MX429

Coming back from a race yesterday, I had a blow out on one of my trailer tires. Didn't do any damage to the trailer. Just a quick "side of the road" pit stop and I was back on my way. It did cost me 160 bucks when had the tire replaced with another E range Uniroyal.

I have been around stock trailers, boat trailers, utility trailers and race trailers for years. I have always noticed that everyone gets a trailer flat from time to time. It seems much more so than a vehicle flat. I have also seen several blown trailer tires.

My trailer is an '03. It has..or now had, 4 Goodyear E range tires that are not close to being worn out. They show no dry rot cracks yet. I always keep them right at 80lbs. What causes tires to blow?? Why does it seem that trailer tires let go more frequently than vehicle tires? I know that most trailer tires are not ballanced. Would this make a difference in their life span??

I have aout 9500lbs on the trailer axle when loaded, so it is not over what the 4 tires can handle.

I was just wondering why it seems that trailer tires let go more often than vehicle tires.

cincydiesel

I just went through the same problem with same questions. From what my dealer explained to me is that you will never wear the tread off a trailor tire before they should be replaced. Trailor tires should be replaced every three years. Apparently the tread chemicals break down in a shorter amount of time then passenger or truck tires. Thus causing the tire to seperate from the sidewalls.

JimmieD

I'm not a youngster anymore. When I wake up in the morning it's a couple of hours with slow and painful movements, LOTS of coffee and some breakfast and finally ready to go a couple of hours later, reluctantly. Only happens once a day, but every day!

How does that relate to trailer tires? They sit there flat on one side for days, weeks, months and the tread and sidewalls take a 'set'. Now with no warning and stone cold they're suddenly called into service to be nice and flexible with all materials interacting to make a round donut you can haul tons and tons on. I see a relationship between them and me.

ccmckee

Is there any reason why we couldn't run an E rated truck tire on a trailer. I was thinking about this for my 5er after reading about so many people having problems with trailer tires even with proper maintenance.

JimmieD

There was a thread on just that idea on this same forum a couple of weeks ago with lots of info. The answer was yes, you certainly could and it works well. Check out that thread and sorry I don't remember the title...

MX429

The new tire that I put on is a vehicle tire and not a trailer specific one.

RustyJC

The fabric-and-steel construction tires don't have a good track record on heavy 5th wheels. If one is fortunate enough to have 16" wheels, the following all-steel construction tires have given excellent service:

1. Michelin XPS Rib - E-rated, various sizes available including LT235/85R-16, recommended by Michelin for commercial trailer service.

2. Goodyear G614 RST - G-rated, available only as LT235/85R-16, trailer specific, wheels must be rated for 3750 lb load and 110 PSIG inflation pressure.

Rusty

JimmieD

I have found that in general trailers are far more sensitive to some tire issues than a truck or car is. One tire a few pounds low with dual axles can have a trailer all over the road in a heartbeat.

I would not consider mixing and matching tires on a trailer except a utility type or for VERY limited use! It can get downright dangerous in a quick hurry and having already rolled one rig I don't personally want to go there again. It's ugly......

Use matched sets for safe handling and remember, everybody on the road is in jeopardy depending on one person's bad decision.....

Bullhead Bum

I have a 32 ft Travel Trailer that had 15 inch load range D tires. I went thruogh 5 sets of load range D tires in 7 years, I had the trailer weighed and was not over the weight stamped on the tires, but I was close. 3 years ago I shifted to 16 in wheels and load range E truck tires and have had no problems since. I think trailer only tires are just another way to keep your wallet empty.

omaharam

Everything stated above has at least some truth. Here is what I have found. Not all tires are created equal. No I don't mean an "E" is stronger than a "D". I mean not all "E"s are equal. We continually were blowing tires on our flatbed car hauler. We tried several different tires. A buddy told us that he knows a guy that owns a small tire shop and that after countless problems, he now only sells "towmaster" brand trailer tires. We switched 4 years ago and have the original 4 tires we bought from him to this day.

Totallyrad

Everything above "contributes" to the tire's failure. Individually, inflation pressure, wheel bearing adjustment, and loading can cause a tire to fail, but, most often it's because of the twisting and scuffing from turning while loaded. When you turn one axle usually turns and the other scuffs and slides around the turn which is what causes the belts to break and separate. Get the tire hot and it will let go. My low boy trailer has 17.5's and the tire life is about half of the tread life. The nature of my business has me turning tight in cul-de-sacs pretty regularly and that breaks down the belts. I have learned that if I reduce my tight turns while loaded, it helps. Keeping the trailer tires fully inflated helps also.

supr

I have heard that about the Towmasters. My HD utility trailer came with "TaskMaster", made in China. Perhaps a Tow master knock-off? Have been loaded to the max & then some, no problems.
Other issues: If you do not park on conrete, moisture can enter the tire, breaking down the steel. Buy some cheap vinyl floor mats to put under your tires when parked. Also, put covers on your tires to keep the sun off them. UV cracks the side walls. Keeping the tires at Max air goes without saying.
On the big fivers, jack-knifing these rigs puts a lot of stress on the sidewalls.
The tires that Rusty mentioned above work well for these applications.

stezlaki

Also don't forget that trailers with more than one axle NEED TO BE LEVEL when hooked up to the tow vehicle or you will be placing more weight on one of the axles (and 2 of the tires) than you think!

Discount Tire (a chain) has a pretty good "certificate" that you can purchase for free replacement of your tire if it cannot be repaired for something like 3 years, I think.

TXTad

In general, you're going to have tire failures if you are putting vehicle tires on a trailer, assuming you're talking about tandem axles. The problem is that in order to turn, the tires have to scrub sideways across the pavement. Vehicle radials have too much lateral traction so become damaged internally as they are pulled to the side. In bad cases, they can even bend wheel rims. I have an 18' utility trailer that I inherited from my dad that is used about 20 times a year, usually around town but occasionally on a 500 mile round trip to the lease. It is still running the bias-ply tires my dad put on it in 1991. They are getting a bit dry, but they're not stored in the sun, so they're still in pretty good shape.

Here's an article that covers the subject a little bit:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...09/ai_n9107731

Tad

XLR8R

We put the worn take-offs from the Rams onto the trailers and they last for years afterward... the only thing they can't take is the Texas heat & sun! This summer 2 of them EXPLODED sitting in the parking lot outside (we keep 'em aired up to 70psi) about 4 PM, direct sunlight. They didn't pop, or get a flat, or lose the beadseal... they EXPLODED with enough force to set off car alarms, cause the neighbors to run outside and ME to pinch a loaf!