Pete’s Tire Barns recently acquired a Firestone 70/70-57 Super Rock Grip loader tire, the world’s largest working tire! The tire, which was featured on History Channel’s Modern Marvels was designed specifically for the LeTourneau L-2350 Loader, a mining machine which is designed to center-load haul trucks with capacities of up to 400 tons and provides an operating payload of 160,000 pounds, a 24-foot dump clearance and an 11.5-foot reach.
Each tire weighs a staggering 15,000 lbs (equivalent to a school bus) and stands over 13 feet tall. The retail price for the tire is approximately $167,000.
The tire consists of 48 plies of rubber (enough to cover an Olympic-sized swimming pool) and takes approximately 40 people and 88 hours to build using a combination of advance technology and old-fashioned hand-craftsmanship. The beads are constructed with 640lbs of steel which would equal about 20 miles when completely laid out.
Delivery of the tire was no small feat – Ranco Transportation Services from Orange MA transported the tire across several states, having to secure several special permits in advance to get it here and the tire required the use of crane trucks to load and unload.
The tire as it is currently on display at 275 East Main Street in Orange on the front lawn near the Jones Street entrance. Pete’s Tire welcomes the public to stop by to take photos.
