Exploding Tires Plague Bulldozers - CoverUps.com

By Fredericka Kozlowski
CoverUps.com Investigator

Just when we thought the SUV tire problem was over, numerous accounts of an unnamed tire brand exploding are circulating across the Midwest. But they weren't under Ford Explorers. Firestone execs came straight out to deny any involvement in the recent accidents where all kinds of bulldozers were run off numerous country roads which jeopardized construction sites. The Caterpillar and John Deere models were the victims of the majority of the incidents.

"This does not help the construction business one bit. I've lost two bulldozers in three months, and let me tell you, my clients were not happy. I almost didn't finish the jobs before the rain came. I was that close to having a job ruined," says independent contractor, Robert Johnson.

Mr. Johnson's last bulldozer. If he loses it, he says he will quit the business. There are hundreds of companies as small as his that are on the verge of collapse.

But bulldozers aren't the only machinery that has had this problem. There have been many reports of tractors experiencing this same problem. CoverUps.com was lucky enough to get a representative from the Tennessee Tow Truck Association, Steven Kerr, who told us "over the past year, there has been a record number of tractors being pulled from ditches."

Pictured a bove is the result of a Firestone tire gone bad during their recall back in 2000. Now the farming industry is experiencing the same horrible effects, and they aren't riding for recreation.

"This could be a serious threat to agriculture as we know it," says John Hettinger, who owns a farm in Tennessee. "I've lost three tractors already, and it's almost coming down to selling my farm altogether."

Meanwhile bigger commercial farms aren't affected at all, and are reaping all the benefits when the smaller guys sell. "I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they were somehow in on it with the manufacturers to rig these tires and therefore wipeout their competition," says Hettinger.

We were able to track down the makers of the tires and they refuted any claims that they were involved in any of the explosions. There was also no evidence of foul play at any of the scenes. They suggested that what happened with Firestone tires several years ago could be happening to their tires, but that no recall has been decided on as of yet.