Tires

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
Well...first I got a real piece of crap twin axle trailer when we bought our 270. It is rated for 10000 lbs and I'm sure I'm right there or close. So, I re did the calipers when we first got it, pads, bearins packed, new reservoir and back up seloinoid....that still does not work still.....had d rated new tires on it which did not last for zip. Did figure out one bearing had disenegrated so I put new bearing s and races in all the hubs. So, my tires were worn all funny...thinking with new bearings, cylinders all rebuilt time for new tires- my son in law had some e rated tires he had swapped out on his trailer- they looked new so happily put them on. Lost one, tread completely came off like a long tounge....today, lost another on a short local trip. Now, had gone to down town ramp, very hard with this boat and rubbed the sidwall on a curb- tire looks like the sidewall split and then tread came apart- what does it take to damage the tire and have it come apart. Aren't trailer tires extra tough?
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
49,038
Why don't you weigh the rig to see if it's overloaded since you think it's close the rating.

Tossing treads and wearing out prematurely sounds like it's overloaded, the frame is tweaked or the axles are skewed. What are you using for air pressure.?

Don't hit curbs! Most tire problems are user induced, not that i'm saying you are an inducer. :smile:
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
LookIng new isn’t a criteria I would use. How old are the tires?
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,581
son in law had some e rated tires he had swapped out on his trailer- they looked new so happily put them on. Lost one, tread completely came off like a long tounge...

LookIng new isn’t a criteria I would use. How old are the tires?

Yep, old tires, rubber has a shelf life
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
I was thinking age, I know there is a date code and will look at that. Dry weight of the boat I recall is around 7600 lbs. Also, as I recall, the only d rated tire I lost was a trip when I went over a curb. Keep in mind here I never have "hit" a curb at any speed. If a turn is too tight I slowly pull the boat over that curb...there were a couple of turns this weekend, one I went over the curb and one I scraffed the side wall. Can I assume I'm better to go over the curb than rub the side wall? My d rated tires wore on the inner and outer but mainly to the inner tread. I attributed that wear to shot bearings. Heck, the best of those tires I've used for a spare 2x with the failure of these new e rated. The first came apart after less than 20 miles and the second with around 40? You can see a side wall split but hard to tell what happened... 70 is the highest pressure I can get . Check that on the way out and they were 60 and that was my first stop. I brought the boat home 500 miles on badly worn, cracked tires that were D's that looked like would not make it to the end of the street!
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,581
I would rather go over a curb then rub the side wall, but over the years I've done both. Unless there is something sharp, even the side wall should be able to take a rub
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
Without knowing the date of manufactured of all the tires, you could be using really old tires that look new or good. Why not go and buy NEW tires and see what happens? JMHO!
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,300
what is the date code

what brand of tires

most china tires only last a few years (many are weather checked in the ISO container on the way over)
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
I will get the info tonight.....I would guess also if the tires he gave me came on the new boat purchased, they could have been sitting around for some time.....I was talking to my daughter this am on the way to work...they bought a 5th wheel used and headed to GA with it and lost 3 tires on the way up from Orlando....maybe he is really tough on tires and they were "damaged" before I got them. I am going to replace them-but- I bought 4 d rated tires when I first bought the boat and the wore out quickly- but, maybe they were just cheap tires......more research needed I'm sure....
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
so, a tire that is "old" sitting on the shelf, what are we talking about time wize to stay away from?
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,581
10K GVWR tandem axle trailer, and don't know what size the tires are. I think you have a Rinker 270 and if correct your at 7300 dry so maybe 8K full load. If close then the trailer is at max

Assuming 10% of the weight is carried by the tow so max 1K with weight distribution hitch. The 9K left would be 2250 per tire. Load index 109 min (2271) to 113 (2535) lbs. For a 15 inch load range D (8 ply 205) shows 2150 and for a E (10 ply 225) 2830 lbs. If 16 inch tires the weight can increase.

Think you need a tri-axle
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
I bought a brand new pontoon & trailer a few years ago about mid summer. When getting the rig ready in the spring I noticed one of the tires showed cracking down the grooves. Looked at the other one and it too was bad. Checked the date code and the tires were several years old before they touched the road. Took them to the dealer and they replaced them. Since then I will not buy a tire for anything if the date code is more than six months old.
 

wahlejim

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
Messages
884
Step 1: Get the trailer weighed at a truck scale.
Step 2: Bring the rims to a reputable tire shop and ask them for recommendations.

At work, I have 6 tandem axle trailers that I am responsible for, on top of my 2 boat trailers. I used to burn through tires like no other. After looking at my expenses, I took all of my info to the good year dealer up the road. Low and behold, they have trailer tires and experience, as well as warranties. I am all for saving money when it makes sense, but I know I can bring rims and old tires to them, they can mount new ones and balance the rims (which I do on all of my trailers, we can have that debate some other time), since I have done that, tires are lasting much longer and my expense is down in the long run. If I was going through tires at the rate you describe, which I was at one point in the name of saving some money, that would be my next step. I can get a trailer done for about $750 and it lasts me 3 1/2 to 4 years. I don't think less than $200 per year for good tires is unreasonable when towing a boat.
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
...can't add much. My C 14" tires are at 86% capacity. They only get 212 mi/yr. One trip to our river place, and a return trip. You can't tell the axle tires from the spare. Little wear.

Last spring one kept going flat so I took it to Tandem for a repair. No go. It was badly checked in the tread grooves, so I replaced it. Likely another one soon since it's the same age, now on the spare bracket. Age seems to take out trailer tires. My trailer lives outdoors 100%. I've seen those tire booties that keep the sun off, but haven't bothered. Two 14's in over 10 yrs won't break me.
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
So, my tires are st225/75R15's . So does that mean I could go to 16 " tires and not have to buy a new trailer? Tried axle would be sweet but way further than new tires and wheels..I know the math is close/borderline but that is what math is for?
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Just because you up the tire load capacity does not mean the springs and axle can handle the weight. For all you know the axles and springs have already been compromised. Axle, spring, spindle, tires, and frame all play a part in what weight a trailer can handle. And just so you know, if you look at the sticker on the trailer you will see two numbers: One says LOAD CAPACITY: That's the "load" capacity of the trailer. The more important number is the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) which is the total weight of the trailer, boat, and everything in or on it. Just adding bigger tires doesn't increase this number.
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
got ya....I will look...I do recalling seeing the gvwr being 10000 lbs. I was doing some research this am as it really bugs me the d ties never separated but wore badly on both the inner and outer tread which would suggest under inflation. I was reading on boat us in calculating these weights, the above math that dodge did (thank you very much!) would assume it is a single axle trailer- boat us says if it tandem, reduce the load by 12% in the calculation as the two single axle tires would carry 100% of the weight vs. the tandem which is now over 2 axles. I believe my axles are 6000# now that I think about it. Also, I checked the date code on the tire that just came apart- 14 years old but looks like new! If I were starting from scratch I would go with a heavier trailer- if I can safely make this one work I will have to do that.
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,581
Going to 16 will allow the tire to handle more weight, but would need to know if a 16 would fit. The 235/85R16 load E is 31.6 high and an inch wider, and rated at 3640 lb. The 235/75R15 load E is 28.4 high. They both will fit 6 to 7 inch wide rim

So far the 15-E should work fine if properly inflated IMO
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
Yes, I agree the 416 would be the way to go...and as I said I found a 16E with 6 lug ( most are 8) and the same bolt hole circle but did not have a lot of time to look into that.....I'm going to go with the 15e's for now. I recall when I bought the new d tires, I did not pay attention until they were badly worn and when I checked the air, were only at 30 psi- those tire places must have their machines pre set and they did not check what they were doing- my fault I should have. We will see! My son in law said he just bought those tires two years ago and still has the receipt- I'm going to check the other two. Maybe he can get some money back on them, there should be laws on how old a tire can be sold. 11/05 was the date on the one...
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
Watch your fender clearance. Those larger tires will get closer, and may contact with spring jounce. Also your brakes will be less effective.

Also as mentioned above, if the trailer is close to limit, or has been overloaded before, (severe bouncing, etc) the axle camber may be slightly negative. This would cause wear on the inside of the tread. The only accurate way to check is on an alignment rack. But you can get a rough idea by parking the loaded trailer on a dead level slab and checking plumb with a good carpenters level.

Camber.gifCamber-is-a-built-in-bend-in-the-axle.png
 
Top