western australia

great depression

Not quite your modern day tyre

@JudyEv (382068)

Rockingham, Australia

March 11, 2023 9:19pm CST

The tyre on the right is believed to be from the period 1916-1920. There is no tyre and tube but the owner has bound thick rope round the rim to raise the circumference above the rim, covered it with heavy canvas then tied it with thin rope. Hopefully, this would get the driver home albeit slowly. During the depression, there was barely money for food let alone spare tyres and motorists would stuff tyres with grass, wool and other materials as an interim measure. The other tyre, on the left, was sold commercially as a ‘homing tyre’. It is made of coconut fibre and the signs claims it will never perish is as resilient as rubber and will not skid in sand or mud.

21 people like this

20 responses

@Ronrybs (21497)

• London, England

12 Mar 23

I suppose you'd not have to worry about a puncture with the homing tyre. You have to admire the ingenuity in repairing the other wheel, at least you got home!

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

You'd have to crawl along but at least it might get you where you were going.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

14 Mar 23

@Ronrybs You could probably read a book while you drove!

1 person likes this

@Ronrybs (21497)

• London, England

13 Mar 23

@JudyEv Beats walking and your car would be at home with you!

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@wolfgirl569 (135744)

• Marion, Ohio

12 Mar 23

You made do how you could

3 people like this

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@wolfgirl569 (135744)

• Marion, Ohio

12 Mar 23

@JudyEv It did create a generation of hoarders. My parents and hubbies parents kept almost everything.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

@wolfgirl569 That's so true - and some of it has brushed off on me. I hate throwing 'good stuff' out.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

That's very, very true. Everyone was struggling in those days.

2 people like this

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@JamesHxstatic (29410)

• Eugene, Oregon

12 Mar 23

I would not want to stake my life on that left hand tyre.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

No, you'd need to be going very slow but perhaps it might get you a short distance.

3 people like this

@JamesHxstatic (29410)

• Eugene, Oregon

12 Mar 23

@JudyEv That might help sometimes.

2 people like this

@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

12 Mar 23

People were good at making do with what they had in those days.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

That's true and they were very innovative. They had to be I guess.

3 people like this

@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

12 Mar 23

@JudyEv They had to make it or do without. Not many choices.

2 people like this

@aureliah (24687)

• Kenya

12 Mar 23

Very interesting and surprisingly they worked. Today this cannot work on our roads

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

Cars back then went much slower too. These would be pretty useless today.

3 people like this

@aureliah (24687)

• Kenya

11 Apr 23

@JudyEv absolutely

1 person likes this

@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

12 Mar 23

Amazing how little it took to get by during those times.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

People were very innovative in those days. They had to be.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

@CarolDM Yes, that's about the bottom line.

1 person likes this

@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

12 Mar 23

@JudyEv Survival for them no doubt.

3 people like this

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@shaggin (74987)

• United States

12 Mar 23

That is pretty inventive but makes me so sad thinking how poor people were

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

The only thing that makes it a tiny bit better is that so many were in the same boat. They were very tough times.

3 people like this

@vandana7 (102698)

• India

12 Mar 23

The coconut tire ... which era....interesting. What is the speed possible with it, I wonder.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

I think it would be a very slow speed by today's standards.

3 people like this

@velvet53 (24417)

• Palisade, Colorado

12 Mar 23

How interesting. I had never heard of this before.

2 people like this

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@velvet53 (24417)

• Palisade, Colorado

13 Mar 23

@JudyEv They sure were. I am going to share this with my granddaughter. She will get a kick out of it.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

I was surprised to see them too. They were very ingenious back then. I guess they had to be.

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@rebelann (117226)

• El Paso, Texas

12 Mar 23

Sometimes I think the old wheels made for horse drawn carriages would be a better choice but then I don't know all the why fors of the modern day tire.

2 people like this

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@rebelann (117226)

• El Paso, Texas

13 Mar 23

Hmmm, that's a good point. I've never been on a horse drawn carriage, is it really bumpy riding in one?

2 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

@rebelann It depends on the vehicle and the tyres. Solid rubber tyres can be bumpy.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

If you have inflated tyres the ride would be very rough indeed. I guess that's the main benefit.

2 people like this

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@RebeccasFarm (91297)

• United States

12 Mar 23

Now that is a sturdy tire.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

It would probably be pretty rough but tracks and roads were very basic in those days.

@jstory07 (148731)

• Roseburg, Oregon

12 Mar 23

I never saw those types of tires before. As long as it did the job all was good.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

People had to make do with whatever they could come up with.

3 people like this

@Icydoll (36713)

• India

12 Mar 23

Very interesting post . Thank you for sharing.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

I'm glad you found it interesting. Thanks for stopping by.

2 people like this

@Beestring (15372)

• Hong Kong

12 Mar 23

That's interesting. Human can always come up with ways to deal with difficult situation.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

People can be incredibly creative when they need to be.

3 people like this

@GardenGerty (169474)

• United States

12 Mar 23

They definitely were resilient.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

I guess they had to be! Their survival could depend on their ingenuity.

@rakski (156475)

• Philippines

12 Mar 23

is that one on the left even a tyre?

2 people like this

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@rakski (156475)

• Philippines

12 Mar 23

@JudyEv True and probably no heavy loads

2 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 23

It was probably a bit better when it was in use but they would have had to go very slowly.

3 people like this

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@RasmaSandra (98005)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

12 Mar 23

At least people found ways to get out and about, Amazing what these tires looked like,

2 people like this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

13 Mar 23

Needs must as the saying goes.

They were very creative in many ways.

2 people like this

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (323168)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

14 Mar 23

The homing tire sounds like a better tire than what they make today.

1 person likes this

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Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (323168)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

14 Mar 23

@JudyEv Yes, they are.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

14 Mar 23

The spares nowadays are very, very temporary.

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@JESSY3236 (22245)

• United States

14 Mar 23

That's so interesting.

@LindaOHio (222302)

• United States

14 Mar 23

I've never seen a tire as the one on the left. Isn't it interesting that we spell tire differently???

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382068)

• Rockingham, Australia

15 Mar 23

Haha - we spell a lot of words differently but I get stubborn and stick to my way.

However, I sometimes go with the predictive text and allow 'z' in words where I'd normally use an 's'. Such as tantalising, tantalizing - words like that.