Replace trailer tires?

txtowman · Mar 1, 2011

How far?

Do you tow long distances?

Are you comfortable doing a tire change on the side of the road?

Is your time important? Will it ruin your adventure to have a tire fiasco while trying take a much needed trip?

I use older tires, but I don't mind the hassle of changing them and plan my time accordingly

JMHO

Sid

sinnettc · Mar 1, 2011

I've heard 2 years mentioned if you buy the cheap Chinese ones. I'm creeping up on at least 5 years and will probably replace mine in the fall. Not because they're overly worn, but because I'm planning to tow the boat to Lake Havasu for the Trailer Sailor convention next February and I don't trust them to handle a 2000 mile trip.

Being in Orygun does have its advantages from a sun damage standpoint. I'm pretty sure the tires will get us down to Fern Ridge Reservoir and back again this year, but 2000 miles is just too risky with a single axle trailer.

Mike B1026 · Mar 2, 2011

Yep

You are nuts

Maybe if you just tow short distances at slow speed...
nope, you are still nuts

All kidding aside, Goodyear has some info. They list RV and trailer tires together. Although they don't state the number of years, generally 5 years is considered a good time to replace from what I have heard. Also don't let a trailer sit for more than 3 months without a drive. Another option is to put the trailer up on stands. Tires need to be run or they deteriorate quicker. Don't use chemicals on the tires. Protect from sunlight & ozone.

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/tirecare/tire_replacement.html
http://www.goodyear.com/rv/tirecare/tire_storage.html

MABell said:
There is an article in this months BoatUS trailering mag that hints at trailer tires should be replaced every 5 years – regardless.
And, a friend of mine that is a RV person has told me that I’m nuts for still using the tires that came on my trailer from 1998.
This is a Hunter 26 trailer with dual axils and is between 6,000 and 7,000 lbs when pulled. (the axils are 3,500 lbs each, and I believe the tires are rated 1,750 each – so at or near max capacity).
Any experience in this area?
I should state the tires show no defects and the trailer is stored in a forested area where it rains more than the sun shines.
Thanks in advance.

dscribner · Mar 2, 2011

Is this data posted by a tire company? HMMMMmmmm . . . .

CaptDon01 · Mar 2, 2011

I recently experienced a tire blow-out on our C-22. The tires looked like new with no cracking, and at the proper PSI. However, I had no idea how old they were. Not only was it a pain in the butt to change the tire along side the road, when the tire blew it shreaded and took out the fender and the wheel got bent while pulling over. I have 14" Load range-C tires. I'm going to have the boat and trailer weighed before I tow again. I believe I'm about at capacity on load-range C tires and will go up to D rated tires. But no company makes D rated tires in 14". So once I know for sure what weight the boat, trailer, and all our junk is, I'll get the appropriate rated tires.

Don

Sumner · Mar 2, 2011

If they were more than 5 years old no matter how good they looked they can go. That is pretty much considered max life now no matter how much they have been used. I've experienced the same.

Also hopefully you are not trying to use a car tire. Please use a trailer rated tire only,

Good luck,

Sum

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rejenk3 · Mar 2, 2011

FYI:

Locate the 4 digit code pressed in the tire. This indicates when the tire was made.

The first two (2) digits indicate the week. For example 06 would be the 6th calendar week.

The second two (2) digits indicate the year. For example 08 would indicate 2008.

Example Code 0608 This tire was made the 6th week of 2008.

monkeybars · Mar 2, 2011

if you are not familar with tire care and maintanence then it is likely much safer to replace your tires on a time schedule.but if you know and are versed with tire loading(most common reason for blowout is tire over heating caused by underinflation or overloading)off season storage,and tire carcus inspection(sidewall rot),then there is absolutly no reason to waste good money replacing a serviceable tire.

Sumner · Mar 2, 2011

ray carlson said:
if you are not familar with tire care and maintanence then it is likely much safer to replace your tires on a time schedule.but if you know and are versed with tire loading(most common reason for blowout is tire over heating caused by underinflation or overloading)off season storage,and tire carcus inspection(sidewall rot),then there is absolutly no reason to waste good money replacing a serviceable tire.

I wouldn't worry as much if I was using the trailer all of the time vs. it sitting so much. I have 4 different trailers and tow in the west where it can be a long ways to get a tire. I do always have a spare, but have had problems in the last 10-15 years that I never had prior to that.

Tires aren't that expensive considering having a blowout, so I now replace them around 5 years regardless and I do maintain proper pressure.

Here is one link...

http://www.trailertiresafety.com/TireWearandReplacement.asp

and if you google this you will find many more. Does that mean all tires are going to blowout at 5 years and one month? Of course not, but maybe it might explain what happened with the poster's tire.

A couple years ago I had 2 different tires go out on a car-hauler trailer I had that were about 6-7 years old and they we up to the proper pressure and looked good. I'll keep them changed out now.

Sum

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kpgraci · Mar 2, 2011

Ah come on, this is gonna cost me another $107. I just replaced a new looking tire because the PO had a 14" Load B and it was supposed to be 15" Load C. I left the correct size (but much older) tire on the other side and am using the smaller good one for a spare.

Now you've got me worried...I need to change out that old tire. :cussing:

Sumner · Mar 2, 2011

kpgraci said:
.........Now you've got me worried...I need to change out that old tire. :cussing:

I guess it depends where you are towing and how large the load. If I was going 10-20 miles with a light boat and had a spare I might wait a while.

We towed about 5000 miles a year ago and now have the boat over 2200 miles from home and the round about trip home will add over another 4000 miles. I don't want a problem if I can avoid it. One set of tires is 1 1/2 years old and the other 1 year. The boat/trailer is around 4000 lb..

c ya,

Sum

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mspiers · Mar 2, 2011

Some of the worst damage i ever did to a sailboat was caused from tire blowout on the way home from buying it... Now when i buy a new one I ask about rim size and lug pattern and with a 3 ton floor jack in the truck its quick work to change the wheels and tires over to new ones before i hit the road. Once the broker told me to grab some lunch while he used my tools and did it for me... its a half hour job in a safe parking lot vs a blowout, subsequent damage, and dangerous tire changing on the interstate or worse.

dscribner · Mar 2, 2011

I haven't blown a tire yet, but I had all of the lug bolts (not nuts) strip out as I turned into the ramp parking are. The tire was leaning at 30 degrees with one bolt left. I dropped the boat in the closest spot and ran to Home Repot for new bolts. I had to use 7/16" grade five bolts to get thru the stripped 1/2-13 threads. It worked enough to get us into the water (I wasn't going to cancel sailing after all) and then 10 miles back home. I replaced the hubs that week. But . . . this tire thing has me thinking.

JoeWhite · Mar 2, 2011

I replaced the trailer tires. They were the tube type ! How old do you think they were ....

kpgraci · Mar 2, 2011

Sumner said:
I guess it depends where you are towing and how large the load. If I was going 10-20 miles with a light boat and had a spare I might wait a while.

No such luck. Highway speeds over 40 miles of bumpy overpasses. I only do it twice a year when I haul out for maintenance, but I don't need a blowout to cause the boat to topple and spill out on I-10. That would be not be a good day.

Mike B1026 · Mar 2, 2011

Depends

MABell said:
Maybe one last question. Radial or not?

Both have certain advantages. You can Google and find more info. Briefly though... radials have more advantages, better fuel mileage, run cooler, don't have that flat spot till you drive it for a few miles, and a few more but...
if you drive shorter distances bias tires are cheaper and...From what I have read, radials have a bigger problem if they sit stationary for a long time. From what I have read, the steel belts in radials have a tendency to separate from the cords from "corrosion." Moisture can actually penetrate into the carcass. Other things on the tire manufacturing process can also contribute to this issue. (contamination) There are a lot of bad things that happen to a tire if it sits too long. Supposedly by using the tire regularly, it will heat up the tire, the compounds stay "alive" and the flexing helps the cords to stay more flexible. (Probably a bad way to explain it.)

One thought... if you use the trailer every month or you drive longer distances, buy radials. If it sits a lot and you have shorter trips, buy a bias belted tire and save some money.

I'm still on the fence here. I need to buy a couple of new tires and some galvanized rims. I'm still on the fence. I'm leaning towards Goodyear Marathon radials but still debating. My trailer sits a lot, so I really should take it for a spin every month or put it on jack stands. Especially if I get radials again.

My Carlisle radials are right at 5 years. The left one is showing some slight sidewall cracking, probably from the position of the sun where the trailer sits. It also looks like I may have some internal tread separations.