exploding trailer tires

[LoneCowboy]

Ohhh, it's been a joy of a week.

Driving down the freeway, wife is behind me, I lost her somewhat in traffic but she knows how to get home. She's freaked and says "tire blew up"

what?
This trailer was brand new in 04, it has less than 15,000 miles on it (probably less than 10,000) and i"ve already had to replace one tire. (tear in sidewall, about 2 years ago)

I knew instantly which one, the other day I thought it was rolling funny when I was turning, but finally checked the air, looked fine, and wrote it off to visual effects.

Sure enough, that tire EXPLODED. didn't go flat, completely let go (with the tractor on it of course, thank god for tandem axles). The wife went off on the shoulder and drove slowly down to the next exit (we're not unloading on the side of the freeway). It destroyed the light on that back corner, and beat the paint clean off the metal fender. Rim is ok.

Now i have to replace all 4 tires.
A. I obviously don't trust them.
B. They are some odd size and under loaded (they are 3k tires on a 14k trailer, making it a 12k trailer), new from the factory. (PJ trailers)
C. and the only people who make this size tire is some made in China junk.


I'll be switching sizes and going with some good tires. I'm sure it will not be cheap, I'm really thrilled.

Anyway, don't overload the trailer (i.e. we could still maintain control and drive the trailer with 3 wheels), and if something looks wrong, it probably is.

 

[6sunset6]

You are having a really bad week. I have been there. I hope it's over soon.

 

[Slacker]

I think you need to go to the range and have some fun. tail wheels, radiator hoses and trailer tires all in the same week.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

I'll second trailer trouble. Arrived at a "favor" job only to see front wheel on trailer at a nice angle. Checked it, lug nuts loose and pulled through wheel. Lucky it's a triple axle, pulled it the rest of the way off and the opposite wheel same axle. After checking apperantly triple axles put extreme stress on first and third axle and all the nuts not tight enough. They were tightened with an impact. New maintenance schedule. Then received a call at work that my daughter heard a noise down by the trailer, had my FIL go look. One of the two tires left on one side was flat. 17K on 1 rim and 1 tire. I hope it holds till I get home!!! Robbie

 

[workinallthetime]

interesting to know about the PJ brand i was looking at a pj dump trailer, that tire thing could be a deal breaker.

 

[john_bud]

I have had better luck with LT tires on trailers than marked "trailer" tires. It's pretty common for trailer tires to shred like that. But car and truck tires typically don't have that issue.

Come to think of it, my 12k trailer has "trailer" tires on it and 6 years of service covering 20k miles. Uh-oh... Better check them again!

jb

 

[JoeinTX]

I'd never been around a tire that litterally exploded until earlier this week....flats, blow outs yeah.

I was driving down the interstate following along and somewhat behind a mobile home being towed by a truck when one of its tires blew up. The sound was more than I would have expected from one of these tires.....as I jerked the wheel involuntarily and had to recompose myself. Chunks of insulation, press-board and siding shot of in all directions as well.

I don't generally startle that easy, but, a disintegrating tire has an alarming ring to it....

 

[Bird]

Joe, those mobile home tires run considerably higher air pressure than most similar sized tires on trailers, so they're a little louder when they burst.

 

[DieselPower]

Yeah, probably medium duty tires running at 120 PSI. That alway's makes for a nice BOOM!

One thing I do when replacing my trailer tires is to alway's upgrade their load rating if possible. It never hurts to have a little heavier tire.

 

[rback33]

I'd never been around a tire that litterally exploded until earlier this week....flats, blow outs yeah.

I was driving down the interstate following along and somewhat behind a mobile home being towed by a truck when one of its tires blew up. The sound was more than I would have expected from one of these tires.....as I jerked the wheel involuntarily and had to recompose myself. Chunks of insulation, press-board and siding shot of in all directions as well.

I don't generally startle that easy, but, a disintegrating tire has an alarming ring to it....

Years back I as driving a Case 2290 from one field to the other on the farm... 130 HP, 2WD Ag Tractor.... had the grapple bucket on I think.... rocking a long in rd gear...~ 20 MPH.... when BLAM.. sounds like a bomb went off and the wind shield is pelted with stuff.... right front tire had blown.... stepped on the clutch and brought'er to a halt... of course I was only about 3/4 a mile from my destination.... hr or so and she was back running... used the loader to pick the front end of the ground... always had a spare tire/wheel mounted and ready for that tractor anyway... Scary thing was that 5 minutes before that.. my feet were in the window kicked back relaxing going down the rd not on the floor where i could get to the clutch fast.

 

[Bird]

Yeah, probably medium duty tires running at 120 PSI. That alway's makes for a nice BOOM!

One thing I do when replacing my trailer tires is to alway's upgrade their load rating if possible. It never hurts to have a little heavier tire.

I'm sure you know what you're doing and how far to go, but for anyone who isn't aware of the possibilities . . . you can go to a "little heavier tire" as stated above, but not too much heavier because heavier tires usually call for higher air pressure. The original wheels are rated for a maximum load and air pressure, so if you go too much heavier tire, the wheel may not be able to stand the increase in air pressure.

Way back in 1972, an uncle put 8 ply tires on his '69 half ton Chevy, with 50 psi air pressure, to haul a slide-in pickup camper on a trip to Alaska with us. One of the wheels (rim) split.

 

[john_bud]

Bird,


That is an excellent point. Most of us aren't too aware of the limitation rims have for load and pressure.

 

[SkyPup]

Just another good reason why I never follow to closely behind any trailer on my motorcycles!

 

[Jimbrown]

I will bet it has the same worthless made who knows where trailer tires that came on my new horse trailer ST 235-85-16 LRE I already ruied two in less than 500 miles. I am going to Lt 235-80-16 LRE The place I buy most of my tires does not even sell ST tires except to people who just demand them. I never had any luck with them. There is a reason those suckers are not rated for drive and steering wheels....because they don't meet DOT specs.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I will bet it has the same worthless made who knows where trailer tires that came on my new horse trailer ST 235-85-16 LRE I already ruied two in less than 500 miles. I am going to Lt 235-80-16 LRE The place I buy most of my tires does not even sell ST tires except to people who just demand them. I never had any luck with them. There is a reason those suckers are not rated for drive and steering wheels....because they don't meet DOT specs.

that's the size all right (235/85/16) by Nanking, nobody else makes that size.
they are all gone now.
Piece of junk tires, ended up replacing all 4 with different brand and different size in load range E (which is what they should have been to begin with)

 

[RavensRoost]

Carlisle make a ST235/85R16 in their radial ST line in 3 flavors: Load Range D, E, and F. Have a look:
Carlisle Tire & Wheel Company

RavensRoost

 

[Farmwithjunk]

#1 cause of trailer tire failure is underinflation according to the guy who replaced my underinflated trailer tires year and a half back.

One blew @ 70 MPH while I was between 2 semi's. It threw the load on the other tire on that side. It blew. I managed to hold everything straight and slow up for a few seconds while the semis drove off. Then it was 3 lanes wide and total panic. Tires had MAYBE 20,000miles.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM,flap-flap-flap-flapBOOOOOOOOOOM wobble wobble wobble, stop, exhale, rip wallet apart.

 

[rback33]

BOOOOOOOOOOOM,flap-flap-flap-flapBOOOOOOOOOOM wobble wobble wobble, stop, exhale, rip wallet apart.

LMAO Now THAT was funny, but oh so true.... you guys keep scaring me though.... those are the same tires on MY horse trailer.... one blew last year and has been replaced, but the other 3 "look" ok. I keep my spare handy and inflated... makes me nervous though since the wifey is driving herself three hours to the show this on Friday.. there will be enough women and tools to get it done if need be... I'll have to remind her how to call the Highway Patrol if she need assistance.... I will drive my car up on Sat. to handle any issues and driving home alone so all she has to do is GET there...If her daily driver didn't need tires too, I'd work on replacing them, but you have to have priorities...

 

[Jimbrown]

In my experience most trailer tires blow becuse of old age. If they are more than 6 years old they are just grenades with the pin pulled. But having to pull 15 miles of dirt just to get to the pavement mine never live that long anyway.

 

[Bird]

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've never "blown" a tire on a trailer. At one gas stop in Canada, in 1972, I noticed a low tire on the travel trailer, and had the nail removed and the tire patched. In 1990, we stopped for lunch at a big truck stop with a big parking lot in Montana on our way to Alaska. We had the 5th wheel, my brother and his wife, son, and mother-in-law were pulling a 5th wheel, an aunt and uncle were driving a class C motorhome, and my parents were driving just a half ton pickup. While we were stopped, we noticed the water pump was leaking on my uncle's motorhome, so he and Dad went to town in the pickup to get a new one while my brother and I removed the water pump from the motorhome. Before they got back, we noticed a Chevy Suburban pull into the lot towing a fair sized tandem axle horse trailer with the right rear tire flat. They went inside, then came to talk to us. The lady said her husband had had one heart attack and she didn't want him to try to change the tire, but the truck stop's only mechanic had gone after parts and wasn't expected back for quite some time, so she wanted to know if she could hire us to change the tire. Naturally, we told her, nope, she couldn't hire us but that we'd change the tire for her for nothing if she'd pull it up beside my trailer (I had a generator in the RV and I had an electric half inch impact). So we changed their tire. The flat had beat the fender enough to bend it up pretty bad, but the lights still worked. And instead of horses, they had the trailer loaded with supplies they were taking to the dude ranch they ran. Those supplies included a few cases of wine, several bottles of which had been broken by the vibration from running on a flat. So they straightened up their cargo and insisted on giving us a couple of bottles of some mighty good wine. In 1995, my brother and I were on our way from Texas to Ellensburg, WA, with my little 5' x 10' trailer with tires that "looked" good, but all the tread (and I do mean ALL) all the way around came off the left trailer tire about 40 miles this side of Pendleton, OR. I did not have a spare, but we made it all the way into Pendleton without that tire going flat. Of course, I did have to use a big hammer on the fender to straighten the damage done when the tread turned loose.