I keep my trailer tires at 80 psi and replace them every 4-6 years I check the psi before hooking up during my trip when I fuel up never had a blow out or flat in morning starting out on the road again... Enjoyed your comments about trailer tires good job.. thank you 👍👍,
So mention that the speed rating is based on 30 minutes not all day driving. If a tire has a speed rating of 80mph that means yes you could speed up to 80mph to pass another vehicle but not drive for 8 hours at 80mph. Most of us RVer's believe that 65mph is fast enough for a safe speed. It's not about you it's also about other people on the road that could be killed.
I do have a pace, trailer with one axle size 15 two weeks ago went to craft show with my wife on highway 401 in Canada for 200 kilometres and what you said at 12 minutes around an old 20 years tire should got in a museum . I should’ve look at your video before so what happened the tire did blowout on the highway I gotta tell you. It’s not a nice experience made it back home, but I changed those two tires for a Goodyear Endura and I think they are made in USA did not want any China bomb on the trailer after this experience. Thank you very much for all the explanation.
Very helpful reminders. Since you asked, I pull an 11,000 lb 5th wheel, and a dual 3500 lb axle utility trailer. I check the tire pressure & lug nut torque before each trip. I write the torque & PSI on all equipment w/ a paint marker so I won’t forget. Thanks for helping us be smarted about our trailers.
I recently bought a small 2003 boat and trailer. When I got it home I checked the DOT date code. 2002. Twenty-two years. Previous owner used the boat and trailer every year. Tires looked great, but a new set was the first upgrade I did to my new boat!
Same here, 2012 boat/trailer, on the ride home I thought I was being followed by a low flying plane; 4ply cheesy tires, new tires are 8ply, effortless and quiet now..
Good advice. I ran a small business in which we had to infrequently use trailers with inexperienced drivers. Three rules we had. 1) Check the load 30 minutes out and at every stop. 2) Check the tire and bearing temperature using an infrared temperature gun (they are about $20) 3) we got some cheap remote tire pressure monitors that went on top of the normal valves.
I pull an RV trailer and I check the tire pressure at least once a week while travelling or at the beginning of a trip. I also carry an extra spare tire just in case when travelling afar in some cases. In over 25 years of pulling an RV I only had one flat on my trailer and luckily it was not a blow out but just a nail. After replacing the flat with the spare, I stopped at the next town to replace my spare. It's harder than you think to find a ST tire [in the size required] in some locations. That is why I carry an extra spare.
We have a saying in our family. “It’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.” I’d say in the case of having a spare tire for your rv or trailer, this saying fits perfectly. Good job on being prepared and proactive. It’s what I do, too. I never haul a trailer without a spare tire.
I was waiting for you to talk about Carlile. You mentioned about 20 years old. My Carlisle are about 22 years old, and like you said believe it or not they still in good shape.
5 psi over cold. I used to heavy haul and that saved many tires. Especially in the high temperatures in the summer. I check tire pressure every trip. And sometimes during a trip. Excessive? Maybe. I have never had to change a tire on a trip. Carry spares for truck and trailer anyway. Y'never know. Pull a 48' 18K tri axle gooseneck & a 42' 13K dual axle fifth wheel. Inspect/service bearings often. Beginning and midseason.
My trailers are used intermittently so I check the tire pressures before each use. If used on a trip, I use the "thump" method each morning and when doing rest stops.
I’ve pulled a U-Haul trailer at 70-80mph for most of a 13 hour trip when I moved. The trailer was packed with my stuff and my CBR600RR. Smooth the whole way. (Don’t be like me lol) I was unaware of the possibilities at the time
I used to work in a tire store and I was trained. I'm not a tire expert, but I have been trained. The speed rating is for 4 hour sustained speed, not for a minute or two. It doesn't mean that the tire is going to fly apart if you exceed that by 1 mph. The load, speed and tire pressure all work together to determine how long the tire is going to last. If your load speed and tire pressure is near the max that the tire can handle, you're more likely to have a failure. This is a problem because so many RV trailers are designed to operate at or even over the tire and axle max weight. Reduced load and/or speed reduces the risk of failure. I have pulled a lightly loaded U-Haul trailer at highway speeds with no problems. I have a 1,000 pound popup trailer that I've pulled for many thousands of miles at highway speed on the 5.30-12 tires that it was designed to use, inflated to about 40 PSI. You don't need the listed MAX pressure in a tire if the load on that tire is significantly less than the max load.
Bought a new toy hauler. It came with chrome modular wheels. Pulled it 1,500 miles. Checked the lugs and TP at almost every gas stop. At least felt the hubs and tires… got ready to head out and heard a clicking sound. One of the wheels was LOOSE!😮 The chrome had broken off the wheel seat so wheel was wobbling. Had to replace the studs and put standard steel lug nuts on it. Later went from 14 to 15 inch aluminum wheel wheels. Never had problems after that.
I just replaced the ‘18 Castle Rocks on my 19 foot Camper. (March 2024) They looked fine, but I plan to travel longer distances this year. Once the tech removed the tires, they were warped and extremely dry cracks in area I didn’t see. I bought the GY Endurance ST225/75/R15 at Belle for $640. (3 tires) my camper weighs 3600 dry, never been over 4200 on the scales. 👏👏 great info!
Most definitely,. every pull with a load. On long hauls I Always walk around at every fuel stop and even check the temp of the tires and hubs with my hand. Doesn't every one?.
No. Absolutely not. It would probably surprise you at how many people barely give a second’s thought to checking the tires on their trailers. I’m glad to hear there this that do. Gives me hope!
Just bought a new to me 1448 Jon boat, 1988 Evinrude 9.9hp tiller, and a trailer. The hour plus drive home was sketchy at best, dirt roads and slow. Trailer rehab time. At a minimum, the trailer tires are shot, dry rot. I don't know squat about trailer tires which is why I am here. Thanks for the extremely informative/educational video. Knowledge is pretty cool when passed along by someone who nails the delivery spot on.
I run GY endurance on my TT and I check PSI every trip and I run a TPMS. I've found living in South FL if I run them at 80psi they get hot and over pressured and set off the TPMS during the summer. I run them at 75psi and they will stay below the alarm point on the TPMS. Once I hit the mountains and cooler temps I can air up to the 80psi and no alarm.
I run my tires with a TPMS, so I know exactly what pressure and temperature my tires have. And before I take my trailer anywhere, I make sure the pressure is right, but I also check the torque on the lugnuts.
I'm getting ready to replace my trailer tires. A lot of great info. I didn't know there were speed ratings for trailer tires. Great to know since I travel roads where there is a 70mph speed limit.
Just got a new 16' Utility trailer and pulled it home i did look at the weight it was good for but i didn't know all this so when i get off work tonight i will be checking all this out . Thank you for the info thats why i was here i was curious to know these things
I have used 10 ply truck tires on every RV I have owned. I have never had a tire failure with them. The only tire failure I have had was with an original Goodyear ST tire.
I was just about to say the same thing. I have much better luck with using 10 ply lt tires. I also use tires that match my dually. Once my 4 rear tires wear on my truck I will put my camper tires on the truck to wear them off and put 4 new tires on my camper. Keeps my tires from dry rotting.
I have two living quarter horse trailers that came with Goodyear g rated 235/85R16a and I kepp them aired to sidewall max and I lost a bunch of them and only had GY stand behind two that lost tread but held air. I thought that maybe I was getting punctures like GY store said. I switched to Michelin XPS Ribs on advice of other horse haulers with the same experience. Those are 80 psi truck all steel plies tires. I aired them to 90 to have little squat and never had a failure. I got nail punctures and thebtire survived and it got plug patched and ran it to the wear bars. I learned no GY tires and LT is not a disqualifier for a sturdy made tire.
As I said in the video, I’m not a fan of Goodyear tires for truck or trailer, EXCEPT for the Goodyear Endurance, specifically. If you want to run a tire designed for steering like a truck tire is on your trailer, instead of equipping your trailer with tires designed for the function of being pulled that’s okay. That’s your business. I’m just getting the info out there from a shop/mechanic standpoint. Trailer tires is one of the most confused topics relying to trailers. The comments section is proof of that.
Had a Goodyear endurance with around 5000 miles on it and 4 years old fail recently on an 15:45 RV trailer. Checked the other 3 and were all cracked. Checked air pressure before trip but never imagined the tires would be cracked so didn’t even cross my mind to check them since they were hardly 4 years old. Original tires were changed at 6 yrs due to age and I thought GY endurance would be an upgrade. I will not use GY endurance again.
Also when folks add TPMS snesors to their rubber valve stem they take the risk of the valve stem wobble and fail. Always replace all rubber valve stems with steel valve stems when using TMPS sensors.
I do landscape/Hardscape/tree brush/dig graves in rural East Tennessee, in the mountains .I run a 7 x 12, 10,000lbs. dump trailer with a Bobcat E 20 /MT 100 most job sites. It's a lot of miles on crazy roads/trails sometimes at awkward speed and traction.😂 I was sitting outside of the tire place waiting on the tires to get done and was just curious about what else was out there. That hasn't been said anybody who comes across this video found in gem. Y'all should probably listen to this man. Also, if you don't check your air pressure every time you're about to pull that trailer out and double check your connections,before you load it up you're doing wrong.
Thanks for watching! I've been in those hills & mountains of East Tennessee. Beautiful country! Those winding roads are something else. We appreciate the feedback! Keep on keeping on!
I check my tire pressure every time I start to use my trailer. Check it in the cool of the morning and have a TMS to watch the pressures and temp of my tire down the road.
check or change? the tire pressure on a trailer should be adjusted depending on the weight its carrying, there are no shocks most can be safely pumped up to around 60PSI refer to the TIRE LABEL NOT THE DOOR STICKER OR MANUAL the door sticker pertains to the original equipment only and is usually not even correct just a good guess
Loved the video. You provided a wealth of solid, useful information. I take my tire age and condition very seriously as I pull a 30 foot RV from Colorado to Canada each Summer. My tires are currently the originals from the 2018 trailer I pull. Although they look great, I will be replacing them in a few weeks as you suggested, because of the age-factor. Thanks again for the great video.
Thanks for the feedback! We truly do appreciate it. I'm glad the tire video was helpful to you, especially as you get ready for a big trip! Thank you for watching and may you have safe travels!
I had a toy hauler with 7000 pound axles and it came with 16 inch load range G tires that failed frequently. I switched to 17.5 inch rims and 4400 pound rated tires and had no more problems. The new tires were the same diameter as the original tires.
When looking for new tires don't forget to look for the tread depth. Some new tires are 7/32 some are 10/32 which is a 30% difference.Some are 4mm or 5mm. Many companies make the depth hard to find in their ads. If your buying tires with 20% less tread they should be 20% cheaper if the tires are comparable in quality.
Generally, the more premium tires have less tread, and the reason is tread depth contributes to sway. Especially when loaded.. Cheaper tires have more tread to look better. Goodyear Endurance and Hankook Vantra ( another premium tire ) are both lower tread tires. Even the well loved Maxxis 8008 and Kenda Loadstars are lower tread tires
I check my trailer tires for cracking, bumps, unusual ware and pressure before every tow. I also have an active pressure and heat monitoring system that reports information during towing.
I pull a gooseneck one horse trailer with living quarters. I'm a freak about tires, but struggle to know all the details I should know. I love watching your videos even though I struggle trying to understand it all! Thanks, atleast I know know NOT to believe to sales guy at the tire store.
I do check tire pressure everytime I hook up to the trailers. Then again every morning along the way of our trip. But then again at every pit stop the first I do is go and touch all the hubs to see if anything is getting warm...
This is really good to hear! Preventative practices go a long way in avoiding break downs & emergencies. Nothing is ever 100% guaranteed, but it sounds like you have a good routine for checking things!
I have a : horse horse trailer with living quarters. I use it as a toy hauler, just one small Honda . I don’t run my tires at full pressure because it bounces around. I normally don’t run with more than 30 gallons of water. But I check the air pressure before every trip and make sure all 4 are the same. I also carry a digital thermometer and check all the tires every time I stop. Trailer stays under cover when not in use . This last trip I knew they were getting old and so I slowed down to 70 max. Coming out of Ok. Hit a really bad stretch on 40 slowed down to 60 . Stopped for the night and within 1 hour of starting the next day both of the front tires came apart. First one than about 30 miles the other one. Stay vigilant. Check tire temperature and check mirrors. And always take note of how it feels . Mine told me and I caught them before they tore anything up.
Good job on taking all those factors into consideration. Not everyone does. It really does boil down to a safety hazard on the roadways to ignore the key things to keeping trailer hauling safe. So glad you caught it before it caused damage to your or you trailer/vehicle!
Tire pressure checks EVERY TIME before moving the trailer!!! So important before you hit the road! Every time folks. Be safe, stay safe. ((Topic Idea: how to properly inspect your frame and suspension system---how to properly look under a trailer for damage and wear. Another important safety consideration. Thanks TrailerSmith!))
What I know about tire age, tires will go bad just sitting around. The factory spare on my pickup looked really bad at eight years old which is why I replaced it. I had only ever used the spare once, and it spent the rest of its life under the pickup. That tire saw direct sun for like 2 days its entire life. Definitely important to identify the date code on tires. Good tidbit on the wheel being able to match the rating of the tire. I didn't even think about the wheel's capacity when thinking about what the tire can handle. That was completely new info to me.
Doh! U haul rating 55!? I was traveling on Hwy 80 @ 80mph with the rest of the semi trucks. It was the posted speed limit. 😬. Glad the uhaul trailer made it no problem. Have to see what tires they use.
Hoping my luck holds!! While towing a camper I can't think of anything more important than the tires and wheels that support my investment and keep us from a road side disaster. As soon as we bring a new camper home the tires get changed out for the highest load rated Tow-Max tire for that size tire. The new tires will be balanced and spend the rest of there lives at or close the max pressure. Tire pressures are monitored electronically but double checked prior to leaving any camp. (that pays off!!)
I have definitely gone over 55 with U-Haul trailers on a number of occasions. I thought it was just a suggestion because in most places the speed limit back then was 55, so I figured it was to keep me legal😅
🤣 I always took it as a suggestion myself! “Drive it like a rental”. But in all seriousness, yes there’s a specific reason for that recommendation. Thanks for watching!
I rotate the tires on my trailers. I start at the right front putting the spare on and then go clockwise around the trailer. The last tire off becomes the spare. Also I have seen the inside edge will usually wear quicker. I will get the tire flipped on the rim giving more tire life. I also check air pressure regularly. Lube lug nuts and retorque once after roughly 100K. This has worked well for me.
My trailer came from the manufacturer with "LT" tires on it....Guess I'll buy those cause I can get USA made tires for it with 2X the load range it needs....Intech Explorer Flyer....Great trailer👍
I ran Chinese tires on my lowbed and truck for years hauling heavy equipment on the highway and in the bush, never had a blowout or lost any treads. They’re just as good as any other manufacturers tires in my opinion.
I check them every time, because I use my trailer for about 3 - 4 times a year..... I also do the 1 mile stop and check hitch and chains and lights. I am a little paranoid
Good to hear from others who are safety minded! Great job! I'm a little paranoid when it comes to safely driving a vehicle or hauling a trailer. I just couldn't live with myself if my actions caused harm to my family or anyone else. Thanks for watching the video and taking the time to leave a comment. Keep up the good work!
I just changed the tires on my old trailer. They were bias ply Uniroyal brand I believe. I know they were on the trailer when my dad bought it in 1983! One still holds air and it's my spare now. The new/used tire I put on it blew out in less than a month just sitting in the yard. Those old Boss put tires had been in the weather for 40+years
I bought new tires for my small trailer when they were about 15+years old. Not much tread was left and there was cracks. I got nervous so I replaced them. They were made back when tires were made a bit better.
Love your videos keep it up. You’re very helpful. I own a 34 foot toy hauler Recommended tire pressure my manufacture, 65 pounds Goodyear recommended 80 pounds What would you recommend?
It would be interesting to see what the actual towed speed numbers are encountered with rental UHaul trailers. My observation is about 8 out of 10 trailers are towed at 60 to 75 mph. With an outlier pushing 80 from time to time. Some of the smaller UHaul trailers I have rented even had 45 mph max speed stickers on them. Most of my use has been local around town use so speed limits were usually not an issue.
we have 30+ enclosed 10K capacity utility trailers in our fleet. when i switched up from buying cheap trailer tires to Goodyear trailer tires, our tread wear life went way up, and issues with tires went WAY down. more than pays for the difference in cost. you can feel the weight difference in the tires also, the same size tire in a Goodyear VS. the cheap tires is a several pound difference, with the Goodyear being much heavier, and the sidewall feels much thicker and stiffer. the Goodyears also seem less likely to get damaged from when the drivers take a corner too sharp pulling into a parking lot and 'hop the curb' with a fully loaded trailer.
So FOR ME a automotive mechanic over 50 years, i know how tire pressures change with , temperature, age, and neglect! For me every 2 months i fire up my portable compressor and air up my fleet, trucks, motorhome, trailer, car dolly, side by side, ones on the ground and the spares for them all, not all of them need alot but they all need some, so if you figure at the 2 month mark there loss is “X” then just imagine over a longer time what they will lose! I was ALWAYS amazed just when trucks came to my shop, not just the ones that contractors used but also the ones with 2 or more child seats in them, that would have10 to 20 psi less pressure from the stated pressure on the door sticker. Often we were accused of “just trying to SELL some tires” yet a blind man could have seen how bad of tires some people had on there vehicles! The concept of the TPMS systems is awsome, however with time many people still drive with the system telling them “tire pressure” LOW… they will tell you things like oh im just driving around town, or i dont carry any heavy weight, or my favorite, i thought i had a bad sensor cause the tire looks ok!!!
I pull a 7600lbs GVWR travel trailer and I always check the tire pressure before we hit the road every time we hookup. My cheapo TPMS quick working last year and I checked the pressure every time we pulled over for a break. Still running the original china bombs so very carefully with speed and pressure.
I pull up 14 foot 7000 pound anenclosed trailer trailer pretty much 7 days a week. Annually I run between 12 and 15000 miles. There is only one brand that I would ever use. It comes in 15 inch. It resembles a big truck trailer tire. Hercules H901 12 ply I run them 4 years and there's still plenty of tread but I replaced them at that point.
I check my tire psi before I pull out. In tire care I would suggest that if your trailer is parked outside and it’s not used very much to either pour a cement pad just for your tires and the second is to buy tire covers. I had a box trailer that sat outside and the drivers side of the trailer was basically facing east to west with no shade on it. One day I got to move it and while checking the tire psi I noticed that the tire was starting to dry rot. The outside of the tire had small splits all the way around it. The other tire facing away from the sun was fine. A cheap set of covers would have saved me $150 bucks. I also had heavy duty inner tubes installed when I put the first set of tires on it.
Always ask for a 12 ply 8 14 5 LT tire for your trailer it can be Goodyear High miler tire or a firestone low Boy tire or Hucules or Remington high miler
good video for the common sense things or things you should know if you want to run a trailer and they all apply to your car tires the same way i love to see a bmw or benz go rolling buy with some noisy tires and then at the stop light the cheap tires they bought for the car
Timely info as I'm looking to replace the tires on my travel trailer. I check the air pressure every time I take it out of the barn. It drives me crazy when I'm traveling the interstate at 70 mi an hour and a little utility trailer passes me and those 12" to 14" tires are just a singing. Check your lug nuts! 😄
Yes! Check your lug nuts! And your air pressure! It's crazy to me how many people are pulling trailers down the road that are in really awful condition or they are severely overloaded, or they are going too fast for the wheel/axle. It seems they always get to where they are going. I wouldn't make it 3 feet in those same conditions! LOL Thanks for watching the channel!
LT tires are fine for trailer use if they meet the weight rating for the axle. They are built better. LT tires are actually designed for shifting weight loads vs static weight loads. The entire reason ST tires exist is that they are not designed to be used on an axle that can self propel. LT tires can be used on an axle that is self propelled.
Yes, LT is designed & structured to be on a vehicle. ST is designed specifically with trailers in mind. A QUALITY ST is the preferred tire for trailers while a QUALITY LT is preferred for light trucks.
Some RV company's (Air Stream) put LT tires on their trailers. The tire categories overlap with each other so if your going from a ST tire to a LT tire better make sure you are getting all the weight number correct.
Thanks for the info. I have had my small utility trailer for over 10 years and have only checked the tire pressure twice. Maybe use it about 8 times a year. 😖
The age part is becoming an issue. Got a flat on my trailer the other day. 6 month old tires. Puncture was just below the outside tread block. Selling dealer refused to repair. Too close to the sidewall. When the tires were replaced 6 months ago, I saved one that was newer (it had been replaced 3-4 years ago) but was now 7 years old. Indicating to me that it was at least 3 years old when sold as new. Tire shops here are refusing to do anything except sell you new if it's over 5 years old. Guess I'll be looking for a tire machine. Had one years ago, should have kept it.
I have a ww2 jeep mb that is running the old non directional tires. The tires are marked Firestone usa and dated 1956. Not a single crack on them. Of course she rarely hits the street and 50mph is white knuckle max speed.
I check tire pressure every time I hook up to it. I check it again daily when hauling significant load. Rarely do I not check it. That only happens when running back empty or silly light load, but I still checked it when I hooked up
I noticed that you had wheel weights on your tires. The next video should include how to extend the life of your tire. Easiest way to extend the life of your tire make sure it has good air pressure and that they are balanced. Last but not least have the trailer aligned.. Axles that are not straight will scuff the tires creating heat which shortens its life.
I’ll be honest, I have pulled 55mph uhaul trailers well over 55, and I check the air in my trailer tires on every long trip which is about 4 times a year😂, when I had my 5th wheel camper I was very particular about staying on top of tires on it., I bought a new BigTex 33ft gooseneck about 2 months ago and everyone telling me the new tires on it don’t hold up, we will see🤷♂️
I had a utility trailer 4,000# and currently a boat trailer 2,600# and I always buy CAR tires of a heavier load rating and typically air them below MAX at 28-30 pounds for some added softness or spring when hitting pot-holes or objects - the tire is a little more compliant and forgiving and transmits less shock into the trailer. No problems with sway and I don't pull over 60. Heck - I don't even carry a spare !! pulling trailers since 1993.
I used to run LT 6 plies on my Nissan truck, then looked at load ratings and started running passenger tires. Over 30 years, I have put on nearly a ton multiple times. I just air up for those times. Seems to work fine.
My brother and I owned a trailer used for goose hunting and he has had it at his place for the past 6 years. I pulled it home and noticed it was leaning. Left side tires had 16psi and the rights had 29. Got lucky there but that lead me to this video as I think I need to replace them. Debating on repainting the rims or just buying new..
I have a 2019 25' toy hauler, 10,600# GTW (that I run typically at 9500#) with TPMS and run near the max. Tires are always covered with white covers when parked to avoid SW USA sun damage. I never go over 70MPH (tires rated for 85MPH). I check the tire pressures within 24 hours before EVERY trip where I'll be driving >50MPH. I've put about 10K miles on the trailer since 2019. I hauled my nearly empty trailer back from a summer workamping job only 140 miles (downhill on a 78F day) Oct 2023, had the right rear trailer tire detread just as I hit 140 miles. No evidence of a puncture, the tread just peeled off and wrapped around the axle, doing some minor damage because I was slowing down on the freeway offramp when the damage occurred. IT ISN'T ALWAYS THE TREATMENT OF THE TIRES, some are just bad (Castle Rock tires that came on the trailer) :( The TPMS alarming saved me from further damage, I stopped and changed tires as soon as it was safe after the alarm. Soon I'll be buying 5 new tires (I don't trust the spare)
It sounds like you did all the right things! Keep up the good work. Sometimes a bad tire is just a bad tire. There's not a whole lot you can do, except get you a good set of tires the next time. Thanks for watching the channel!
I also have a 2019 toy hauler. Check the date on the tires because mine were from 2018 and i had two blow outs in one trip thid year. Always replace your tires after 5 years no matter what you do. I had Castiles as well and i put those things through hell, 130 degree heat in AZ, off road trails in NV and hopping curbs at gas stations. I would definitely buy them again, but i wanted to give the Goodyear endurance a shot to see if there is any difference.
The only time I’ve ever seen a U-Haul trailer with the 55 mph limit actually going under 55 was the one time I rented one. I see them on the highway a lot and never have I seen one going 55 or under. Usually 65-70 mph.
Awesome video. Two years ago, I installed the Goodyear Endurance ST 235/80R 16 on my fifth wheel. The tires have ~20,000 miles on them. The tread depth is 4/32 to 5/32 on all tires. I don't see any cracking or bulging on the tires. When the trailer is stored, it is under cover not in the sun. Preparing for an upcoming 6,000-mile trip. Would you install new tires prior to the trip or do one more trip on the existing tires? Just your thought. Also, I have a TPMS on the tires and mostly travel at 65 mph on the interstate.
On my new-to-me dual axle toy hauler RV, I had one tire burst while in transit, but I didn't know it, until I got to the campground (about an hour drive from where I think that the tire burst). The tires were all in terrible shape. I got lucky that only one tire failed. the tire pressure was good before the trip and I was pulling about 10 miles an hour under the M speed rating. Surprisingly, the wheel/hub on the failed tire did not get distroyed and a new tire was mounted on it. For all four tires, I stepped up from D load rated to E rated. Still M speed rated. I have now installed TPMS sensors on all four valve stems. So, I now check tire pressure before leaving any place and continuously during the pull (with alarms, if any one of the tire pressures goes low). Question: What is you opinion on pressurizing the ST tires to the max cold pressure versus pressurizing them based on the trailer load that day? I've heard arguments for both.
I know everybody's going to say that I'm wrong but for about 40 years I've been using all terrain truck tires on my 16-ft trailer that I used to haul cars on and been lucky I guess I've never had any problem maybe because I'm using truck tires that are rated for the wait I'm carrying but they work for me I just don't like these little dinky trailer tires I've never trusted them like you said they're very cheap some of them and you have to be careful when purchasing them also I like that I can run an 8 inch wide wheel. I just purchased a new 20-foot trailer it has little old bitty 15-inch wheels 6 in wide I replaced the wheels with 17 inch 8 inch wide wheels and light duty truck tires the combination cuts down on wheel bearing wear out and excessive heat buildup in bearings and the wheels on my trailer match the ones I have on my truck I carry two spare tires and if I have a flat and use one I still have a second one I can use either trailer or truck.... I'm 80 years old and I still like to look cool and I think the matching trailer wheels and truck wheels look cool and still safe. I CAN'T wait to see what kind of replies I get to this😮
My understanding of speed ratings is that the rating only allows the maximum speed for a specific amount of time. I've seen 5 minutes and 10 minutes referenced in different sources.
As always, lots of good info.. Thanks. I noticed wheel weights on the tires in the video. What are your thoughts on balancing trailer vs. not balancing trailer tires?
I went into all this with radial trailer tires looked at ratings loads etc to match everything up….no matter what I did the tread seemed to literally fall off no matter the psi I even had axle alignment checked twice…..seemed like I was buying 3 sets a year and I was only hauling once or twice a week…..noticed as a kid my dad never had tire issues on our old trailer….next set I purchased was a set of 7.00-15 bias ply trailer tires from power king (multi mile)….they have been on it for 3 years now….i will keep bias tires on all my trailers until they totally outlaw them….not convinced the radials are anywhere near as durable as the tried and true bias
