The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 7.00-18 tires 8 lug

From a distance my tires look in good shape, but closer inspection reveals lots of dry cracks, etc... I have no idea how safe they are, so to err on the safe side I called a local tire store and to replace my tires the cost would be:
-$169.99/tire (6 total)
-$80 freight
-$15/tire for mounting

For a grand total out the door of ~$1287.

Definitely pricey. Is this my best (/only) option or does anyone have other solutions? I could fix up lots of little things here and there for that much, but the truck isn't much good without tires.

I need to get a spare wheel as well, but I will look for one at a swap meet / online.

Depends on what you are going to do with the truck.If you are doing some heavy hauling &/or going a long way you would want to go with 6 new ones. If it's just a toy you could put the best ones on the rear duals & just replace the front ones.

I've had good luck searching used tire shops, may take a while but I've saved some money. Also put wanted ad for your size tires on craig's list.
Best of luck

Thanks guys. Not doing any heavy hauling, but more than a play truck. My philosophy with this truck is to use it as an around the house work truck but want the flexibility to be able to travel 100 miles or so as well with a light or medium load (few hundred pounds). Mostly for transporting veggies, compost, lumber, maybe some gravel, etc...

I think I will watch craigslist and the used tire shops. If I run into a problem before then, I'll have to bite the bullet.

At one time, a lot of the the 1-ton rated van type bread trucks were equipped with 19.5" tubeless tires and tapered-bead rims. They were a direct replacement for the 18" tube type tires, same overall height but with a slightly shorter sidewall. If there's a bakery in your area that's been in business for a long time, check to see if they've got some leftover spare wheels and tires!
Jerry