracking.
The sun sure has a negative effect on tires you can see it on an old truck the inside tires are always in better shape It does seem like sitting in dirt causes cracks also maybe park on a piece of plywood or a nice bed of rock Have a canvas cover made to toss over the tires to keep the weather off
thanks guys for the info i guess i will look in to tire life a little more. too bad no one remembers the name of the tire protector / paint. can one add tire life though the vale stem on a big tire as not wanting to dismount just add it in. i will be braking down the DW6 tires to change out the O rings as well as de-rust and re paint.
http://www.millertire.com/products/tire-supplies/tire-paint/1-gallon-black-tire-paint/ http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/articles/artint71.htm I'm pretty sure this is the stuff, there are other brands out there that do the same thing. Not recommending it one way or the other...
it seems that tire life is just to get rid of moisture on the inside of the tire to prevent the rims from rusting, not preserve or extend tire life, and the paint is for cosmetic reasons, it doesnt say anything about protecting, just covering and filling in smaller cracks...tires are made with UV protectors and a life span, rubber or the compounds only last so long, the best way to preserve tires is to keep them off the ground and protected from the weather..those thick tires will be around for a loooong time to come...I use to use armor all protectant on vinyl and rubber weather stripping and it would soften and bring some of the color back, but that was thinner material, also used it on tires to give that new look, whether it helped the tires longevity is unknown..
"STP Son of a gun" seems to give life back into rubber, been using it for years and it helps keep rubber flexible. Not sure how far it'll go on OTR wheels! Block up and cover over wheels will help the most.
I read somewhere that the UV inhibitor they put in tires only works if you run them regularly. I think centrifugal force releases it to the surface. Let them sit for years and they crack. I put 303 protectant on tires (I can't swear it does anything though) and try to keep them in the shade as much as possible.