trailer tire pressure

[Soundguy]

Here's a PDF from Carlisle. At the end there's a chart showing how much weight a tire can handle at a given pressure. They say always inflate the tire to the maximum pressure but like I said earlier I don't like keeping trailer tires inflated that high. I could be wrong but I think the extra force of the pressure in the tire while sitting is not a good thing (unless trailer is loaded).

http://www.carlisletire.com/product_care/trailer_tire_service_guide.pdf

nice link, thanks


soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto.

same here


soundguy

 

[Bird]

#1 failure on a trailer tire is due to underinflation. No less than 80% of the rated sidewall pressure, ever.

I know that no less than 80% was the recommendation of B.F. Goodrich and Uniroyal in 1990-91. GM put some Uniroyals on 3/4 ton pickups and Suburbans that developed bubbles where the rubber and cord was separating. They did allow us to warranty the tires, but said it was because the GM manuals and door sticker showed less than the 80%. If I remember right the sidewalls showed 80 psi and the door stickers showed 54 psi.

How do you lose a tread on a trailer tire? Were these recaps?

I've only had that happen once. and the tires were not recaps, nor were they underinflated. Early in 1995, I bought a 5' x 10' tilt bed trailer with a single 3,500 lb. axle. I bought it from an individual who said he bought it new to move from Dallas down in the country and no longer needed it. It looked almost new, and the tires had lots of tread, but were probably several years old. My brother and I were going from Denton, TX, to Ellensburg, WA, to get some of his mother-in-law's property out of storage over the Memorial Day weekend. The trailer was empty except for 3 or 4 sheets of plywood and some 1 x 2 boards I had cut to just screw them together to make 4' high sideboards when we loaded the trailer. And thirty-eight miles east of Pendleton, OR, the left trailer tire threw every bit of its tread and bent the fender; however, it was still holding air and we drove on into Pendleton only to find the only tires available there on a holiday Sunday meant I had to buy two tires and wheels from the Bi-Mart for $140. They had the two already mounted on wheels that fit my trailer. Under the circumstances I considered it a bargain.:laughing: The treadless tire was still holding air, but the next day it had finally gone flat. Of course we put both new tires and wheels on the trailer and had the one old tire for a spare.

 

[Soundguy]

i had 1 out of a set of tires on a ford f250 recently delaminate, leaving a 'peeled orange' looking tire and a casing laying all around it and wrapped up under the under carriage.. bent some sheet metal and supports.. wasn't a happy camper that day..

soundguy

 

[RollTideRam]

With max air pressure you have less rolling resistance, which makes the trailer pull easier and gives you better milage.

 

[radioman]

Here's a PDF from Carlisle. At the end there's a chart showing how much weight a tire can handle at a given pressure. They say always inflate the tire to the maximum pressure but like I said earlier I don't like keeping trailer tires inflated that high. I could be wrong but I think the extra force of the pressure in the tire while sitting is not a good thing (unless trailer is loaded).

http://www.carlisletire.com/product_care/trailer_tire_service_guide.pdf

hmm- so nearly all tires needs to be 50lbs as per the chart for at or neat max weight capabilty. If it class d or e, yeah it goes higher, but the point is is regardless of getting down on your knees and read the sidewalls to see if it class D/E or not. Then you should inflate it to a MINIMUM of 50lbs for best tire life. trailers is designed to be used empty and loaded. who actually goes around and deflate tires just for empty weight and inflate prior to loading?
As far I am concerned as per the chart- inflate it to 50 give or take a few lbs. 50 is the magic number unless you have higher rated tire. simply put. :thumbsup:

 

[Turbys_1700]

I am the world's expert on trailer tires and blow-outs...
Never had an issue until I traded for my 5th wheel camper...
Here is what I can tell you based on my experience...

Run max pressures...
Keep tires covered due to sun deterioration when kept outside...
Most manufacturers recommend changing out the tires on 5 year schedules...

Here is an observation and it is just that...

ST tires are rated to 65 MPH max speed...
I think that in most instances on heavy equipment trailers typical speeds are much slower...
Those slower speeds such as 45 to 50 MPH lends to good service from ST tires...
For example, my dad has a dual axle 5900# trailer that has the original 15" tires on it...
They are 14 years old...
ST tires utilized on 5th wheel campers are typically pulled close to that 65 MPH max speed rating...
That, coupled with high summer time temperatures, lend those tires to be problematic at best...
Many 5th wheel owners go with LT truck tires if they have 6,000# axles...
They tend to give better service in that particular application...
My camper utilizes ST 225 15's so I can't change to an LT equivalent...
My next 5th wheel camper will utilize 6,000# axles so that I can switch out to LT 16" tires...
Take this info. for what it's worth...
I've changed out enough of those dad-blammed 15" ST tires to know...
I could probably work for a pit crew in NASCAR...

 

[roamerr]

I have an RV and I always check the trailer tire pressure and inflate to max before every trip. Go to RV.net and the stories of blown tires are often and can destroy an RV.

Note that I attribute the blow-outs to cheap Chinese tires and the sorry standards that ST tires offer. My tires are LT's and I have never seen a thread of LT tires less than 5 yrs old blowing out.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am in the trailer business and maintain about 75 trailers. Utility trailers, boat trailers, campers, 5th wheels, and GN trailers.

There is a common issue I see with failed trailer tires. First off is under inflation.

Behind that its Carlisle and Goodyear Marathons are pure junk. I have never seen a set that has not failed in one way or another.

About 10 years ago we discovered the Chinese Tires. They are much better in my opinion. Our failure rate has been zero, yes zero, in the last 6 years or so. We do keep a eye on pressure and inflate to max before any pulling.

Best brands and the only ones we will use are:

GreenBall Towmasters.
Maxxis
Hercules
And a few others but these three gives us the best results.

This is will over 20,000 miles a year with me and my customers towing. Again, not one single issue.

We also will not deal with Bias Tires. Radials only. No Mobil Home style either. Not worth the hassle. Neither will be hitched to any of my trucks.

Chris

 

[Bird]

I think Goodyear used to make good tires. I've used them on my personal vehicles and on police sedans many years ago, but my last experience with Goodyear was on August 22, 1990, when I bought 5 of the Marathons (load range D) in Elkhart, IN, for our fifth-wheel. I believe the Marathon was the first radial ST tire. I'm not sure how many miles we put on those tires, but we went from Elkhart to Princeton, WV, to Dallas, TX, to Madill, OK, to Port Aransas, TX, back to Dallas, back to Port Aransas, back to Dallas, to Anchorage, AK, to Las Vegas where we traded the truck and trailer for a motorhome.:laughing: The Marathons had been on there about 13 months with no trouble at all, and the new, unused spare was still on the spare rack. Of course what they are making now could be considerably different from what they were making 21 years ago.:laughing: