Saturday haul

[Hanno Spoelstra]

An assortment of British and Canadian 8-cwt and 15-cwt rims. Some complete with hubs and/or original tyres. Thanks for your help, Alex!

[Alex van de Wetering]

You're welcome Hanno.....always fun to carry Run-Flat tyres

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

.always fun to carry Run-Flat tyres

Or as I like to call them: backbreakers.


Tip: they will roll...you do not need to carry them.



Derk Derin burned out the transmission on his truck back in the 90s when we transported about 10 ferret runflats from a surplus yard in Saskatchewan. Each one is heavy....multiples of them is murder.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Backbreakers they are, even with the 1942 9.25-16 tyres completely worn down.
The C8A rims also have hubs in them, converted for use on a farm trailer. Glad we brought a trailer with ramp so we could roll them on.

Interestingly, two 15-cwt rims have American made “Kant Slip” 9.00-16 W /|\ D tyres FOR BRITISH WHEELS made by Kelly Springfield Tyre Co. on them.

[rob love]

Are they a bar type tread, or chevron? I have seen the US made bar type trad at work and marked as for British rims. It kind of makes me feel better having to use the bar tread on a CMP or 25 pounder when I don't have any access to chevron. Once was the time I considered the use of bar tread as taking the easy way out. Sacrilege.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by rob love

Are they a bar type tread, or chevron? I have seen the US made bar type trad at work and marked as for British rims. It kind of makes me feel better having to use the bar tread on a CMP or 25 pounder when I don't have any access to chevron. Once was the time I considered the use of bar tread as taking the easy way out. Sacrilege.

Proper NDMS bar grip, and not a retread. I have not been able to find a date on them. The American Kelly-Springfield Tire Company was founded in 1894. It was acquired in 1935 by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, who maintained it as a subsidiary until 1999 when it was integrated into Goodyear North America. It continues today as a major brand under Goodyear. So they could have been made anytime during the past.

Could it be the US supplied tyres for British wheels under Lend-Lease? Or would the US supply European MDAP recipients after WW2 with tyres made for their ex-Canadian equipment?

[rob love]

Personally, I thought they were post war on the limber or gun I found them on. Not sure I kept the old carcass to confirm.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Most likely postwar indeed, Rob. Otherwise we would see many bar treads on period pictures of Commonwealth trucks.

I have no problem fitting bar treads on my CMP. Rather a set of fresh rubber bar treads than wartime Trak Grips. Spoke to a club member the other day who was adamant that his wartime tyres were perfectly safe for road use as “they are made of natural rubber, not that modern crap”

[rob love]

I will admit to having noticed that tires I buy these days seem to crack in very short order, measured from months to 4 years. Yet I will have tires from the 80s and 90s which are still crack free, so can't merely blame the environment or the sunlight. But I will not extend that to 80 year old tires. There is a limit to everything.

Here in North America, the tire companies first came out lobbying to get winter tires as a requirement over having all season tires or driving with summer tires. It meant that they would get to sell everyone a second set of tires. Then, because, of course, you might get twice as long out of those tires since you are only running them half the year, they now recommend a 4 year tire life. And coincidentally, they now exhibit cracks at the 4 year mark.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Tyre manufacturers undoubtedly apply "value engineering - the process of reducing the cost of producing a product without reducing its quality or how effective it is" - i.e. made as cheap as possible to last their projected lifetime.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Next Saturday haul: Michelin XY 9.00-16 tyres with road tread. Ex-French reserve, they fitted them to their Dodge WC 6x6 reserve fleet. Most of the driving I do is on the road anyway and these are somewhat larger in diameter than bar treads.

Ford fans may note the large floor mat with logo drying out on the push bar. I got it with the rims last week. It was very dirty but half an hour with the pressure washer made it presentable again.