I bought an old trailer with, (duh) old tires. They are from the 1990’s, going by the dating system stamped on their sides. The tires have good tread on them and are otherwise fine but they have cracks on the sides from dry-rot.
If it matters, the tires are 700-15 truck tires.
What say you, automobile gurus? Are these tires usable? Are they likely to blow at any time? These tires are on a horse/livestock trailer and I really don’t want a blowout while hauling cattle or horses.
With something as important as tires, I would follow the same advice I give to people who ask if some food has gone bad: When in doubt, throw it out. I wouldn’t trust my life or livestock to 10+ year old tires that had dry rot cracks!
Absolutely not! Junk 'em. They would be a danger to you and everyone else on the road. An exception might be low-speed/very local use with minimal weight on the trailer,
Their uses are tire planters, dock bumpers, and mosquito breeding habitats. Once the sidewalls have cracks you’d be negligent to use them for driving.
Quoting OP What say you, automobile gurus? Are these tires usable? Are they likely to blow at any time? These tires are on a horse/livestock trailer and I really don’t want a blowout while hauling cattle or horses.
>I say: Don’t use them for carrying loads and don’t keep them inflated. Get rid of them at a disposal center.
> Essentially, they are not usable to haul any type of load or to be inflated.
>They are more likely to blow out, and you are at much greater risk of this happening since they are old/rotted.
Looks like this one is unanimous! I was afraid of that, but just lookin’ at those tires with 80% tread left made me think “what a waste”.
So it’s off to the tire store for me.
Thanks a bunch.