Trailer Tires

[CamarosRus]

When I bought the below trailer the GOODYEAR MARATHONS's were in very good condition with no visible problems. After reading a variety of negative Marathon posts
at the Dodge Cummins (RV Forum) and other RV sites, I sold them with the OEM alloys.

I bought these TOWMAX "E" rated 10 ply ST (made in Asia) tires. These run at 80 PSI and carry (cant recall actual number) more than the D rated.

TOWMAX is sold at Les Schwab tires in the West and other Dealers (??) elsewhere.
I called Schwab corporate and they report very little warranty returns or complaints

I dont know if 16" wheels x 6 lug will even fit on my trailer, and didnt want the expense at this time.

My trailer is 10K GVW with 5,000 lb axles

 

[nissan_crawler]

I have had several customers special order hubs for the trailers that I build them. This way they have all the same tires and rims on both the trailer and the tow vehicle. Saves on space, no need to carry 2 different spares.

I won't leave the yard without a spare for the truck, and two for the trailer anyway.

At least twice, I've had both spares on the trailer. When you're in BFE, and blow a tire sunday afternoon/night, you're going to be sitting if you don't have them.

Since my size is sometimes hard to find, I usually carry a new tire in the pickup bed, that way I can get a tire fixed anywhere, no worries ion whether it's in stock or not.

 

[jam0o0]

I only run trailer tires now but I will admit I ran LT tires on my first home made car trailer and never had a problem getting it inspected...In PA trailers registered 3k lbs or over has to be inspected yearly...here is the requirements for tires...
Quote:
(1) Inspect the tires and wheels and reject if one or more of the following apply:

(i) Any tire has two adjacent treads with less than 2/32-inch tread remaining at any point.

(ii) The tire is worn so that tread wear indicators contact road in any two adjacent grooves.

(iii) Part of the ply or cord is exposed.

(iv) A tire has been repaired with blow-out patch or boot.

(v) There is a bump, bulge or separation.

(vi) A tire is marked ‘‘not for highway use,’’ ‘‘for racing purposes only’’ or ‘‘unsafe for highway use,’’ or has any similar designation.

(vii) There are other conditions or markings reasonably believed to render tire unsafe for highway use.

(viii) A tire has been regrooved or recut below original tread design depth.

(ix) A tire extends beyond the outer edge of the wheel housing or exceeds the manufacturer’s specifications as to size.

(x) Tires on same axle are not the same size or type of construction—bias, belted or radial.

(xi) The wheel nuts or bolts are missing or loose or have improper thread engagement.

(xii) The stud or bolt holes are worn out of round.

(xiii) Part of the wheel is bent, cracked, welded or damaged so as to affect safe operation of vehicle.

(xiv) Studded tires are in use after April 15 and before November 1.

(xv) The diameter of duals is not within 3/8 inch of each other.

(xvi) An axle has missing tires or rims.
a little off topic but this is one that surprises alot of people in PA as well..

Quote:
(3) Inspect the braking system.

(i) Reject if one or more of the following apply:

(R) All wheels are not equipped with brakes.

my brand new car trailer failed three ways before i even picked it up. it has welded wheels, tires that are wider than the fenders and brakes on only one axle.

personal experience on tires for trailers:
we have nothing that gets really used that has 15" wheels so my comments are on the 16" wheeled larger capacity trailers being used with 3/4 ton truck tires.

we use old truck tires on everything. the only trailer we have that has trailer tires is our tandem dual 25' 20k lb deckover. it's only got trailer tires cause we haven't worn out the set that it came with (used) yet.

we get blowouts galore on equipment trailers, livestock trailers and car haulers. but every one of these tires is outside of their service life. and we expect this and carry spares. when the tires on one of the trucks gets to 50% the truck gets new tires and the old ones get put in a pile for use on the trailers. then they are run until you can see belts. we have been doing this on every trailer for my entire life. we have never been stopped. i've asked the local cops about it once. they said there was no law they could find about trailer tires vs truck tires. they did say that tread height and weight rating are something they look at when stopping people.

whenever we got a new trailer it always came with trailer tires. but they were honestly not any more reliable. anyone who thinks that the scrubbing that trailer tires see is any different from understeer is a *****. there is nothing that trailer tires do better than truck tires. i have heard that some companies use rubber that is intended to have a longer shelf life. but like usual no proof.

just my opinion.

 

[jam0o0]

They (edit: home made trailers)are not allowed on the road in most places and should certainly not be using passenger car tires.

Once again, getting away with it does not make it safe and why not buy radial trailer tires?

Why in the world would you jackknife your trailer everytime you use it? The tongue on your trailer was not designed for that purpose and putting stress on it like that is further demonstrating your lack of concern for safe trailering practices.

Sure hope you know to cross those chains as one day you made need them.

the amount of dumb here is hilarious.
- home-made trailers are legal everywhere. some places have more inspections that others. but it's a very common practice. i've got 2. the rest of my trailers are manufacturer produced since that was cheaper at the time.

- i jackknife my car trailer every time i use it. i'm taking jackknife as getting it close to or past 90*. i have to get in a driveway that is perpendicular to the street. can't use any grass as it would damage the sprinklers. and the road is narrow with a ditch opposite the drive. explain how i could get the trailer in the drive without using it as it's intended and jackknifing it?

 

[Falcon67]

Before you get to huffy about Chinese trailer tires, note that most of the trailer tires are made in China or Tiawan. That is the political "lie" about the china tire import sanctions - most of the tires hit by sanctions are not even made by US tire companies. Maxxis tires come from Tiawan IIRC. I know a Maxxis (well, ex-Maxxis ) wholesale dealer and they had to drop the line because they could not get any tires.

 

[Lotek]

my brand new car trailer failed three ways before i even picked it up. it has welded wheels, tires that are wider than the fenders and brakes on only one axle.

personal experience on tires for trailers:
we have nothing that gets really used that has 15" wheels so my comments are on the 16" wheeled larger capacity trailers being used with 3/4 ton truck tires.

we use old truck tires on everything. the only trailer we have that has trailer tires is our tandem dual 25' 20k lb deckover. it's only got trailer tires cause we haven't worn out the set that it came with (used) yet.

we get blowouts galore on equipment trailers, livestock trailers and car haulers. but every one of these tires is outside of their service life. and we expect this and carry spares. when the tires on one of the trucks gets to 50% the truck gets new tires and the old ones get put in a pile for use on the trailers. then they are run until you can see belts. we have been doing this on every trailer for my entire life. we have never been stopped. i've asked the local cops about it once. they said there was no law they could find about trailer tires vs truck tires. they did say that tread height and weight rating are something they look at when stopping people.

whenever we got a new trailer it always came with trailer tires. but they were honestly not any more reliable. anyone who thinks that the scrubbing that trailer tires see is any different from understeer is a *****. there is nothing that trailer tires do better than truck tires. i have heard that some companies use rubber that is intended to have a longer shelf life. but like usual no proof.

just my opinion.

Talk about dumb...

There is a point when you are backing a trailer with duals or triples where some of the tires are being dragged sideways, if your alignment on the truck is that bad...

I care enough about my safety, my passengers and live cargo's safety, and others who share the roads safety to not run substandard or worn out equipment on my rig. Anyone who can't understand that shouldn't have a licence.

 

[dirttracker18]

the amount of dumb here is hilarious.
- home-made trailers are legal everywhere. some places have more inspections that others. but it's a very common practice. i've got 2. the rest of my trailers are manufacturer produced since that was cheaper at the time.

- i jackknife my car trailer every time i use it. i'm taking jackknife as getting it close to or past 90*. i have to get in a driveway that is perpendicular to the street. can't use any grass as it would damage the sprinklers. and the road is narrow with a ditch opposite the drive. explain how i could get the trailer in the drive without using it as it's intended and jackknifing it?

This from the guy that uses old LT tires for his trailers and complains of blowouts all the time. Then goes on to say that he runs them until the belts are showing. Talk about dumb.

If you get past 90* are you not hitting the tongue on your bumper? This is the danger and will damage the tongue. It is made to be pulled not twisted or bent. Turning sharp and jackknifing are two very different issues.

If you were in my province you would have been pulled off the road a long time ago as a commercial user.

Please do not edit and put words in my mouth, they are "P" rated tires not homemade trailers, of which I have two myself, both running correct tires. If you brought a homemade trialer in for licensing here it would not pass with P tires.

I was not going to do the personal attack but since you claimed my ideas dumb, you complain of routine blowouts. I trailered many miles while I was dirtrack racing with heavy trailers (28 ft enclosed loaded with car, wheels and a full sized tool box plus lounge). I have also been trailering a 29 foot RV with a superslide so not a lightwieght either. In my many years of trailering I can count on one hand the number of blowouts or even flats I have had on trailers. These were almost all on my smaller sled trailer with tiny tires. Before you ask the answer is yes, many non paved roads leading to the tracks and I live on a gravel road. The only blowout issue I ever had was with my fathers 5th wheel. After a second blowout (not on the same trip) we did some measuring and the axle was not square to the frame, go figure. Easy fix and no more blowouts.

Use the right tires, keep them properly inflated and ensure your axles are correctly aligned and you will reduce your current headaches with blowouts.

 

[PCO6]

I built my utility trailer and I was shocked at how easy it was to get it licensed. I was renewing my car licensed and I asked what the process was for licensing a home made trailer. Ten minutes later I had a trailer license. The trailer wasn't even finished yet! They didn't want any design specs, material list, photos, etc. They didn't ask what kind of axle or tires I used or anything about what load it could handle. The only thing they needed to know was the colour so they could put it on the license. I said something to the effect that the process shouldn't be that easy and the lady behind the counter acted like I was crazy. I have seen a lot of horrible, dangerous, etc. trailers on the road and now I know why. FWIW I have ST tires on it.

 

[dirttracker18]

That's odd because I had to have mine inspected here. They specifically looked at my tires too as well as lights (need markers at front or relfectors) and a once over on the welds.

 

[PCO6]

^^^ That's something else they didn't ask me about - lighting! Mine's only 4.5' x 8.5'. Maybe "size matters". Anyway, I'd be happier if there was some more stringent requirements on ALL trailers. They have no idea if I designed or welded it properly or if I attached the axle with bungie cords.

I dropped off a few loads at the dump yesterday. Half of the trailers I saw should have remained there!

 

[dirttracker18]

Ya I seen trailers going down the highway with no lights at all, just relfectors????

 

[Falcon67]

Ya I seen trailers going down the highway with no lights at all, just relfectors????

We lived in Houston for about 4 years. I swear it's illegal there to have any working light or reflector on a trailer of any kind.

 

[nate379]

How would it hit the bumper? The trailer tongue is a good 8-10" below the bumper. I can jacknife my trailer till tongue hit the rear tires of the truck I guess.

If you get past 90* are you not hitting the tongue on your bumper? This is the danger and will damage the tongue. It is made to be pulled not twisted or bent. Turning sharp and jackknifing are two very different issues.

Think I'm just gonna patch the flats and run it till they blow. I don't have $500 to spend on trailer tires. I keep 2 spares on the trailer so won't be the end of the world. 1/4" fenders so not like a blow out would damage anything.

 

[yellowdartdave]

I have been a professional truck driver/car hauler since the mid 70s so I am somewhat experienced and have a couple of million miles behind me.

Side scrub of trailers...the tires hold the load up, they don't know if they are on a trailer or a truck. Do car tires blow out if you do a donut in some parking lot ??
Does the fact that I run car radials on my motorcycle trailer makeit unsafe??

I run V-Rated (up to 149mph) car radials on my car trailer and I have towed my 340 Dart all over the country to shows as well as other people's cars for various reasons.

Never had 1 bit of problem with them. When they get to be about 2 and 1/2 years old they come off as the outside sidewall starts to weathercrack.
It came with the usual trailer tires and even when empty, they carried some heat in them...they were crappy bias ply.

As far as the load capacity goes, they are rated at 2039#s/tire.

That gives me a total capacity of 8,000lbs.
My Dart weighs in at 3400 and the trailer at 1360 == 4760LBS.
I carry about 750 on the hitch so it is roughly 4000lbs on the trailer tires.

I never overload my trailer but I do like to cruise at 75-80 when I can.

Now a heavier load and trailer would be a different story but the load on my trailer tires is about the same as an Avalon going down the road.

And what type of tires should this Audi have on it??

 

[38Chevy454]

And what type of tires should this Audi have on it??

light trailer truck tires of course you get them at the same place that sells that Audi

Back to my input on this trailer tire discussion. On my car trailer (std two axle 7000 lb open car trailer) I used to run regular car tires. Had lots of tread separation problems on numerous tires and my fenders now are beat to hell. Finally got real trailer rated tires and have not had any separation problems.

On my small 4x7 utility trailer I use regular car tires and have good results. It is single axle and i attribute the good results with car tires because it does not have the tread scrubbing issue that the two axle trailer does.

So for my $.02 opinion, single axle trailer as long as the tires meet load capacity, use whatever. For two or more axle trailers, use trailer tires only.

 

[mpr455]

some of you guy's make good points about what to look for in a trailer tire. one point everyone misses is that you will never be able to solve the problem of blow out's on trailers. quality control seems to have gone out the window with just about everything including usa made tires. i raced full time for 15 yrs and still race on occassion. my trailer loaded weighs 9500 lbs. most people grossly underestimate their load. you need a load rated trailer tire on the trailer on a rig this heavy my tip is this i made covers from boat canvas.they snap to the fenders and they remain covered at all times not moving even if parking for a one day race they get covered. also your tire pressures are critical10 lbs low causes heat and once it is overheated the carcas will seperate. fill your tires with nitrogen. temps don't fluctuate with air temp change. and tire runs cooler. you guy's that run 80-85 mph with a rig this heavy are playing russian roulette. run 60-70 max.tire runs cooler. i get about 5 yrs out of a set of tires this way and have cut down on blowouts. i know that tires are expensive but that's the cost of doing business. i would'nt even think about putting a very expensive race car or boat in or on a trailer with subpar or non conforming equipment. a little common sense goes a long way and keeps your stuff shiny side up. just my 2 cents from someone who puts on a lot of trailer miles.

 

[ibedayank]

Faster you go the longer it takes to stop. The more weight you haul the longer it takes to stop. Faster you go the hotter your bearings and tires get. Hotter tires means more blowouts/flats. Run tires underinflated means even hotter tires= more blowouts.
Tires not rated for weight you have on them=unsafe and more blowouts. Use the RIGHT tires for the job or don't ***** when they blow and hopefully noone gets hurt or killed!!

 

[nate379]

Perhaps but my flats were from stuff in the tires, not driving too fast.

Someone musta have dumped out their nail bucket cause 1 tire had 2 different nails and the other had a big staple. My truck ended up with a drywall screw in a back tire as well. All in a 50 mile trip.

 

[SteveP]

It's a completely different type of application... altogether. (10 points if you get the reference)

It's a completely different type of application....

 

[Superlifted06FX4]

makes sense but sounds stupid to not carry a spare for both...you have at least 8 tires that you could have a problem with...

It would be cool thou to have two spares that would fit the truck or trailer...

That's how my setup is. I have 32's on my truck and trailer, never had a problem. I do this cause I lifted the trailer to the same height as my truck since I take it to the trails with me.

 

[jam0o0]

This from the guy that uses old LT tires for his trailers and complains of blowouts all the time. Then goes on to say that he runs them until the belts are showing. Talk about dumb.

If you get past 90* are you not hitting the tongue on your bumper? This is the danger and will damage the tongue. It is made to be pulled not twisted or bent. Turning sharp and jackknifing are two very different issues.

If you were in my province you would have been pulled off the road a long time ago as a commercial user.

Please do not edit and put words in my mouth, they are "P" rated tires not homemade trailers, of which I have two myself, both running correct tires. If you brought a homemade trialer in for licensing here it would not pass with P tires.

I was not going to do the personal attack but since you claimed my ideas dumb, you complain of routine blowouts. I trailered many miles while I was dirtrack racing with heavy trailers (28 ft enclosed loaded with car, wheels and a full sized tool box plus lounge). I have also been trailering a 29 foot RV with a superslide so not a lightwieght either. In my many years of trailering I can count on one hand the number of blowouts or even flats I have had on trailers. These were almost all on my smaller sled trailer with tiny tires. Before you ask the answer is yes, many non paved roads leading to the tracks and I live on a gravel road. The only blowout issue I ever had was with my fathers 5th wheel. After a second blowout (not on the same trip) we did some measuring and the axle was not square to the frame, go figure. Easy fix and no more blowouts.

Use the right tires, keep them properly inflated and ensure your axles are correctly aligned and you will reduce your current headaches with blowouts.

the p-rated tire vs home made trailer was a reading comprehension mistake on my part.

we run old tires cause it's farm equipment. we don't have the cash to go out and buy new tires every 3 years. we do keep the trailers maintained. brakes, bearings, wiring is all inspected and repaired when problems are found.

on jackknifing: my trailer tongue goes under my rear bumper. so it can go all the way to 90*. you are right if your trailer tongue is hitting the back of your tow vehicle then that's gunna break something eventually.

sorry for the personal attack. i just disagree with a few of your opinions. and the laws where you live don't exist in texas.

 

[jam0o0]

Talk about dumb...

There is a point when you are backing a trailer with duals or triples where some of the tires are being dragged sideways, if your alignment on the truck is that bad...

I care enough about my safety, my passengers and live cargo's safety, and others who share the roads safety to not run substandard or worn out equipment on my rig. Anyone who can't understand that shouldn't have a licence.

i'm sure you think that car tires can't be slid sideways. but i do it every month (racing) and those tires are fine 4 years later. anyone doing doughnuts or hydroplaning is doing the exact same thing. where did this myth come from, that car tires can't slide or they spontaneously combust.

all our trailers are maintained. we just run old tires cause buying new tires every 2 years for 6 trailers and 2 trucks would bankrupt the ranch. you can get away with the old tires most of the time. everything else - bearings, brakes, lights. will screw you every time it gets messed up so those things we spend the money on.

trailer tires are not magical. truck tires are just as capable of holding side loads.

 

[texasguy]

I have run LRD and LRE radial tires on both a 20' gooseneck and BP with heavy equip or vehicle loads with good success. Smaller trailers get quality LT radial tires. If trailer tires gives someone peace of mind or meets their local legal requirements, I fully understand that and encourage people to use them. But I also believe non-trailer tires can be used as long as you are conservative and have a good understanding of load capacities of your tires and what you are subjecting them to.

 

[NUTTSGT]

This has been an interesting thread. I've been thinking about replacing the tires on my car trailer. I believe they are about 7 years old. They are starting to dry rot and get checked.

 

[kool55]

I just looked up the tire thats on my trailer. Goodyear G614RST 235/85R16. $258. each

OUCH!!!!

 

[nate379]

Well my tire guy opened back shop and I shopped by today (he closed for winter).

Triangle brand tires, $516 for tires and mount/balance. 10ply.