Cheap Trailer Tires?

[kneedeep]

With all the post about the "Cheap New Tires" that all trailer builders are putting on equipment, why not buy good LT 10 Ply yourself and have them mounted/balances on the new rims at your expense?
I am sure a trailer dealer would deduct at least the cost of a new spare ($125) X 4 and sell you a trailer 'Tireless' without a wheel/tire warranty.

Most new trailer service tires are about $100 on line and I am sure dealers pay less for bulk sales. I would be OK with a $75 deduct for tires and furnish my own.
Good rims are about $40-$50 and lug nuts are about a buck each.

When I buy, Good LT tires on their rim or mine, doesn't matter which, is the way it will be or no sale.

BTW- looking at Kaufman( BBB rating 'F'- non member), Betterbuilt and Southern trailers, the latter 2 are local to me.

Any thoughts on my plan??

 

[2458n]

Good friend of mine was at a auction yesterday. He is a trailer dealer and keeps several people on the road year around delivering trailers. Frank was frank when he said that switching tires was more of a problem than he wanted to deal with. mount and dismount all took time and then he would end up with four new tires sitting around until the next tire price increases made them a bargain. When I worked at a Ford dealership a cab and chassis could be ordered without a rim and spare. Saved about 150.00. Trucks were always miss ordered and came in with the spares. The customer always ended up ,"paying", but went down the road without the spare thinking they had saved money.

 

[kneedeep]

maybe I should clarify my comments- I am not asking a dealer to do anything other than sell me rims, If it is too much trouble, then sell me a trailer without tires and rims. When I pick it up, he can mount my tires/rims on the trailer.
Most trailer builders only put 2 maypop tires on a trailer in production just to move it around and mount the "new cheap tires after it is finished.
I have been to 3 shops that build trailers and they have stacks of rims, tires and mounted tires for what ever is required.
I DO NOT want cheap tires on my truck, trailer(s), wifes car, lawnmower, tractor, boat trailer or my wheelbarrow!

 

[jeffsw6]

My thoughts are, ask the dealers near you if they can order a trailer for you with good tires. The answer might be yes for all of them. Seems like it would be a bit of hassle for a dealer to get you a trailer with no tires or rims installed. I accidentally forgot to order good tires on my new trailer. I will just use up the factory tires and replace them in a year or two when they wear out. No big deal.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not all trailers come with maypop tires. Mine came with NEW 10 ply 16" tires. I think it all depends on the dealer. He can specify what he wants to save a few bucks so he can advertise a cheaper price. The unsuspecting buyer wont know that the used tires are automotive tires and not good for the axle rating of the trailer. See ad below. I ordered mine with brakes on both axles for $150 more and got it in 2weeks per same delivery schedule as before but customized to my order.

20ft Heavy Duty 20ft Car Hauler 12,000 GVW - $3095 (Porter)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2012-05-23, 9:47AM CDT
Reply to: k9nnh-2974791784@sale.craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


83in x 20ft - 6000lb EZ Lube axles with 1 brake axle - dove tail - 16in tires 10ply rated - comes with spare call 281-354-5600 Generate link codes HTML for websites & blogs (MySpace, eBay, LiveJournal, Craigslist and more) Clickable thumbnails

Full size

 

[JimRB]

I got 4 new tires and rims from the tire and rim dealer an hour from the house. The kind of tire and rim dealer that supplies trailer and mobile home builders with tires and rims. I suspect that most trailer builders buy an assembly consisting of tire mounted on rim from a wholesaler. Having a guy spending time mounting a few assemblies a day is probably not cost effective.

 

[3930dave]

I picked up an older travel trailer a few months back. If it had larger rims, I probably would have gone with a good LT tire myself.

I know somebody who put MANY miles on passenger car tires on a race car hauler, they weren't even LTs. Not what Penske uses, I'm sure, but my buddy didn't have his budget !

As long as you don't haul through a jurisdiction where they are collecting taxes with the " Trailers must have trailer tires on them" game, LTs would be my choice.

Some dealers negotiate their trailer buys with a spare included, then pull the spare off to sell separately. In cases like this, you end up with whatever was in the package deal.

Rgds, D.

 

[clemsonfor]

I bought my trailer and did not pay for the tires or rims. Now they were used car tires on it, if i wanted new tires i would pay for them. but honestly they have lasted many miles and so have the "new" "cheap" tires on my boat trailer. I think its luck of the draw and do you check air pressures etc on your tires.

I also have driven tens of thousands of miles on "cheap" no name brand tires as well, never a problem with any of them. Keep you tires aligned and air pressures in check and you should be fine. Now if you put an undersize tire on you f250 and drive 95mph for thousands of miles on end yea your probably goging to experience a blow out. But i have had 3 sets at least that i can think of in the last 10 years and put over 100k miles that i know of on those 3 sets. I know i have had more than that but i just really dont remember those cars the mileages i put and the tires that i had when?

 

[ultrarunner]

Never a problem with my single axle trailers... tires are near indestructible.

The tandem axles rigs definitely stress tires more when turning.

Followed a guy out of the canyon yesterday... the narrow winding county road has many hairpins and switch backs... could literally see the tires pulled in opposite directions around every corner... been driving the same road with my single axle trailer and I don't even know it's there except for having to swing wide on the turns.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My experience with trailer tires has been there are good brands and bad brands like Carlisle and Goodyear. Greenball, Maxxis, ect are good tires.

As for LT tires if you state requires inspection it may not pass. In my area no tire dealer will put LT tires on trailers anymore. Last set I got I had to take the wheels off and haul them over in my truck and told them it was for my project truck at home.

Chris

 

[ultrarunner]

My experience with trailer tires has been there are good brands and bad brands like Carlisle and Goodyear. Greenball, Maxxis, ect are good tires.

As for LT tires if you state requires inspection it may not pass. In my area no tire dealer will put LT tires on trailers anymore. Last set I got I had to take the wheels off and haul them over in my truck and told them it was for my project truck at home.

Chris

Wonder what they would do if there is no trailer tire made for the wheel size?

 

[lostcause]

Wonder what they would do if there is no trailer tire made for the wheel size?

they make trailer tires in 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 14.5 that i know of. i used a fairly new borrowed trailer last year that had 8 lug wheels, so i wouldn't be surprised if that had 16's on it. i can't believe there is a trailer wheel size that they don't make a tire for.

 

[Diamondpilot]

16" trailer tires are quite common also. Just put 5 new 10plys on last week for a customer.

Chris

 

[ultrarunner]

they make trailer tires in 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 14.5 that i know of. i used a fairly new borrowed trailer last year that had 8 lug wheels, so i wouldn't be surprised if that had 16's on it. i can't believe there is a trailer wheel size that they don't make a tire for.

I'm guessing there might be an exemption...

The size I use is 4.50 x 21 it is also the same as the car so the spare from the car will work for the trailer...

Here's a similar picture of another member's car and trailer with 4.75 x 19 tires.

http://www.mafca.com/gallery/trailerGB.jpg

 

[3930dave]

Where does the TPMS go ?

UR, I was thinking of your earlier comments in this thread, the other day.

These old tires are physically larger than what is used today, and came from an era where belted tires were the norm. I suspect that a great deal of care, attention to detail, and quality went into some of those 40+ y/o tires that you are still running today.

Might just be rose coloured glasses that I'm wearing at the moment..... but if so, the tint is probably pretty light...

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

Where does the TPMS go ?

UR, I was thinking of your earlier comments in this thread, the other day.

These old tires are physically larger than what is used today, and came from an era where belted tires were the norm. I suspect that a great deal of care, attention to detail, and quality went into some of those 40+ y/o tires that you are still running today.

Might just be rose coloured glasses that I'm wearing at the moment..... but if so, the tint is probably pretty light...

Rgds, D.

We definitely made some quality products in the United States... a tribute to those the made and designed the products...

I think I might start a new thread on that topic...

 

[JIGBUILDER]

There are no fed or state regulations stating LT tires cannot be used on a trailer or only ST tires can be used on a trailer. If there was LTL commerce would be shut down.

Dot is interestef in the tires load capacity and tread depth and air pressure. If you have a tire dealer not wanting to mount a LT on a trailer move on down the road to a tire dealer that knows the tire business. Some trailers (all types) come OEM with LT tires or are a upgrade option by the manufacture.

ST tires may work fine for a lawn service trailer that lives its life being pulled around town. However a trailer that lives out on the highway running max HOS at max loads and interstate speeds will best be served by using LT tires.

My last new GN with tripple 6k axles came OEM with 16" ST tires. The dealer allowed 38 bucks a tire and kept the ST tires. I had my truck tire dealer mount 6 BFG Commercial LT235/85-16 E. The trailer has just over 65k miles now and the tires will need to be replaced before next year.

 

[brokenot]

Non-ST tires can be used, but there are restrictions and/or limitations. This is a cut & paste from a trailer manufacturers association website:

QUESTION:
My competitors are providing used tires (as an option) on their trailers. Is this allowable?

ANSWER:
According to Section 571.120 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards), tire Selection and Rims for Motor Vehicles Other than Passenger Cars, each vehicle equipped with pneumatic tires for highway service must be equipped with pneumatic tires that meet the requirements of 571.119, new Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles Other than Passenger Cars. There is one exception. Paragraph S5.1.3 of ｧ571.120 states that in place of tires that meet the requirements of Standard No. 119, a trailer may at the request of the purchaser be equipped at the place of manufacture of the vehicle with retreaded or used tires owned or leased by the purchaser, if the sum of the maximum load ratings meets the requirements of S5.1.2.

So, if your customer brings his used tires to your plant AND the tires are of an acceptable maximum load rating for the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) AND were originally manufactured in compliance with Standard No. 119, you may install them on his new trailer. To cover yourself you should have the customer sign a statement, or release, that he has provided his own tires and the manufacturer is not responsible for them.

QUESTION:
Are passenger rated tires allowed on trailers? We get only ST tires, but I still see many P rated tires on trailers.

ANSWER:
Passenger tires are allowed on trailers; however the individual maximum load capacity of the tire must be reduced 10%. The total adjusted tire capacities on any axle must then be equal to or greater than the GAWR specified on the Certification/VIN label for that axle.

QUESTION:
How do I know I have the sized proper tires on my trailer?

ANSWER:
Look at the VIN / Certification label on the front left side of the trailer. This will have the proper tire size, and inflation pressure, printed on it. You can check this by looking at the Maximum Load Rating stamped on the sidewall of the tire. This load rating (when multiplied by 2 - for the 2 tires on the axle) must be equal to, or greater than, the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) printed on the VIN / Certification label.

So basically, passenger tires are allowed....but the individual maximum load capacity of each tire must be reduced by 10%. Once that "adjusted" load capacity number is arrived at, the total weight carrying capacity must meet or exceed whatever the trailer's ID tag calls out for GAWR, i.e., you can't end up having (for example) 2500 pounds worth of tire weight carrying capacity on an axle that is listed as having a 3500 pound capacity.

Also, trailer VIN tags can vary widely. Some will only list a tire size such as 225 70R15, while others go into more detail and actually add the type, (such as ST), and also include cold inflation psi numbers. Some trailers we've had in the fleet in the past have even gone as far as having the ply rating on the VIN tag. For the sake of avoiding any legal/insurance issues down the road, tires not matching whatever the VIN tag specifies should probably be avoided.

 

[dpankau]

My thoughts are, ask the dealers near you if they can order a trailer for you with good tires. The answer might be yes for all of them. Seems like it would be a bit of hassle for a dealer to get you a trailer with no tires or rims installed. I accidentally forgot to order good tires on my new trailer. I will just use up the factory tires and replace them in a year or two when they wear out. No big deal.

I was in the same exact situation last year, No Joke. I found the best tires for a trailer, IMO are the loadstar brand by kendra ...or kenda... and i don't usually post recommendations, but i found a website last year that i have gone back to many times since, www.recstuff.com , same products as etrailer , half the price.

 

[clemsonfor]

I was in the same exact situation last year, No Joke. I found the best tires for a trailer, IMO are the loadstar brand by kendra ...or kenda... and i don't usually post recommendations, but i found a website last year that i have gone back to many times since, www.recstuff.com , same products as etrailer , half the price.

Wow first post recommending a website...must be real he said I "don't usually post recommendations"!!! Or did someone sense a way to market for free? I thought you had to have so many posts before you can post links?