tire lesson

[powerstroke444e]

Well let's start with what I did to save money.
I had a truck that got totaled out and had a set of 235/85/16 10plies on the rearend 4 total that I saved to reuse as all my trailers use that size as do most my trucks.
A little while later 6moths or so I noticed my gooseneck needed new tire but I didn't want to spend 1300 on 14ply goodyears so I put the 10ply tires on it. The difference was only 800 lbs per tire so what the heck saves 1300 dollars and I thought I would be carefull and not over load it.
Well it didn't take long and I was using it way I use to and loading over 20k and I lost tire. Well next trip lost another. Both tires blew on interstate @65+
I broke down this week and purchase the right tires when removing the 2 that were left I noticed they had broken belts and were humped up in the middle.
Moral of the story when I built the trailer it was built for 14ply 3770lbs tires but I was tight aws and ended up I was luck that haven a blow out @ 65 didn't cause a wreck. SOOOO trailer is only is as strong as the weakest link.

The pictures are of the tires that were not blown and looked like new and no dry rot hope you can see the bulg and the stretched rubber in the closeup.
The blown tire as my 5yr old said as I was changing tire "dad that don't look so good"

Enjoy and be safe out there
Fyi 1st post from my phone lol

 

[schmism]

I have to say... towing big weight is hella hard on tires.

I had gone YEARS... (like 5+) without haveing any tire issue, an occational flat in the driveway (easy to fix with a floor jack, impact wrench and plug kit) but i hadnt had to change a tire on the side of the road in YEARS!


6 months ago i bought an E350 van to pull my equipment trailer on the highway (retireing my old 85 C30 1ton dump) THe only real issue was a mix bag of hogpog tires on it. 3rd or so trip between the 2 properties the pass rear tire threw the tread after a short period of progressively worse vibration at the rear of the van. (tire did not blow) put the spare on on the side of the road.

After looking for a spare replacement, i noticed that the PO had moved to smaller tires 225 vs 245. Wanting full size tires on the van, i started shopping for a set of 5 tires. CL is your friend.

I found some used $20 each for 2 matching sets and a spare. 245/75/16 E

Had them mounted and balanced for free as i gave the guy the other 4 tires in trade.

well 4 months later and about a 15 trips back and forth later, i notice the rear end is getting REALLY bumpy....(again) so i pull over in a rest stop and check.

shure enough pass side rear tire is growing a bulge (broken belts) I pull it off at the rest stop and put the spare on.

3 weeks pass and time for another trip to the other property. mind you i havnt gotten around to getting another spare yet, but you know what are the odds im going to need it YET AGAIN!..... :ashamed: yep you guessed it

20 miles outside of springfield IL (halfway between the 2 properties) the front end is vibrating like crazy again... gawd not this AGAIN! i pull over in a rest stop and check... shure enough a bulge is forming this time pass side front.

make a few calls and decide best place is going to be sams in springfield. 20 min later we roll into the parking lot for 2 new goodyears. Only tire they carry in the store in my size/load range.

Short story... dont skimp on the tires for the tow vehical/trailer especially when your talking big weight tires. :thumbsup:

 

[JESSE1]

I recently replaced all eight tires on my dual tandem gooseneck. They were only 5 years old but had started developing hairline cracks on the sidewalls. Since I had several long trips planned I wasn't going to chance a blowout, especially with the high daytime temps we're having. I replaced them with BF Goodrich TA Commercial 235/85R16 tires. I'm also covering them up with tarps while the trailer's parked. Tire dealer said UV rays are what kill the tires.

 

[ModMech]

Trailer tires and vehicle tires are not the same thing, there are construction differences that even I do not fully understand, but they matter.

Getting the right tool for the job is almost always less costly than a "make-do" tool. Glad everything worked out for you in the end.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Do what you guys want but putting some junk used tires, anything over 5 years old is junk in my eyes, is asking for trouble...

There are places I like to save money. Changing my own oil is one of them and washing the truck in the drive versus the car wash is another. There is no way in HE!1 I am am going to skimp on tires and brakes.

Chris

 

[ultrarunner]

Never hear much about Michelin tires in any discussion...

I have never had a Michelin failure and wondering why more people don't use them.

United Parcel Service business is delivering the goods... all the UPS trucks here use Michelin tires and so do the high end motor homes...

 

[crazyal]

Trailer tires run at a lot higher pressure than car tires. The sidewalls are also different because when turning sharp on a trailer double axle trailers exert a lot of force onto the sidewall. If you were well under the weight rating of the tire you may have been OK but the key word is "may". I run truck tires on my single axle boat trailer with tubes in them (because the galvy wheels always leak) but the total weight is maybe 2000lbs and never really changes. A trailer with 20k on it, no thank you, I just don't like sitting on the side of the road.

BTW they say if you blow out a tire on a loaded trailer you should change all the tires on that side.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Never hear much about Michelin tires in any discussion...

I have never had a Michelin failure and wondering why more people don't use them.

United Parcel Service business is delivering the goods... all the UPS trucks here use Michelin tires and so do the high end motor homes...

I have had 2 sets of Michelin's and no luck. First was on a Volvo. Hit a small pot hole and blow out. I figured it was just because it was a heavy car and low profile tires so I just bought the cheapest tires on the market to replace them. Never had another blow out. Then went to Dunlop and not issues. Last set on the car before it got totaled was Kumho and no issues either.

Had a Mercury Milan. Same story. Wife blew a tire out when it had not even gone though a tank of gas. Literally in the first 300 miles. I ordered a replacement and she blew another. We put on Coopers and no problems.

I agree the Michilen's give a good ride and are quite but at a cost. Very soft compared to others. I know it has a lot on where you live. We live in the sticks with crappy roads.

Chris

 

[Renze]

I agree the Michilen's give a good ride and are quite but at a cost. Very soft compared to others. I know it has a lot on where you live. We live in the sticks with crappy roads.

Exactly my thoughts. Michelin tires may be twice as expensive and last triple as long, but if you hit a kerb, pothole or anything else, a punctured Michelin is worth as much as a punctured Vietnamese tire. Mostly i needed to replace tires because of ply breaks or punctures, uneven wear because of a worn steering ball, than because of sheer mileage.

 

[ultrarunner]

Exactly my thoughts. Michelin tires may be twice as expensive and last triple as long, but if you hit a kerb, pothole or anything else, a punctured Michelin is worth as much as a punctured Vietnamese tire. Mostly i needed to replace tires because of ply breaks or punctures, uneven wear because of a worn steering ball, than because of sheer mileage.

I never realized Vietnam made tires till I needed some for one of my Old Cars... Vietnam is the sole source now for these tires...