Very Premature dry rot. Any ideas as to why?

So last April I went and bought 2 deestone 18x6.50-8 tires at $30 apiece brand new from a reputable tire shop my family trusts. After 1 year there is some slight hairline cracking on the port side steer tire and I am frustrated. It holds air fine, and granted it is at 15 psi and it has been kept in a non heated shed, but I can’t help but think that this is very early for a tire, the alignment paint is still there even. The starboard side looks fine and dandy and both still look like fresh rubber. I do not know why this happened because my brain thinks that if both tires are at the same pressure and in the same place then why could this happen? I have a snowblower on the front but I ground it when I am done. Should I try and see if I can get a warranty replacement? Deestone said that there is a 2 year dry rot warranty. Boy, oh boy oh boy this is frustrating.... Thanks for reading this!

I've been told that oxygen & ozone break down rubber, as does direct sun. Time exposure to those elements seems to be the killer - a car I had used a rubber timing belt, and I was told by an expert to NOT buy one with a date stamp over 6 months old, as it will have already begun to deteriorate.

I don't know about tractor tires, but car tires have a date stamp (although it's in code, so you have to look up how to read it). It can be interesting to read the date codes: I bought a pair of tires for my sports car a few years ago, and there was 4 years difference in the manufacturing dates!! That's the difference between a fresh tire & one that's already nearing the end of its life.

At the least, I'd be taking it back to the tire shop & asking them to kindly replace that tire at no cost. You'll have more ammunition if there are date codes & they reveal a difference like I mentioned.....

Were they new purchased or had they sat on a shelf several years? Wonder if that can be deciphered from the strappings.

Date codes are (week/week/year/year) for cars. DOT coded. So a (3416) would be the 34th week of 2016.

Not sure if it’s the same for off-road tires. Hairline cracking on the surface I’d call normal, but any deeper than the surface ain’t right

Thanks guys! I check this morning and the week code is (converted) 7/8/18 so yeah these have been sitting for some time, They both still have the same week code so I am genuinely baffled as to how this happened on only one tire. As far as crack depth goes, it’s nothing really deep but it’s about the width of my fingernail so it’s gone through the surface in a couple places. I think I will ask my tire shop if I may call their supplier (tires were ordered, rare size) and see about a warranty exchange. Maybe there is a discrepancy in the rubber?

It's possible (even likely) that one of the two wasn't stored in a bag at the warehouse & was exposed to the air, while the other one wasn't.

It SHOULD be a warranty item!

@mh434 wrote:

It's possible (even likely) that one of the two wasn't stored in a bag at the warehouse & was exposed to the air, while the other one wasn't.

It SHOULD be a warranty item!

Yeah, I’ll call my tire shop and ask if they will warranty it tomorrow. They know us personally so I think it will all work out. If both are dated July 2018 should I ask about warrantying the other as well? It seems to be in good condition but being as old as it is I’m a little uneasy.

setting around with low air pressure in sub freezing temps will split a sidewall too