Abstract: A hydraulically actuated tire cutter includes a first conveyor belt which loads a tire into a tire cutting position between a fixed plate, a moving plate and a plurality of adjustable bars. Twelve corresponding pairs of gripping jaws project from the fixed and moving plate. The gripping jaws have a saw tooth edge. Each pair of gripping jaws of the fixed and moving plate are in registration with one another to compress the tire until one of the tire's beads essentially touches the other. Twelve blades attached to a blade plate are hydraulically actuated to pass through a passage in the moving plate and the fixed plate to radially cut the tire. After the tire has been cut, a second conveyor belt removes the pieces of tire from the bottom portion of the tire cutter.