Blog

Hilltop Tire Service (HTS) is excited to reveal its new mascot, a rubber horse! This majestic masterpiece is made out of rubber tires and stands eight feet tall. By having the rubber horse on display at each location, HTS is reminding their clients why they have been around for nearly a century. Martin Holt, President, states, “Our vision and passion today is to show our customers that we are evolving in these changing times. As we look on to the coming years, the automobile industry could change more in the next 5 years than it has over the past 90 years. Just like the tractor replaced the horse, and rubber tires replaced the steel-cleated wheels, self-driving and electric cars could replace our gasoline-powered vehicles.”

Martin’s father, Albert, first built a rubber horse in the 1950s, but after many years of service it was retired in the 70s. Holt says, “Customers would stop to look at the horse, then buy tires!”

“There’s an interesting story that goes along with why my father first built a rubber horse,” said Holt. “Back then, most of the farmers in this area used tractors with steel wheels to do their work in the fields. My Grandfather, Leonard, wanted to convert the farmer’s tractor from steel wheels to rubber tires, so he would offer the farmer two free gallons of gas if he agreed to run a test. My grandfather would take a set of rubber tires and 2 gallons of gas out to a farmer working in the field with his tractor. He would wait for the farmer to run his tractor out of gas, then put 1 gallon of gas in the tractor and have the farmer plow with steel wheels until it ran out of gas, then he would change the tractor to rubber tires, add another gallon of gas and have the farmer plow again. The distance the tractor plowed with rubber tires far exceeded the steel wheels. The tractor could not only go a much greater distance but also much faster, smoother and with less soil compaction because of the reduced weight of the tractor. The farmer was easily won over to switch to rubber tires!”

Holt went on to say, “We are adapting to the next generation of cars, and as long as rubber meets the road, no matter what kind of smart car those tires are attached to – we’ll be here for you!”

Hilltop Tire Service is a 4th generation, family-owned and operated full-service auto repair center that has been in business for nearly a century. Offering quality products and services from 3 convenient locations around the Des Moines metro, Hilltop Tire Service is known for its honest opinions, trustworthy workmanship and always with the customer's safety in mind.