Brand new tire and rim...but 15 years old

[slowzuki]

For what its worth I've had good luck with old tires that have not been exposed to UV and ozone stored in a cool dry area. I've had poor luck with old tires that are in the direct light, I use them on old farm wagons etc not on road going vehicles.

Tires do degrade with age to some degree, but to apply a blanket number of years from florida to alaska is pretty silly. Everything from florida is damaged by sun so rapidly compared to elsewhere. Its similar to the baby seat expiration dates, if it has been stored out of the sun, and not left in
hot cars, it isn't going to age the same.

 

[BoFuller]

For what its worth I've had good luck with old tires that have not been exposed to UV and ozone stored in a cool dry area. I've had poor luck with old tires that are in the direct light, I use them on old farm wagons etc not on road going vehicles.

Tires do degrade with age to some degree, but to apply a blanket number of years from florida to alaska is pretty silly. Everything from florida is damaged by sun so rapidly compared to elsewhere. Its similar to the baby seat expiration dates, if it has been stored out of the sun, and not left in
hot cars, it isn't going to age the same.

I agree that the location has a lot to do with it. Tires don't last long in our hot dry AZ sun, so I replace tires way more often than when I lived in Ohio. Trailer, car, motorcycle, all take a beating here.

 

[2manyrocks]

Only thoughts from my experience...

Seems double axle trailers are very hard on tires... even new tires.

I have a lot of old tires under old cars and trailers... some are more than 50 years old...

I don't think I would trust any of them under a double axle trailer.

Might work just fine on a single axle... lot less stress on the tire when you eliminate scrub.

I have two single axle utility trailers and a single axle car carrier... the tube type tires are at least 15 years old, the car carrier is 8 or 10 ply... I have no plans to change any of them in the near future...

Another thing to check is the valve stem... not unusual for the stem to be the weak link...

Just asking ---tandem trailers are harder on tires than a single axle? Moving my tandem axle trailer with my tractor it seems like there is more stress in any turn than with a single axle.

 

[Snaker]

I bet his sales are though the roof replacing the defective ones. I am by no means a expert but I do tow a lot. This year will be 15,000 miles or so but I be I have average 10,000 miles per year for the last 20 years so I have learned what works and does not.

At the rate I tow I replace about every 3 years so he is not far off with 4 years. I would not go longer than 6 years anyway. Just not worth it. I have changed 5 flat tires in the last month on trailers. Just not fun.

I am all about saving money as well as the next guy but there are some things I just know I am going to have to do. Trailer tires every 3rd season, boat batteries every 3rd season, ect. Just the cost of doing business.

Funny thing is I have had 3 trailer tire spares that have never touched the ground fail while on the carrier. One blew up in my drive. Luckly I was not near it, blew the whole sidewall out but sounded like a 12 gauge. It was 2 years old. Another I was driving down the road and heard something loud then seen something flapping. Got out and the tread was 90% off. It was 5 years old. The last one a employee at the marina was weed-eating and said he was about 20 feet from it and saw it come apart. He said there was a glare off another boats chrome wheels and he felt it heated it up.

Here is a link where I had trouble 2 weeks ago with Goodyear Marathons.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/208950-hercules-trailer-tires.html


Chris

For commercial use trailers the cost of frequent tire replacements can be justified for the typical business reasons but for occasional personal trailers I don't think its as neccesary. As you noted, a tire with a defect or impact damage can burst at any time so you can never guarantee not having a roadside change. For most users the look of a tire (sidewall weather checking and cracks in the tread) is a very accurate indicator of the tires condition.

For trailers or any equipment that stays put for long periods I like to use foot long scraps of 2x lumber to keep the tire out of the dirt or carpet scraps on concrete and also some sort of sun shade.

I would feel safer using tires that have light weather checking going 60mph than using brand new tires and going 85mph like a lot of these road idiots do.

I hope your selling the tires your pulling off because part time pullers like me would scoop them up in a heartbeat.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The good ones I keep around for spares but that is usually 1/2 of them. I have sold a few on CL. As for storage we put everything on jack stands. If not flat spots form and we end up with more troubles. We only do this if its going to be sitting for 2 months or more. I do not do this to my car haul trailer. Its only 1,300# or so empty and tandem axle and it lives in my pole barn on concrete.

Chris

 

[Snaker]

Just asking ---tandem trailers are harder on tires than a single axle? Moving my tandem axle trailer with my tractor it seems like there is more stress in any turn than with a single axle.

I worked on C130 airplanes for many years. They have two jumbo tandem wheels on each side for the main landing gear. They get towed around the flightline very often and are allowed a very small degree of turn limit. Even so you could see the rear tire leaning against the strain and leaving black marks on the tarmack.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just asking ---tandem trailers are harder on tires than a single axle? Moving my tandem axle trailer with my tractor it seems like there is more stress in any turn than with a single axle.

A single axle with one tire on each side does not build up the stress when turning...

In a way, it is similar to driving your tractor in 4wd on a hard surface...

The old premium trailer tires I have are nylon... and they are very tough... maybe part of the problem is radials on trailers?

 

[oldyellr]

The tire lobby has been pushing for mandatory tire replacement intervals in this country for some time... it's guaranteed business.

When I worked in Germany... tires were required to be replaced... the reason being the autobahn has sections without speed limits.

I would be hard pressed to find tires for some of my old cars... the white gum rubber tires for my 1905 Oldsmobile are only made by one company and they only make them every couple of years...

Of course you're right. The recommendation that I quoted that tires stored for more than six years should not be used, and that all tires be replaced 10 years after their manufacture date, came from an article about dealers selling outdated tires as new. While NOS (new old stock) tires are a godsend for vintage automobiles, probably selling 10-year-old tires for use on new equipment without disclosing the fact and giving a huge discount would be a bit shady.

Somebody mentioned that using old, weathered tires for occasional home use is not a big deal. Well, you have to use common sense. I had a 40-year-old utility trailer I'd been using occasionally to carry light (and sometimes not so light) loads. In fact, once I tried to haul a load of firewood and tore up 2 tires before discovering that the springs were collapsing to the point where the sidewalls rubbed on some bolts, so I ended up bolting in "shocks" made of angle iron to disable the springs. I never worried about the tires even though they were old and cracked, because I always kept them inflated hard and routinely checked them for heat. Some time ago I needed to pick up a yard of gravel from about 10 miles away. When I went to leave the yard, the poor old trailer broke in half. It's probably the best thing that could have happened because it would have been a real mess if it had been out on the road. I then thought about those little 8" wheels with the cracked tires and wonder if they would have survived the trip if the trailer had. When I think about it now, I just shake my head. What could I have been thinking?