Balance Trailer Tires

[Diamondpilot]

Wished I'd had them balance now. It was the dealer who said that it wasn't necessary. Maybe he sells more trailer tires that way.:....Too soon old....to late smart.....and I'm running out of time.

Simple fix. Take it back and make them finish the **** job...

Chris

 

[wolfpack2]

I balance all my trailer tires. It helps the tires wear better and prevents them from generating as much heat (bouncing = heat build up = blow out). We all know how marginal the trailer tires are these days and a little extra insurance is worth it. The bubble balancer is better than nothing, but I have mine computer spin balanced. It also reduces the wobble and helps save the bearings. I figure it is a lot cheaper than replacing the bearings on the side of the road.

 

[Bird]

The bubble balancer is better than nothing, but I have mine computer spin balanced.

I grew up working in my Dad's service stations in the days when a bubble balance was all there was. Later, the spin balance machines that spun the tire and wheel ON THE CAR (how many remember those machines?). And then we got the computer spin balance machines. And like most folks, I guess, I prefer the computer spin balance. After all, it's the newest and best, right?

HOWEVER, in Alaska the tire dealerships get very busy twice a year, changing from summer tires to winter (snow) tires in the Fall and then changing back in the Spring. Very few people have a second set of wheels, so it's a matter of changing the tires and balancing the ones being put on the wheels. In 1991, I went to Alaska and worked in my brother's tire dealership in Anchorage. In the shop we had 2 of the latest and greatest computer balancing machines, but we also had 2 enclosed body trucks doing tire work on the road. A lot of people called for appointments for us to send a truck to their home or business to change out their tires. The trucks only had bubble balance machines, so customers were told that IF they felt that a tire was not properly balanced to bring the vehicle to the shop and we'd re-balance the tires on the computer spin balance machine at no cost. In the 4 months I was there, not one single person who had tires bubble balanced wanted them re-done on the computer spin balance.

 

[JIGBUILDER]

Made a living on the road pulling my personel construction company trailers from a 7k enclosed trailer to 4 sometimes 5 other flatdeck trailers up to 21k lbs moving my wheeled equipment/steel and materials to the next jobsite. In all of those years and all those tires on my trailers I never had one tire balanced. Never had any balance issues running empty or loaded.
However I did, and still do, run all LT tires on my trailers.

I just bought another 10k bumper pull car hauler last year with 16" LT tires for my blue tractor. No imbalance problems running empty or loaded even at legal 75 mph on the interstate near me.

 

[Bird]

JIGBUILDER, you may have had tires that were close enough and of course I sure don't care whether you balance your tires or not, on the trailers or on the tow vehicle. But I was recently driving on I-35, doing the legal speed limit of 65 mph at that location when a pickup pulling about a 16' tandem axle trailer passed me. I told me wife to look at the right rear tire on that trailer hopping up and down and I'd bet the driver had no idea that was happening.

 

[Soundguy]

Most places around here do not balance them but I make them do it. I can tell you for a fact my 7K car hauler would shake the crap out of my F-350 when empty. It was fine with a car or tractor on it. One day I was on my way to pick up a car and it was beating me up. I saw a tire store and pulled in and asked them to balance them. $20 later it was smooth as could be empty. Wish I would have done it years ago. Now I always balance.

Chris

same here. most places don't ballance trailer tires here.. but I always ask for it after dragging my empty horse trailer home unballanced one time.. thing jumped all over the road before.. and after.. it was like silk... and that was with me pulling it with my old half ton dodge.. which i didn't like at all. might have been different on my dually.. but it's so cheap.. .. easier to just ballance them and not worry about it.

soundguy

 

[ray66v]

I insisted and was amazed at how much weight it took! I figure it is mostly the cheap trailer rims as my experience is Michelins usually take very little weight on my powered vehicles...

That has not been my experience. I just bought 2 Michelin tires this week, and they have plenty of weights on them. In fact, they took more weights than any of the other tires I ever bought for either of my vehicles. And, I usually do not buy expensive tires.

 

[Soundguy]

That has not been my experience. I just bought 2 Michelin tires this week, and they have plenty of weights on them. In fact, they took more weights than any of the other tires I ever bought for either of my vehicles. And, I usually do not buy expensive tires.

funny you mention this.

my wife has a yukon. had expensive tires on it always.. was riding so bad thought it needed an alignment.. decided that tires were wore enought that I would put new tires on before alignment.. money was a tad short so called around.. walmart had the best deal for 4 tires installed.. got 4 pretty cheap tires... leaving walmart hading to alignment place i called them and cancelled. truck rode like it was on rails.. the 4 65$ tires rode better than the 200$ tires it had on it.

soundguy

 

[clemsonfor]

You can always balence them now. Go back and ask to have it done, if they charge you more just pay it you wont worry. But tons of folks on hauler trailers dont do it. I have 4 trailers with a total of 10 tires on them, one car hauler, one 4x8, and two boat trailers. NOne are balanced and only 2 of them have actual trailer tires on them, which i a whole nother argument.

 

[clemsonfor]

funny you mention this.

my wife has a yukon. had expensive tires on it always.. was riding so bad thought it needed an alignment.. decided that tires were wore enought that I would put new tires on before alignment.. money was a tad short so called around.. walmart had the best deal for 4 tires installed.. got 4 pretty cheap tires... leaving walmart hading to alignment place i called them and cancelled. truck rode like it was on rails.. the 4 65$ tires rode better than the 200$ tires it had on it.

soundguy

This is because the more expensive tires have a harder rubber compound so that they last longer and get that high treadwear number, like michelins do. This causes more bumps to be felt as well as road noise. The cheaper tires have a lower number on the treadwear than your old ones do i bet. Im guessing the new ones are either a treadwear 400 or 440. Your old ones were prolly 500 or so.