Trailer tire longevity?

[Hootbro]

Someone that tows for a living is likely going to be replacing the tires based upon condition and wear, rather than age. I.e. I drove commercially. Never heard age brought up for tractor or trailer tires.
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Same here from my observation. All things being equal when it comes to tire age, one that sees daily use is less likely to fail from non wear related issues vs. the same age tire sitting infrequently from use.

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[Barnaby’sdad]

Same here from my observation. All things being equal when it comes to tire age, one that sees daily use is less likely to fail from non wear related issues vs. the same age tire sitting infrequently from use.

Agreed. That and I think it’s likely going to come down to how it was stored:

-Covered outdoors or in a garage (doubtful)? The tires might be fine for a bit.

-Stored out in direct sunlight and exposed to the elements for 5+ years? I’d replace them before I get using the trailer and forget about it until one of them has a blow out.

 

[dcmdon]

Take the money you would spend to replace the tires (because 5 or 6 years is NOTHING) and buy yourself a spare rim and tire.

That will get you much more security than replacing not really very old tires. Remember, that you can't really generalize on how tires age.

If you live in Death Valley, then they might be shot after 5 years. If you park it in the shade or live in a cold climate then they will last much much longer.

I had a boat trailer with tires that were well over 20 years old. I used it every year to bring my boat to and from the local ramp about a mile away probably 20 times per year. Because of the minimal risk, I was ok rolling on cracked, old tires. The tires actually outlasted the trailer. They still held air when I drove it to the local metal recycler to discard it.

I'm not advocating doing what I did. Especially if you take trips or drive on the highway. But changing 6 year old tires is waaaayyyyyy overkill.

 

[KWin]

I just replaced my 2017 travel trailer tires last week with kenda carriers. I put maybe 2000 miles on it each year and went with kenda because this forum mentions that brand alot for offroad and price was good. figured if the offroad is good enough for some peoples jeeps maybe their trailer tires are good too. got them pre mounted from etrailer.com

 

[Rusty PW]

On the RV forums. You will hear different time limits on tires. Some say 6 to 7 yrs. Others say 7 to 8 yrs. But all say the ozone will kill tires. Causing cracking, and rot. Inspect your tires for any signs of either one. Another thing the RV forums say, is that DON'T buy chinese RV tires. They are an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Take the money you would spend to replace the tires (because 5 or 6 years is NOTHING) and buy yourself a spare rim and tire.

That will get you much more security than replacing not really very old tires. Remember, that you can't really generalize on how tires age.

If you live in Death Valley, then they might be shot after 5 years. If you park it in the shade or live in a cold climate then they will last much much longer.

I had a boat trailer with tires that were well over 20 years old. I used it every year to bring my boat to and from the local ramp about a mile away probably 20 times per year. Because of the minimal risk, I was ok rolling on cracked, old tires. The tires actually outlasted the trailer. They still held air when I drove it to the local metal recycler to discard it.

I'm not advocating doing what I did. Especially if you take trips or drive on the highway. But changing 6 year old tires is waaaayyyyyy overkill.

I haven’t replaced the tires on my boat trailer that I bought in 2015 cause I’m in the same situation as you only using it to go to the close boat ramp twice a year. I just checked the dates on them and they’re from 2012.

But OP is probably not trailering a TJ only a mile.

I wouldn’t consider my 2012 trailer tires to be highway worthy. They look fine, but I’d be worried enough about them to want to replace them for peace of mind.

 

[RudeJeepin]

I'm in the boat that says depends.
On our camp trailer I replaced at 7 years, specifically because we had a 4000 miles round trip coming up. If we had been staying around home like usual, 10 miles or so to the National Forest on back roads I probably would of waited.
I also took the time to inspect and clean the brakes, inspect and repack the bearing. Went over the whole trailer, I didn't want any issues on our big vacation.

If it was me, seeing as how thus is a new to you trailer, I'd probably start shopping for a good deal on tires. Then I'd take the time to really check out the brakes and bearings when I swapped tires.

Last set of trailer tires I bought were mounted on wheels. Because of a sale that was going on it costed like $10 more for all 4 premounted on wheels than just the tires alone. Then I didn't have to pay to have them mounted.

Guess I better go check my cargo trailer now. It's probably about due.

 

[Kirk*Mojave]

If the trailer tires were out of the direct sunlight they should be OK if not I'd replace them before using the trailer. Most trailer tires are made in China

 

[Camaroboi13]

I’m in the boat that says if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Make sure you have a spare on board though. I bought new tires a few years back for my boat trailer but only because one wasn’t holding air anymore.

I replaced both with Chinese tires. Apparently I’m an accident waiting to happen now. I don’t care, didn’t see any purists sticking out there wallets to pay the difference between cheap stuff and whatever they think good stuff is.

 

[Rusty PW]

Think about replacing 6 tires on a Class A motorhome. At $800 each.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I bought a used car hauler trailer to haul my TJ. It's from the 90's and very well built but also light (1300#). I'm pretty sure the one I was borrowing was over 2000# so this will help a lot with the JT.
The tires look fantastic but have 2017 date codes. From what I read, I should probably replace them?
Any thought from the community on tires and longevity appreciated.

7 years is the point at which may tire shops won't even look at a tire. Been down that road twice when trying to have a tire broken down from the rim so I could remove it and put on tires that held air just so I could roll a car in my own shop. Nope, they were 7 years old so they'd not even break the beads.
And I get it - we used to haul a lot of heavy iron - antique tractors, engines and so on and I could tell of guys who lost tires several times between Iowa and Canada - the tires were 5 or 6 years old and they had been impacted by the sun - not rotted and cracked, but weakened.
So I bought covers for my trailer tires to keep the UV off them.

I drove commercially. Never heard age brought up for tractor or trailer tires.

Not suggesting anything, but that's hard to believe since I've heard if many times and I don't even drive commercially.


Tire safety is nothing to play with - people have died. Just ask Ford and Firestone........

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

7 years is the point at which may tire shops won't even look at a tire. Been down that road twice when trying to have a tire broken down from the rim so I could remove it and put on tires that held air just so I could roll a car in my own shop. Nope, they were 7 years old so they'd not even break the beads.
And I get it - we used to haul a lot of heavy iron - antique tractors, engines and so on and I could tell of guys who lost tires several times between Iowa and Canada - the tires were 5 or 6 years old and they had been impacted by the sun - not rotted and cracked, but weakened.
So I bought covers for my trailer tires to keep the UV off them.



Not suggesting anything, but that's hard to believe since I've heard if many times and I don't even drive commercially.

Tire safety is nothing to play with - people have died. Just ask Ford and Firestone........

Tires we’re replaced due to wear and/or damage LONG before age ever would have come into play, is where I’m going with that.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Take the money you would spend to replace the tires (because 5 or 6 years is NOTHING) and buy yourself a spare rim and tire.

That will get you much more security than replacing not really very old tires. Remember, that you can't really generalize on how tires age.

Fine to say that unless one blows out and causes an accident.....

A LOT depends on many factors. Some places the UV impact will be far greater than other locations. They don't have to look bad to have been impacted. They don't have to show cracks. Anyone in the higher elevations or lower states should be more aware of the impact of the sun on things.
A spare doesn't repair the damage done when a tire actually BLOWS, not just "goes flat". tires can fail in many ways other than simply going down, losing air as you drive along.
Weakened sidewalls flex, get hot and blow, and now you have a possible control issue, not to mention damage. Things don't always go straight and stay under control.
I'm not saying "replace them now, period", just sort of in disbelief in the stuff I read sometimes.
When tire shops won't touch a tire that's 7 years old, that says a tire sitting in the sun for 5 or 6 years should be getting a lot closer look at to determine it's safe usability.
What is your trailer or equipment WORTH, what are you worth, what's the hassle worth?
You can't always simply swap on a spare after a blow-out. It may not go gracefully.

It may be fine - but all of the blanket statements made without even looking or knowing the whole store - isn't it just a bit irresponsible?

Having worked with tires in shops, sales, service, etc. and having owned many trailers with various types of tires - I'd say - you are on the edge. Consider how the trailer and thus tires were stored. Watch things closely. If they've been in the sun, there could be sidewall weakness from the sun - without obvious cracks.
I had one separate on a camper I owned years ago. Tires LOOKED fine, bought it from an older couple, tires were only 6 or 7 years old, almost no miles on them, no cracks, but a guy pulled alongside me honking and motioning and pointing back. I pulled over to see a tire coming apart.

Just be careful............ a blow trailer tire can be less than fun.
They may be fine. They aren't "old old" but unless you know how and where they were stored..........
(never store tires near welders or high-voltage electric equipment, either. Farmer friends have warned me about that. Tires in their shops went bad from sitting inside near their electric equipment)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Tires we’re replaced due to wear and/or damage LONG before age ever would have come into play, is where I’m going with that.

That would be for vehicles that actually get driven or used. That was the case of my earlier trucks. They needed to be replaced due to wear way before I was ever concerned about age.
The tires on my Silverado aged out first - 45,000 miles, lots of tread, but showing their age badly at 7 years.
My trailer will never see the miles on it, so I keep the tires covered, keep the spare in my garage when I'm not hauling cars but know it will need tires in a couple of years due to age even though they'll look like new. Having had bearings blow out on my prior trailer when it was new, it ain't fun messing with a loaded flatbed with wheel or tire issues.
At least with 2 axles, you can chain up one end of an axle and slow down and get to where you are going. (unless at or near max load of the axles)

 

[dcmdon]

I thought I gave enough qualifying statements to provide allowances for extreme cases.

One other item is how heavy the trailer is. My utility trailer which is normally run around town with between 200 and 800 lbs in it uses hte same wheels and tires as my dad's car trailer.

Mine only uses 2, his uses 4. Its a much more serious situation if he blows a tire at 70 mph on the interstate with 4000 lb in his trailer than if I blow a tire with 400 lb in mine, running at about 25 mph.

In fact, in my case, I'd run the tire until it blows. Zero risk. But if I had to take it on a trip, all the tires woluld get changed.

Remember the equation for kinetic energy = mass x (speed)^2 .

So 4000 x 4900 = 19,600,000
400 x 625 = 250,000

So the 4000 lb trailer at 70 mph has SEVENTY EIGHT times as much kinetic energy as my 400 lb trailer going 25.

Even a 2000 lb trailer going 40 mph only has one sixth the energy of the 4000 lb trailer going 70.

This all matters because losing a tire (or even a wheel, its happened to me) on a light trailer at moderate speeds does not present vehicle control problems at all.

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