Trailer tire advise

[skiierjeff]

I'm planning to replace 4 rotten trailer tires next spring. I bought the old Load-Rite galvanized double axle trailer and it came with F78-14 ST tires. I forgot to check the load rating. I don't know if they are the right ones or not.

I have '77 SRV 240 WE that is listed at 4400 lb displacement. I would like tires that would be used primarily for short distances of 100 miles or less, but capable for an annual trek of 4,000 mi round trip.

I've read that a lot of trailer tires rot out quickly, others have thread separation and other problems. I would like to but Amercian made too if the product is the right choice for my needs.

Any suggestions on what to buy and where to buy them would be appreciated.

Jeff

 

[MLauman]

I have had nothing but good luck with Goodyear Marathons but like everything else production has been moved to China.

 

[ChuckW]

The tires are not only carrying the weight of the boat, but the weight of the trailer, too. On the trailer should be a plackard listing the GVW of the trailer (fully loaded max weight including trailer). For a tandem axle trailer, take the GVW and divide by 2 and that's your max load per axle. Divide that number by 2 again and that is the minimum load rating you need on your tires.

My experience has been that the Carlisle tires are no good. I have had great success with Goodyear Marathon's. Others have other opinions, but with all the miles I do the GY have been doing great.

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/29312-Another-eventfull-haul-from-MA-to-FL-done.

 

[MonacoMike]

I have been through four sets of Good Year Marathon's on boat and travel trailers. I have never had one blow out. (Fingers crossed as I type that. :grin MM

 

[floriduramax1]

I have been through four sets of Good Year Marathon's on boat and travel trailers. I have never had one blow out. (Fingers crossed as I type that. :grin MM

MM you are the "exception, not the rule"..lol I see alot of new GY's and Carlisle's blow on trailers. They use to be good, but lately....terrible. They are a little pricey but the Maxxis are holding up quite well.

 

[MonacoMike]

MM you are the "exception, not the rule"..lol I see alot of new GY's and Carlisle's blow on trailers. They use to be good, but lately....terrible. They are a little pricey but the Maxxis are holding up quite well.

Donnie, I guess all three of us are "exceptional" :smt043 My theory is a combination of things cause the largest percentage of trailer tire issues and true tire failure is not the lions share of the problem.

Overloaded trailers, most users have NO idea what their boat trailer and stuff weigh.

Unbalanced trailers, leading to overloaded axles.

Poor axel alignment.

Rough conditions, Most recreation boaters do not tow regularly and run over curbs etc. and putting stress on the tires.

Heat from poorly maintained brakes and hubs.

Dry rot, Trailer tires do not last as long as they can still look good.

Buying old date code tires.

There are thousands of trailers on the road, I have many friends with work or play trailers and only a few have frequent issues. One issue you may have is the summer heat and super fast UV damage in Flordia. MM

 

[floriduramax1]

Donnie, I guess all three of us are "exceptional" :smt043 My theory is a combination of things cause the largest percentage of trailer tire issues and true tire failure is not the lions share of the problem.

Overloaded trailers, most users have NO idea what their boat trailer and stuff weigh.

Unbalanced trailers, leading to overloaded axles.

Poor axel alignment.

Rough conditions, Most recreation boaters do not tow regularly and run over curbs etc. and putting stress on the tires.

Heat from poorly maintained brakes and hubs.

Dry rot, Trailer tires do not last as long as they can still look good.

Buying old date code tires.

There are thousands of trailers on the road, I have many friends with work or play trailers and only a few have frequent issues. One issue you may have is the summer heat and super fast UV damage in Flordia. MM

I think you hit the nail on the head with the heat issue! I have 5 trailers myself and my Weekend Warrior toy hauler is probably the hardest on tires, not to mention the speed I tow at in the heat. Now with the 280 I have whole new set of rules! When loaded it is 14.5k and really eats 15" tires (brand new ones). I'm sure you saw the thread. I went to alignment shop, balanced load, reset bunks...etc! I went through everything until I bit the bullet and bought the Maxxis. I already run them on the WW so I should have just put them on from the start! I have a commercial account with Michelin and Boulevard tire and they know not to bring me a tire that doesn't have current year date code! I didn't see that many problems with GY's until they went mostly Chinese I don't know why but the Chinese Maxxis hold up very well??

 

[JerryS]

Add to your list an important factor - keeping the tires at the correct cold pressure setting. Heat build up in a tire is a killer.

I bought a new set of GY Marathons this year to replace an original set from 2004. Load Range D tires. The 2004 tires were made in Australia and indicated 2 plys in the sidewalls and 4 plys on the tread. The new tires were made in China and indicated 2 plys in the sidewalls and 3 plys in the tread. I ran them on a 2400 mile roundtrip, but, was a little nervous. I have to say though, I have never had a blow out, the bigger problem has been wheel bearings. In the past, I have fried them pretty good. Actually to the point that I had to replace complete axles.

 

[MonacoMike]

Add to your list an important factor - keeping the tires at the correct cold pressure setting. Heat build up in a tire is a killer.

I bought a new set of GY Marathons this year to replace an original set from 2004. Load Range D tires. The 2004 tires were made in Australia and indicated 2 plys in the sidewalls and 4 plys on the tread. The new tires were made in China and indicated 2 plys in the sidewalls and 3 plys in the tread. I ran them on a 2400 mile roundtrip, but, was a little nervous. I have to say though, I have never had a blow out, the bigger problem has been wheel bearings. In the past, I have fried them pretty good. Actually to the point that I had to replace complete axles.

Jerry, You might find this interesting if you missed it originally. MM

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...infrared-thermometer-to-check-hub-temperature

 

[JerryS]

I didn't see that thread, however, there was a later one that you started in regard to temps. I posted the following response:

Mike, I just did a 2200 mile roundtrip pulling 10,400# on a double axle trailer.
I was keeping a log of the tire and hub tempuratures.

Temps varied according to the time of day and distance travelled. Cool in the morning and hottest in the middle of the day.
Here are some of my readings: {Temps are: (tire/hub)}

Morning:
Lft rear truck tire........ trlr-lf...... trlr-lr..... trlr-rr..... trlr-rf
.........89................... 82/77..... 78/77.... 79/79.... 74/76

Mid Afternoon
Lft rear truck tire....... trlr-lf........ trlr-lr...... trlr-rr........... trlr-rf

.........121.............. 118/106.... 115/107.... 124/114..... 126/115

It was interesting to me to see that the tire temps were always higher than the hub temps after the trailer was rolling for several miles.

Before I do a long pull like that, I have the hubs taken down and the bearings, races and seals inspected and replaced as necessary. About 25 years ago, I had a hub catch on fire, so, I don't shortcut attention to the trailer. It is a little nerve racking to look in the mirror and see smoke and fire coming from a hub.

 

[MonacoMike]

I didn't see that thread, however, there was a later one that you started in regard to temps. I posted the following response:

Mike, I just did a 2200 mile roundtrip pulling 10,400# on a double axle trailer.
I was keeping a log of the tire and hub tempuratures.

Temps varied according to the time of day and distance travelled. Cool in the morning and hottest in the middle of the day.
Here are some of my readings: {Temps are: (tire/hub)}

Morning:
Lft rear truck tire........ trlr-lf...... trlr-lr..... trlr-rr..... trlr-rf
.........89................... 82/77..... 78/77.... 79/79.... 74/76

Mid Afternoon
Lft rear truck tire....... trlr-lf........ trlr-lr...... trlr-rr........... trlr-rf

.........121.............. 118/106.... 115/107.... 124/114..... 126/115

It was interesting to me to see that the tire temps were always higher than the hub temps after the trailer was rolling for several miles.

Before I do a long pull like that, I have the hubs taken down and the bearings, races and seals inspected and replaced as necessary. About 25 years ago, I had a hub catch on fire, so, I don't shortcut attention to the trailer. It is a little nerve racking to look in the mirror and see smoke and fire coming from a hub.

Sorry Jerry, I thought you had contributed to the hub thread and couldn't find it. We spent a Labor Day Sunday (8 hours) in a very rural Wal-Mart parking lot with a bearingless hub, no parts and seized races. It also was a neat story of folks helping a stranded stranger. loaning tools, air compressors etc. MM

 

[JerryS]

I'm planning to replace 4 rotten trailer tires next spring. I bought the old Load-Rite galvanized double axle trailer and it came with F78-14 ST tires. I forgot to check the load rating. I don't know if they are the right ones or not.

I have '77 SRV 240 WE that is listed at 4400 lb displacement. I would like tires that would be used primarily for short distances of 100 miles or less, but capable for an annual trek of 4,000 mi round trip.

I've read that a lot of trailer tires rot out quickly, others have thread separation and other problems. I would like to but Amercian made too if the product is the right choice for my needs.

Any suggestions on what to buy and where to buy them would be appreciated.

Jeff

To answer your question, in part, you can take your rig to a commercial truck stop and have it weighed. They will give you the total weight and the weight on each axle.
I usually buy tires thru TireRack.com. Their site does have information to help you select the tire that is right for your needs.

 

[JerryS]

Sorry Jerry, I thought you had contributed to the hub thread and couldn't find it. We spent a Labor Day Sunday (8 hours) in a very rural Wal-Mart parking lot with a bearingless hub, no parts and seized races. It also was a neat story of folks helping a stranded stranger. loaning tools, air compressors etc. MM

I have been in that situation, only I was a hundred miles from home and the wheel had heated to the point that the spindle welded itself to the hub. When I saw the fire, I just kept rolling until the grease burned itself out. In that case, I had to remove the bad wheel and chain the axle to the trailer frame so that I could tow the mess home on three wheels-very gingerly. After that little experience, I figured out that bearing buddies do nothing except give you a false sense of security. So, from then on, those hubs get torn down, visually inspected and repacked on a regualr basis.

 

[MonacoMike]

I have been in that situation, only I was a hundred miles from home and the wheel had heated to the point that the spindle welded itself to the hub. When I saw the fire, I just kept rolling until the grease burned itself out. In that case, I had to remove the bad wheel and chain the axle to the trailer frame so that I could tow the mess home on three wheels-very gingerly. After that little experience, I figured out that bearing buddies do nothing except give you a false sense of security. So, from then on, those hubs get torn down, visually inspected and repacked on a regualr basis.

We were not much better just without the big fire, though we had a smoke bomb back there. We had to redo them when we got home after paying 4 times the normal cost for bearings. We were about a hundred miles from home as well. Is there a CSR merit badge for what you learn through these things? :lol: MM

 

[ChuckW]

I've gone through 3 sets of bearings/spindles in the last 5 seasons over some 75k miles on the trailer. One of them was a fire. However, I always carry a full spindle, bearing and hub setup. All I have to do is pull the castle nut, bust off the old spindle and put on the new one. Takes about and hour roadside and I'm good to go. Ensures I'm not looking for expensive parts while broken down

 

[CV-23]

It's that darn water that causes all these bearing failures. I use synthetic bearing lube so it does not wash away or get muddy like standard grease....it's red and I can't remember the name, Mike.

 

[floriduramax1]

It's that darn water that causes all these bearing failures. I use synthetic bearing lube so it does not wash away or get muddy like standard grease....it's red and I can't remember the name, Mike.

I use to use the Valvoline red, now I use the Lucas synthetic on all our buses and heavy equipment and appears to do a good job.

 

[KurtInCincy]

I think I'm switching to synthetic lube in the spring also

 

[JerryS]

I've gone through 3 sets of bearings/spindles in the last 5 seasons over some 75k miles on the trailer. One of them was a fire. However, I always carry a full spindle, bearing and hub setup. All I have to do is pull the castle nut, bust off the old spindle and put on the new one. Takes about and hour roadside and I'm good to go. Ensures I'm not looking for expensive parts while broken down

I have that same set-up on my current trailer, Eliminator torsion axles with quick change spindles. That system, along with EOH braking and disc brakes makes me a lot more comfortable when pulling the trailer.

 

[skiierjeff]

Thank you everyone for all of the vaulable advise. From what I've read here and on other forums getting from point a to point b with a trailer without problems is kind of rare.

Anyway, the frame plate with all of the specs for the trailer has long since faded away. The tires on it look bad enough so that I will probably replace them before towing it to a scale. I'll have to estimate the total load and add a margin of error.

So far I have heard good and bad about all of the major brand tires but if I had to guesstimate the favorites of the crowd are Maxxis, Denham, Marathon & Towmaster in that order. Most people have recomended radials.

Jeff