TT Tires & Wheels

[Lyndon]

I have several questions on tires and wheels, on the early TT's. I have a 1921 built the first part of May. It has the 32 X 4 1/2 on the rear. And 30 x 3 1/2 on the front. My first question is how many years did they use the 32 X 4 1/2 on the rear. And what kind of tire/tread pattern would they have had from the factory. Did they have a matching tread pattern? There is not a lot to choose from on the 32 X 4 1/2 for the rear. I would like to have the front and rear tread pattern to match. But all I have found that would match is the Firestone non skids. But I am not crazy about the looks of the non skids. I am not concerned with how long they will last. Because this will not get that many miles put on it. What is on it now, is some old Sears Allstates, with the tread pattern similar to the Brockleys. But they are not any count. So I was just curious if anyone knew what they came out with when they were new?
Thank you
Lyndon

[RajoRacer]

I have a '24 with 32 x 4.5 (23") on the rears - I believe the 600 - 20 (20") came out in 1925. I don't believe you're going to have much luck matching the tread between fronts & rears.

[HPetrino]

It has been my unsubstantiated belief that early stock TT's were equipped with "solid" rubber tires. Pneumatic tires were, I believe, an upgrade which later became stock equipment. Over the years most of these trucks were equipped with wheels and tires suited to the users needs and pocketbook. What you see is what you get.

My '18 TT has 650 - 20's on the rear and 450 - 21's on the front, which is what what was on it when acquired by my grandfather in 1946. . Interestingly, tucked up under the bed on top of the rear chassis cross member was a 30 X 3 1/2 spare, which fit none of the wheels on the truck. I accept that as evidence that none of the wheels on it are original. It probably originally had 32 X 4 1/2's on the rear and 30 X 3 1/2's on the front when new, but who knows? It also could have been originally equipped with solid rubber tires.

I think Steve is right. Finding matching treads in the two sizes is going to be difficult or impossible.

[kmatt2]

The 32 x 4 1/2 inch tire size was originally a size that was used on big heavy cars in the teens. This is why the earlier TT, with its one ton rating, used them on the rear in the early 1920's., by then the nonskid tred pattern was obsolete. I would not use the noskid's on a 1921 TT, these days I would pick the rear and front tred that costs less or that you like best. On my TT chassis the rims are even a mismatch with 32" Kelsey on the rear and 30" Hayes on the front.

[A Whiteman]

Untitled.jpg (51.18 KiB) Viewed 1296 times