Abstract: Lead thick rubber bearings (LTRBs) are increasingly used for seismic isolation in nuclear power plants as well as seismic isolation and vibration mitigation in urban over-tracking buildings. To reduce the overturning risk of structures due to the tensile failure of bearings, it is crucial to study their tensile properties. In this study, full-scale lead thick rubber bearings were designed and manufactured. The influence factors were explored, including the manufacturing defect, lateral displacement and lead core. The effects of the tensile load on the mechanical properties of bearings were also evaluated. The test results show that the manufacturing defect caused by the longer bolt length of the endplate leads to a reduction in the initial tensile stiffness and yield stress of bearings. The existing code limits cannot detect this type of defect, and thus, the connecting accuracy and quality should be strictly controlled during fabrication process. When LTRBs are subjected to uniaxial tensile loading, the lead core provides the vertical friction force and increases the initial tensile stiffness. As the lateral displacement is applied, the effects of the lead core on tensile properties become more pronounced. Then, analytical models were developed for the tensile stiffness and hysteretic curves of LTRBs. These models considered the contribution of the lead core and the effect of rubber cavitation damage. They can accurately predict the tensile stiffness before and after yielding, tensile stress, and energy dissipation under uniaxial and offset tensile loading.