PM for a 500 Mile Round Trip

[john_bud]

Originally Posted by Iplayfarmer

Any recollection what the concern on retreads was? Anyone else care to chime in on this one?

I don't have brakes, and I'm not going to be able to get them before the trip. Up until about two years ago, I'd never pulled a trailer with brakes. I believe in brakes now, but I still have a lot of experience planning ahead and leaving room to stop.

If your load is 3500 pounds or less, you are probably ok without brakes, but if you are heavier than that (tractor, implements + trailer) you are probably not legal without brakes. You'd have to check with the state DOT to tell for sure.

Do you know how to knock off the bearing cap? That cup like deal in the center of the hub. If you take it off and then give the grease fitting a couple full squirts and see grease moving in the hub, you are probably ok without a packing.

jb

[Bird]

Originally Posted by crbr

Take notice on any interstate highway with OTR tractor/trailer rigs. You'll see retreads scatered all over the road every so often. They don't care so much with additional wheels per axle.

Personally, I'd never run a retread. They are just not safe for my preferences when I look at all of the road gators. They come apart for some reason (heat, load, less than standard mfg. quality, etc).

That's a common misconception, but actually the vast majority of the tractor/trailer tire pieces you see on the highways are not from retreads, but are original tires. Of course retreads are like any product; they can be made good or not so good. As far as I know, there's still a prohibition on using retreads on the steering axle of OTR trucks, but not on any other axles. I wouldn't hesitate to use Bandag retreads on a trailer.

[Iplayfarmer]

Originally Posted by Bird

Now I'm really confused. I can't recall every seeing or hearing of a grease zerk on the back side of a hub. On vehicles with hydraulic brakes, I've had people ask if the little bleeder screw was a grease zerk, but I'd really like to see what we're talking about here.

Ask and you shall receive...

Also, I followed John Bud's advice and pumped grease into the zerk. The seal started moving out. That can't be good.

[Iplayfarmer]

Originally Posted by john_bud

If your load is 3500 pounds or less, you are probably ok without brakes, but if you are heavier than that (tractor, implements + trailer) you are probably not legal without brakes. You'd have to check with the state DOT to tell for sure.

Do you know how to knock off the bearing cap? That cup like deal in the center of the hub. If you take it off and then give the grease fitting a couple full squirts and see grease moving in the hub, you are probably ok without a packing.

jb

I figure I'm right at about 3500 pounds. The tractor is not very big.

[Iplayfarmer]

Originally Posted by Bird

That's a common misconception, but actually the vast majority of the tractor/trailer tire pieces you see on the highways are not from retreads, but are original tires. Of course retreads are like any product; they can be made good or not so good. As far as I know, there's still a prohibition on using retreads on the steering axle of OTR trucks, but not on any other axles. I wouldn't hesitate to use Bandag retreads on a trailer.

I know I've had original tires come apart on trailers I've been towing. It's my understanding that all tires have the tread "glued" on after the actual tire is made.

[john_bud]

Originally Posted by Iplayfarmer

Ask and you shall receive...

Also, I followed John Bud's advice and pumped grease into the zerk. The seal started moving out. That can't be good.

It should be ok. Actually, fairly good. The seal moved out because the grease is cold and thick. Just bring the grease gun with a full tube of grease and if any hubs get warm, give a squirt.

I was more concerned about the visible weather checks on the tire in the picture. They look a lot like my little trailer's tires.

If you are only pulling 3500 and the state doesn't have a regulation about mandatory brakes, you should be good to go. But as you know, give yourself 2x the space to stop.

With all this mental prep, you will probably be let down by the boring drive with no burning hubs, blown tires, exploding retreds, etc.

jb

[Iplayfarmer]

Originally Posted by john_bud

I was more concerned about the visible weather checks on the tire in the picture. They look a lot like my little trailer's tires.

You'd be even more concerned about the total lack of tread. I am definately getting new tires.

[SnowRidge]

I'm not sure where the 3500 lbs comes from in this thread. It's a common axle rating, so I suppose that may be it, but the common brake requirement is 3000 lbs, not 3500.

Boat/US has a fairly up to date web page with trailer brake requirements.

[Bird]

Ask and you shall receive...

I know there's a lot of things in this old world I haven't seen yet, but that sure a new one to me. And I thought I'd seen about every kind of trailer hub and axle there is.

I've had original tires come apart on trailers I've been towing.

May 28, 1995, enroute from Denton, TX, to Ellensburg, WA, with my 5' x 10' tiltbed trailer to pick up some things to bring back, all the tread, all the way around. came off the left tire 38 miles east of Pendleton, OR, and I had no spare. And that was a good looking tire with good tread and properly inflated. Surprisingly, it still held air and we made it into Pendleton. Being a Sunday morning before Labor Day, the only thing open was a Bi-Mart (membership deal like Costco), but they had two new tires already mounted on new wheels and took pity on us and sold them both to me for $140 even though we didn't have a membership. So I then had a spare that was never again ever needed.

[zionview]

Under general condition of the trailer, check the welds on the trailer, too. My BIL dropped his trailer off for me to fix after pre-tripping it and finding 2 cracked welds. I fixed those 2 and found one more.