PSA...Check your trailer tires...

[Labswine]

Check your trailer tires, even the brand new trailers to make sure they aren't the cheap/cheaply made Chinese tires. Mine were only 4 maybe 5 years old with only around 3K miles on them.

I was taking my trailer from home, just a bit S.W. of Philly to Massachusetts for vacation, over my birthday.

About 3/4 the way across the Cross Bronx Expressway (CBE), some guy pulls up next to me beeping like crazy. I rolled down the window and he yells that I have a blowout on one of my trailer tires. I was able to quickly get off the CBE to a side street and pull onto the sidewalk a bit so I wasn't blocking traffic.

Glad I have a dual axle trailer. One of the trailing tires had a major sidewall blowout.

Tires are easy to change but, the clowns who last had the wheels off (RV dealership) when they repacked the bearings for me WAAAAYYY over tightened the lug nuts. I have an impact wrench that couldn't budge them. Fortunately, a nice gentleman came walking up and saw my predicament and said that he lives just around the corner and went to get a breaker bar. Came back with it and was able to loosen those lug nuts. I put on the spare and thanked him, and we continued on our way.

Also make sure that if you have aluminum rims like I do that you have a thin walled socket so it'll fit in around the lugnut. Mine happened to be a thin walled impact socket. The tire iron wouldn't fit in there around the lug nut.

So, again, make sure your trailer tires aren't that cheap Chinese crapola. When I get home, I'm getting the other 4 (the three still on the trailer and the spare) replaced with better tires. I did get that blowout replaced and will put back on as I don't want to go without a spare.

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[Wheelin98TJ]

Do you know what trailer tires you are going with?

 

[Labswine]

Do you know what trailer tires you are going with?

Not yet. I had the one that blew out replaced with what the guy at the tire shop said was a good one (this is the tire shop that all the trailer dealerships in this area, Middleboro, MA, sends all their work to so...). When I get home and take my trailer in for it's annual inspection and get the rest of the tires replaced, I hope they can match the one that I got.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Your tires were getting to the end of their life regardless of tread depth. Most manufacturers recommend replacing 5-6 years after the manufacturing date because they degrade with age. They also degrade faster when they sit, like on recreational trailers.

 

[mtudb24]

Trailer tires dry rot like crazy even if stored in-doors during the non usage period. I had a set of tires on my tandem axle boat trailer that were new in 2011 and had probably less then 500 miles on them and in 2023, i had a blow out towing the boat from the marina to indoor storage. Sounded like a cannon going off. Tires still had the rubber nubbins on the side wall and stored indoors 12 months of the year. Yet they still dry rotted and looked at the remaining 3 tires and they were all cracked etc.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

my tandem axle boat trailer that were new in 2011 and had probably less then 500 miles on them and in 2023,

You left tires on that were 12 years old?
7 years is the MAX most tire dealers will even work on them.
Sorry, but it's not "cheap trailer tires, fact is - 12 years is crazy.

On the other hand, can't say that they "dry rot" as I've had older tires on cars in my shop, but then I won't highway them because of the safety factor of old tires anyway.

Trailer tires are rated for much lower mph than vehicle tires in most cases.

This is a HUGE topic among the car guys I hang out with, and even in the antique engine and tractor hobby. Funny, we talked trailer tires at our Good Guys coffee just this last Tuesday. One guy bragged he got new tires rated at 87 mph and we all laughed - he did, too, as he said "they are crazy if they think I'm going to haul that fast".

Here's the general rule on tires, and yes, Firestone locations will typically look at the DOT date code and send you packing if it's 7 years or older - for good reason -
most vehicle and tire manufacturers recommend replacing tires, regardless of tread depth, after six years from the date of manufacture. Many also recommend annual inspections after five years. Tire dealers may refuse to service tires older than 6-10 years due to safety concerns.

Ozone - electric currents, being near welding or welders, sunlight/UV and even some artificial light can impact the rubber compounds

The tires on my 2011 Silverado were cracking at 8 years, I got rid of them (and the truck).
8 years and that truck spent a lot of time in the garage, and cracked like crazy between the treads (sidewalls looked great)

 

[rubicon4wheeler]

Your blowout wasn't necessarily due to the tires being "cheap Chinese crapola." If your tire had picked up a nail and had a slow leak that you hadn't noticed, it would have built up heat and flex as it deflated until it ultimately tore open its sidewall. It would have done this regardless of whether it was a BFGoodrich, Pirelli, or "cheap Chinese crapola."

 

[Jaxmax]

Thanks for the heads up on the lug nuts, leaving for a camping trip with a lot off miles and will be sure I can get the lugnuts off before leaving.
Most campers and boats do come with with cheap tires ,my used camper had tires from factory that were not rated high enough for camper and took 50 psi max, I swapped out all the tires to a Hanook tire higher rating, more of a square shoulder profile and 65PSI rating huge difference towing You can get whatever four tires you want and put that new tire on spare rim. Probably getting to be time for me to look at getting tires again guess, single axle trailer it is cheap insurance to replace the tires early, thanks again Steven ,glad it worked out….Jack

 

[Janster]

Wow…you got me thinking…. We’ve had our trailer since 2017 (17.5’ bass boat - about 3,500lbs). Had wheels off a couple years ago to upgrade the leaf springs (1 leaf to 3 leaf spring) and wheels were torqued to 100 (can’t remember exactly, but that’s our baseline). Generally, we tow a couple times a month in the summer/fall/spring. I check tire pressure regularly. Every fall, I pump fresh grease thru the bearings. Never had to do anything with the bearings/hubs.

Tires are still original…… Guess we should start thinking about getting new ones soon! I’d probably look to get the exact same tire, as they’ve been flawless since 2017.

 

[Stuntman Mike]

Here in Germany, the tires must not be older than 6 years if you want to go up to 62 mph.
In addition the trailer needs a special approval for the extended speed.
Without that you can go up to 50 mph.
In contrast to many other regulations we have, I find this one sensible.


I just bought this for my twin-axle trailer and it's working really well, let's see how long ...

 

[Gatorac]

I've been towing trailers for decades and I have lost my share of tires. I now replace trailer tires every 4 years regardless of the tread. Stay away from cheap trailer tires like Carlisle. My prefered trailer tires is Maxxis. Do not buy from Simpletire.com. They sent me tires that had a 5 year old date code. They were older than the ones I was replacing. They only lasted 2 years before they failed. They didn't fail on the street, I saw the bubble forming.

Check tire pressures before every trip. Low pressure will take the tire out relatively quickly.

I'd also recommend an inexpensive tire pressure monitor. Catching a leaking tire prior to it blowing out can save a bit headache and maybe even an accident. If you do get one of these monitors with the screw on sensor, be sure you have metal valve stems.

 

[Rusty PW]

Replacing 6 tires on a class A diesel motor home every 6 yrs is one reason I got rid of it. $600 per tire.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Because most trailers of all sorts sit a lot, don't get as many miles as the tow vehicle, and we're in constant contact with our tow vehicle tires (or car tires), we tend to forget the age of the tires on trailers. The age of the trailer and tires just passes us by. They don't wear out, so there's not a lot of reason to think about them.
My car hauler tires are like new - as far as wear and tear. The spare has never been on the ground.................. but I'm going to have to buy 5 new tires for it one of these days. I did opt for a tire upgrade when I bought it, and I keep the tires covered with trailer tire covers made for that purpose, but that can't prevent the years from going by.
I'm approaching 7 years on them in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Janster]

So, I’ve never changed trailer tires before… Anything ‘different’ about it?
My OEM tires are ST185/80R13
Karrier Load Star
Anything ‘different’ when having them mounted & balanced?
I had to ask….
I should probably just visit our local RV shop and get a quote from them.
Gotta support the locals…..

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Anything ‘different’ when having them mounted & balanced?

Why would there be?

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