bad tire wear

[4poco]

Hi all, have a question that i need help on.<br />ok, here goes.... my trailer tires are wearing really strange, one is worn on the outside only, other side is the inside only. I will post pict soon But any ideas on what would cause this? Its a single axle trailer with load star tires. It is a new trailer and the boat is a 17.5 ft. seems to pull staight as far as i can tell. any ideas would be greatly app.

 

[Pony]

Re: bad tire wear

When tires wear un evenly like that it is usually due to improper inflation of the tire. I'm pretty sure the tire with the wear on the outside of the tread was underinflated, and the one wearing on the inside only was overinflated. I'm sure someone can back me up on that.....<br /><br />What was the pressure in the tires when you noticed the problem?

 

[craze1cars]

Re: bad tire wear

If by inside wear you mean the side facing the keel, and outside wear you mean the side facing the hub, then I don't think tire pressure would be the problem. That is, indeed, a very strange situation. 3 possibilities come to mind:<br /><br />1. Have you owned these tires since they were new? If no, then you really have no idea how they are wearing. They may have been 2 used tires off the left side of an overloaded tandem, for instance. That would explain the one-sided wear. And now they need to be replaced anyway, so start over and see how the new ones start to wear, if at all. Also...are both tires the same size and brand/model? If they're a mismatch, this would easily cause the prob.<br /><br />2. A broken spring or excessive weight on the side with the outside wear. Is the boat sitting level and centered? If all the weight is on one side, I can see this possibly happening.<br /><br />3. Bent axle, or axle not mounted square to the frame. Confirm mounting squareness with a tapemeasure and two angular measurements...one from the left rear corner of the trailer frame to the right side of the exle, another from the right rear corner of the trailer frame to the same spot on the let side of the axle. I'd say any variation of more than about 1/4 inch from one side to the other needs adjustment.<br /><br />These are just ideas....that's an odd one. I'm really leaning toward #1, but only you can tell us whether you've owned these tires since new. Good luck!

 

[4poco]

Re: bad tire wear

yes trailer tires were new, i just bought this in april, new boat,trailer.<br />When i noticed wear, tires were under inflated.<br />I will check the axle today for square...<br />seems very odd to me how tires are wearing. will post results when i measure, need to find the problem, gotta be a reason ,right?<br />Boat does sit on trailer straight, did load up boat with camping gear and made a long trip to montana, about a 500 mile trip this summer before i noticed tire wear, could it be a combination of under inflation,to much weight in boat?<br />anyway, thanks for help and will post later today with any results i may find.......

 

[Mark42]

Re: bad tire wear

Check axle for square, and drive behind your boat while someone else tows it. Watch to see if it is off center or wandering. Both indicate axle issues.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: bad tire wear

A trailer axle that is not square with the frame will cause a trailer to "dog-track" but may or may not cause tire wear. Look at most semi-trailers as you travel the hiways -- they dog track slightly to the right and it does not cause tire wear as the wheels are still pointed straight ahead. With the trailer parked on level ground, stand about 30 feet in back of the trailer and look carefully at the attitude of the wheels. If the wheels appear to be tilted outward at the bottom, the trailer is either overloaded or the axle is bent. Look at the axle at its center. If its bowed up very slightly it is a cambered axle and that's normal. If its bowed downward, its bent. If its straitits an uncambered axle and the wheels may take a slight outward tilt at the bottom. This would cause wear on the inner part of the tread (the side near the frame). It may be that the axle "U"-bolts may be loose allowing the axle to shift during travel which would cause side to side movement and wear. If both wheels don't have the same stance, I suspect you have a defective axle -- meaning the spindles were not aligned to the axle properly when welded. Another check is to measure very carefully the distance between the tires at the front (measure at the centerline) and then repeat the measurement at the back -- again at the centerline. The front measurement should be slightly less than the back (front towed in). If they are towed out, that would again cause inside tire wear. What you can't measure accurately is the tow in or out relative to an individual spindle and the axle. You may have one spindle towed out and the other towed in, again which points to a defective axle. The only way to check it is to remove it, remove the hubs, place it on a perfectly flat surface and then take measurements.

 

[4poco]

Re: bad tire wear

Thanks for all replys, you guys are great!! <br />Did measure axle, there is alittle diff. 1/4 in<br />I will set axle straight, ubolt were not tight from factory. with the combination of axle not straight and under inflated tires,overloaded boat and appox. 800 miles later,has pretty much caused all this, will get it right this sping and new tires. Thanks again for helping me out here..

 

[brine]

Re: bad tire wear

Another explanation is that you may have a bad batch of tires that are wearing according to softer rubber on one side of the tire. Or shifting belt issues. If you can , post a picture of the wear. Are they radials or bias ply?

 

[jeff_nicholas]

Re: bad tire wear

It's been my experience that sometimes trailer tires just do that (wear irregularly). I'd rotate them to get the best mileage out of the pair, and try a different brand next time.<br /><br /> http://www.geocities.com/jeff_nicholas/Trailer_Tires/Trailer-Tires.html

 

[CN Spots]

Re: bad tire wear

Take your trailer tires off and pull a tape measure from the tip if the axle to a fixed point on the tonge. Do the same for the other side. If the measurement is the same your axle is true, if it's not, you've got bigger problems than your tires. I suspect the latter. If only one side of one tire was worn I would check for a bent axle but the way you describe it, it sounds like the axle is not straight. <br /><br />spots