Had my first trailer tire blowout yesterday

[Gene Neill]

Gene. You know this could have been avoided if you had a bigger boat in the water. You and the admiral could have been in the same car riding to the boat. (Think of the fuel savings and help for the planet). No trailer to park. Just a pleasant drive to the boat and a cruise.

Just saying. Fuel to encourage admiral acceptance for the bigger boat idea.

I like the way you think, buddy!!

There actually is a back-story reason for our "convoy": after a weekend sailing, we got back to the ramp just before sunset, and the tide was so low we couldn't get the boat onto the trailer! So I had to leave her tied to the dock overnight (the boat, not the wife), and we each left work early the next day and met back at the dock to get her. Hence the fortunate circumstance of having two vehicles on the way home when the tire blew.

I have to say, my wife's a total gamer. She was the one who got us off our Harley Davidsons and onto a sailboat. If we had the money, or could borrow the money, or steal the money ... we'd be somewhere in the South Pacific on a fifty footer right now.

From the weekend:

 

[BudGates]

She was the one who got us off our Harley Davidsons and onto a sailboat.

My wife has been trying to do that for a long time. I finally compromised and met her half way. We bought the boat but kept the Harley.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a dealer the number one cause is improper pressure. I strongly urge you always check that befor trailering. Also chock tires as a safety precaution and carry a spare religiously. Two million plus miles towing boats as a dealer taught me well.
Also keep in mind alignment of axels and proper location of axles on the frame of the trailer too

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

One thing I forgot to mention, always stop after about 10 miles checking the tires and rims by placing your hand on the tire, rim and bearing cup after you first start out. Yes there will be some warmth but excessively heat indicates something is wrong. Once in TN with our camper going home stopping to refuel I checked after going ten miles and one rim and bearing cap were hot. Left it to be repaired to find the bearing seized due to brake sticking per mechanic. Paid the bill and no more issues. Made many roadside repairs because many never checked pressure nor serviced their trailers. I too had ties blow and even saw axle on fire so anything can happen which is why I check every 100 miles of travel.

 

[Gene Neill]

Thread update!

A second blowout occurred last month, this time on the Interstate, far from home, on the way to launching for a week-long cruise. It was the same exact tire that blew, a Kenda Karrier LoadStar. So not surprisingly, my advice to anyone making a trailer tire purchase would be to avoid this one.

My primary tires are now "Goodyear Endurance" in load range E. This tire is a new kid on the block, a bit pricier but looks good and is made in the USA. The tread depth is visibly shallower than most competitors, but this doesn't concern me, since the years add up a lot faster than the miles do, and I generally replace trailer tires with most of their tread still left on them. All I really care about is that the tire doesn't blow.

Oh, and I am now carrying TWO spares. No more having to stop in the middle of a trip to launch on a cruise to search around for a tire store, in a strange town, on a Sunday. (Because I was definitely not willing to proceed further without a spare!)

 

[Meriachee]

Chances are you’re going to see spider cracks in the sidewalls way before the trad depth is an issue.
I can’t recall ever replacing a trailer tire over tread wear.

 

[JamesG161]

I am now carrying TWO spares

Way back when...
I did too!
I had one blow, not disintegrate, and guess what? The side was of course the side of road that had little shoulder. Jack kept sinking instead of raising the trailer.
I used the second spare as a jack stand "spreader" and used it for the Jack base.
No damage to the spare rim at all.
Jim...

 

[rgranger]

Thread update!

......It was the same exact tire that blew, a Kenda Karrier LoadStar.

Was it on the same wheel? If so, I'd be wondering if maybe something is out of alignment just a tad and is putting some sort of strange stress on the tire.

 

[Gene Neill]

Nope, opposite side. I actually got to put the jack on pavement this time!

 

[rgranger]

I guess that is good news. Changing brands should do the trick.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Rgranger made a good suggestion. Make sure the axle is true on the frame by measuring fro the tongue of trailer to axle on each side. Also make sure all tires are inflated correctly each time before a trip

 

[walt]

Shit.. I saw this thread come again about the truck jack not being high enough for the trailer.. But of course was in too big of a hurry for the road trip. Spent five nights in Chula Vista marina and drove back today. About 2/3 of the way home, the trailer bearings on one side just seemed to vaporize.. I pulled over to a spot off the road a little with the one tire sitting at a nasty angle. The bearings were just gone and whatever happened seemed to be a failure that happened quickly. I had been checking the axle temps every time we got gas. Anyhow.. we drove just under 100 miles to find all the parts for the fix. I replaced the bearings and races in the spot in the picture.. which is really out in the middle of nowwhere (about 30 south of Quarztsite Arizona). The bearings were new three years ago and had maybe 2500 miles on them.

I had to find some fricken rocks that would stack just right for the jack fit on.. Just a memory now that I can find at least a little bit funny but what a hassle during the moment.. Picture from today.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Rgranger made a good suggestion. Make sure the axle is true on the frame by measuring fro the tongue of trailer to axle on each side. Also make sure all tires are inflated correctly each time before a trip

The very act of blowing your first tire could cause a bad alignment problem that may have had an effect on the other tire. Bearings, etc. all get a workout when pulled just for a moment at highway speeds.

So glad it was just the tires you lost.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I find carrying a four way lug wrench, grease gun, floor jack that the kind used in a garage, spare tire(two for long haul), tools, rags, etc. are essential when pulling. Do not forget about the blocks of wood too. When pulling out and moving, for your own safety, pull over after 10-20 miles to check the tie down straps, winch strap and heat on bearings. Occassionally grease the axles if needed as many do not. Doing this saves a lot of headaches. If you see tire rot, replace them and darn it, check the pressure in the tires before moving as underinflated tires will heat up quickly and blow out. This is a must if trailering anything. I demanded this of my customers and boy were they glad I did.

 

[Meriachee]

If you're going to do a lot of miles, consider at least dual axles. At the very least, you can lose one bearing and still limp your way to someplace for parts.

 

[walt]

Since having my problem yesterday, Im thinking about dual axles. I have the 15 inch tires rated at 2500 each and an axle / bearings rated at 3500 pounds. I dont load the boat at all for trailering and think total weight is likely near 3000. I had greased the hubs before the trip with blue or green (water proof) grease.

So everything should have had some margin for my use. What I dont think I will find out and have some concern about and assuming things are used within rated specs, if you double the number of tires, axles and bearings, do you also double your chance of something going wrong? Or do you reduce the risk. Keep in mind this is for every part used with margin compared to its weight specs. Ive also seen someone with a dual axle travel trailer driving with a blowout and the blown tire was getting warn down to nothing - big trail of sparks. That may have been due so some sort of load leveling suspension. I dont think you can tow very far with either a single or dual axle trailer.. Is this not right? For the same cost in tires, I can also simply replace the tire set twice as often.

So.. I could be wrong but dont think the dual axle for a lighter boat is a slam dunk argument. Dual axle for when you have to to be within operating specs for a heavier load is a no brainer..

Im going to put together a kit for next tow

1. Stand off so that I can safely use my truck jack
2. One complete set of bearings / seal / washer / castle nut
3. Water proof bearing grease and grease gun
4. Extra tire nuts
5. Star wrench
6. Possibly an extra disk brake hub
7. Brake fluid

 

[Meriachee]

double the number of tires, axles and bearings, do you also double your chance of something going wrong

Of course you do. But the decrease in risk surpasses the increase by an order of magnitude. Ask yourself what might have happened if the wheel came right off at highway speed, then ask yourself what might happen if one of two came off at highway speeds. That's the logic behind three axles on the little Catalina. Three axles has way more tire wear and bearing load sideways than two, but if a bearing goes out in the middle of nowhere, we're not stranded.

 

[LeeandRick]

Walt if you decide to go with tandem axles, I've got extra spring hangers and equalizers (2 sets) that SWW didn't want back. Take the boat to the gravel yard across from College Street and get a real weight on the trailering package. You may be heavier than you think if any water remains in the tanks.

 

[walt]

Thanks for the opinion, as I said I dont think I will ever find any real data on this. I think with most two axles setups, you are not going anywhere with one tire not working. My experience also is that if the trailer is pulling stable when the tires are good, the trailer will also pull stable with either a blowout, bad bearings, even a tire completely coming off. The other time I have had a problem was because I had snuged up the tire bolts myself and didnt check like at the first gas stop. Nuts worked loose and the tire came off. The boat pulled stable both before and after the incident.

One question.. If you have a grease fitting, how do you grease the axle adequatly for the bearings but not so much that you blow the seal on back side?

 

[walt]

Walt if you decide to go with tandem axles, I've got extra spring hangers and equalizers (2 sets) that SWW didn't want back. Take the boat to the gravel yard across from College Street and get a real weight on the trailering package. You may be heavier than you think if any water remains in the tanks.

I think I will change something next winter and I should weigh the boat.. but not happening yet as I just tucked it away for the summer. I think part of the problem I had was this complete POS castle nut setup that Macgreggor used on the axle. It was the kind where a flimsy sheet metal part with the teeth for cotter pin slips over a regular nut. The POS castle nut was demolished when I took the hub apart. I also did not find the keyed washer that is supposed to go between the castle nut and the bearing and think that may have been part of my problem. Im the one who put that together a few years ago so cant blame anyone.