trailer tire wear

[MESSMAKER]

I haul about 4500lbs on a landscape trailer with two 3500lb axles. I seem like I am always replacing a tire due to wear. They all seem to wear about the same, I doubt I get 2500 miles out of one before it is time to replace. Is my wear about normal?

 

[Sterff]

I haul about 4500lbs on a landscape trailer with two 3500lb axles. I seem like I am always replacing a tire due to wear. They all seem to wear about the same, I doubt I get 2500 miles out of one before it is time to replace. Is my wear about normal?

What is the weight rating for each tire? I still have the original tires on my 08 trailer with 2 3500 lb. axles.

 

[Artisan]

Dualy trailers eat tires. IMO it is the action of "tighter" turning radius'
where the tires actually get dragged kinda sideways across the ground.
I am sure you notice marks on the ground from time to time when you
are manuvering on pavement yes? Those marks are you leaving your tires
behind. If not take notice, I would suggest. It matters not
how expensive of a tire nor tread design, of corse you should make SURE
your ratings are up to snuff. 4500 pounds means you only have 2500 pounds
left for the trailer itself. You are probably too heavy for Mr HighWay Patrol
w/ the portable scales plus that weight 24/7 will help the wearing of tires
tremendously. I bet you don't get 20K miles on a set of trailer tires.
Normal IMO.

Every seen a semi trailer that has a mechanism to lift an axle?

It is what it is, IMO.

 

[jeffsw6]

I don't think his empty 7000# landscape trailer weighs 2500#. He did not say how big it is, etc. but most are around 1500#.

Messmaker, what kind of tires have you been using? If you are getting "bias ply" tires, it is not surprising that they don't last long. They are cheap tires meant for trailer owners who don't use their trailer much, like a guy who hauls his boat to the lake a few times a year. If you use yours often, buy radial tires. They will last much longer. I put new radials on my 6x12 3550# last year, have towed it a few thousand miles since then, always loaded to capacity, and the tires still look new.

Are your tires wearing out evenly across the width of the tread, or are you wearing the center out first, or the sides out first? If the center wears out early, your tire pressure is high and this causes the center wear. If you wear the sides first, probably the opposite problem. If your tire pressure is way too low, the tire will deform a lot under load and this makes it flex more as it rolls, creating extra heat, and causing the whole thing to wear out very fast.

 

[3930dave]

Load range - try moving to a higher load range (ie. higher max pressure) tire, if you have room.

Tire pressure always matters - it sounds like you are mostly running heavy, so I'd be going with the Max Pressure listed on the tires you have.

I asked for guidance on brands for the dual axle trailer I picked up this year:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/229438-decent-non-china-trailer-tires.html

I wanted radials, but even amongst the "big names" out there, there is a lot of junk.

Did a run last weekend with new Greenball's on my trailer - about 2 hours each way. So far, so good.

Many (non-Ag) tires will deteriorate fast if parked on dirt (long term). Asphalt, concrete, deep gravel or even wood is a better choice.

Unless you are really sure of the weight, it might be worth checking on a scale that won't get you in trouble (local dump, friendly business.....). You may be hauling heavier than you think you are.

Brakes are working/adjusted normally ?

Rgds, D.

 

[not2old]

My 5th with dual 3500lbs. axles wore tires very badly when I first got it used. We bent (actually straightened) one axel to align the wheels. I assisted at the trailer shop, it was easy to do and only cost $150.00. I've put on near 10,000 KM since, with no visible wear. I expect little use of it so bought 1/2 ton truck tires which will be easy to sell when they are 5 or 6 years old and have plenty of tread. This will help purchase new ones so I should always have good tires on.

 

[namesray]

i had 4 flats on my tandem axel trailer in the first 18 months i had it. bad luck i guess. anyway, is your trailer level from the hitch when you are towing? if not you might be over loading an axel and the tires wearing. also bearings might be out. and the axels might need aligned. mine now wears the inside of the one axel on the drivers side since i had that one blow out when fully loaded. i think it misaligned the axel a bit. i still get more miles then what you are getting though. by the way, my 18ft landscape trailer weighs about 1995 lbs empty.

 

[MESSMAKER]

My trailer weighs 1600lbs.. I weighed it and came in under six thousand, if I remember. I might have had a lighter implement on. That puts me at about 85% of max. That is heavy, but not not overloaded.

 

[3930dave]

MM - what is the exact tire size you are running, and what is the load range (C, D, ...) or maximum pressure ?

 

[clemsonfor]

Im thinking yoru axles are not aligned right, if your only getting 1500 miles on a new tire!!

 

[MESSMAKER]

Im thinking yoru axles are not aligned right, if your only getting 1500 miles on a new tire!!

I am running a 205-75-15 tire. I try to keep them at about 45lb. I put a new axle under it because I suspected a bow. I had the other axle checked Tire wear is now even ,but rapid. I have put on 3 new tires in the last 4000 miles and the forth is ready to be replaced. I have put on 9 new tires in the last 3 years/8000-10000 miles

 

[clemsonfor]

I am running a 205-75-15 tire. I try to keep them at about 45lb. I put a new axle under it because I suspected a bow. I had the other axle checked Tire wear is now even ,but rapid. I have put on 3 new tires in the last 4000 miles and the forth is ready to be replaced. I have put on 9 new tires in the last 3 years/8000-10000 miles

Something is seriously wrong. I have a 7000lb car hauler myself, but it came with tires that were basically at the wear strips. I have only put about 1500 miles on my trailer but i cant tell that the tires have worn much at all? I usually have at least a 2300 lb load on it, but sometimes closer to 3000lbs, so not as much as you but still far from empty. If i was wearing as fast as you those tires at the wear strip when new would be showing steel today.

 

[Furu]

I have two different trailers. The older one has radials. The newer one came with bias tires and has less than 5% the mileage that the older trailer has but the tires show even wear on the tire that is nearly 90% of tread life . I have noticed that the bias tires wear horribly and plan to convert to radials.

I had not thought about alignment of the trailer axles due to the even wear but presumed it was the bias tires and the surfaces that they are used on. How does one check trailer axle alignment? How does one tweak the axles to straighten if necessary?

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have thought about switching to radials. I am sure most will say it has to be done all at once. If that is true, Why? The good news is, the way my tires wear. It could happen by the end of summer.

 

[Furu]

I have been told the same because of the different way the tire flexes and moves. I have recently had tire dealers tell me that I should never mix trailer tires on the same side but with the type of towing I do (not high speed) on that trailer that I could probably change an axle out one at a time. One axle all bias, one all radial. They did say not to do that if you are doing high speed towing however. I am a bit apprehensive about mixing at all no matter what they say. On top of that the trailer certification states certified with bias tires for the weight rating.

 

[clemsonfor]

Like i said im running old "car" take offs. There worn out old steel belted car radials. 205 65 15 i think?? They were put on the trailer by the manufacturer. I have had them for almost 3 years but i dont tow more than a few hundred miles a year at most. Other than maybe plugging one and putting air in them annually i do nothing and can tell there is little to no wear.

 

[3930dave]

MM - these are the tires I bought this year, in the size you are running now.

Tow-Master Special Trailer Radial Tire ST205/75R15 Load Range C

They are rated for about 1800#, x4 will be 7200#. Should be enough margin, if you are running close to 6000#.

You should get better mileage out of a good radial, than a bias tire.

I'd talk with other guys in your area, that haul like you do. If everybody is shredding tires (bad roads), then I'd move up to Load Range D. In a slightly bigger tire (225, check for fit), they are rated for 2500# each. Would need new rims too. I noticed after I bought my tires that Truckandtrailer has good rim prices too (at least by Canadian standards).

Greenball Tires - Towmaster

Many guys don't bother balancing trailer tires - I always have, and if you are having lifespan issues, it can't hurt.

Other than being a customer, I have no connection to Shadow Trailers/ their Parts Div, or Greenball.

Good luck, and pls update us later on how this works out for you.

Rgds, D.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I haul about 4500lbs on a landscape trailer with two 3500lb axles. I seem like I am always replacing a tire due to wear. They all seem to wear about the same, I doubt I get 2500 miles out of one before it is time to replace. Is my wear about normal?

Your trailer is out of alignment. Load the trailer to max weight then torque the U-Bolts on the axles to 75 ft lbs each. You must have the trailer loaded, unloaded will not work and the weight must be on the wheels compressing the springs. I have found some so loose I could remove the nuts on the U-Bolts by hand. I have had some come to me for this issue that the axle is so loose it "walks around" when weight is on it and the springs are compressed.

I run every trailer I deal with, about 75, at max pressure on the tires and we always use the best load rating possible for the tire.

I will not mess with Bias. My experience has been bad. I only run Radials. Greenball Tow Masters are my favorite and I also like Maxxis.

Check pressure often and have them balanced.

We get plenty of miles out of them, maybe 25,000 miles but to be honest I replace most due to age at 6 years old.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Load range - try moving to a higher load range (ie. higher max pressure) tire, if you have room.

Tire pressure always matters - it sounds like you are mostly running heavy, so I'd be going with the Max Pressure listed on the tires you have.

I asked for guidance on brands for the dual axle trailer I picked up this year:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/229438-decent-non-china-trailer-tires.html

I wanted radials, but even amongst the "big names" out there, there is a lot of junk.

Did a run last weekend with new Greenball's on my trailer - about 2 hours each way. So far, so good.

Many (non-Ag) tires will deteriorate fast if parked on dirt (long term). Asphalt, concrete, deep gravel or even wood is a better choice.

Unless you are really sure of the weight, it might be worth checking on a scale that won't get you in trouble (local dump, friendly business.....). You may be hauling heavier than you think you are.

Brakes are working/adjusted normally ?

Rgds, D.

Lots of good info in this thread listed above.

Chris

 

[jeffsw6]

I have thought about switching to radials. I am sure most will say it has to be done all at once. If that is true, Why? The good news is, the way my tires wear. It could happen by the end of summer.

The local Big O Tires told me that their bias ply trailer tires get maybe 5K miles, and the radials I bought are expected to be good for 20K or more. I went in asking for radials, and the salesman asked to make sure I wasn't wasting money on long-life tires for a boat trailer that doesn't get a lot of use. I think they are trustworthy, I have been buying tires there for a long time.