Horse Trailers - Tires

Wingnut · Mar 30, 2002

Well, I found the thread on trailers to be of great interest ... but, unfortunately, about 3 years too late. I managed to find a horse trailer that looked pretty good to me ... for the price ... and I will get around to fixing it up real soon now.
What I bought was a 20+ year old Cherokee 2 horse bumperpull unit. Little rust on the back door so I plan to get to some sheet metal work this spring.
Anyway ... I have a totally different question.
Tires.
With this puppy just a-sittin' all the time, I haven't worried overmuch about them, but they are balding and starting to lose air and getting weather-checked ... so, before I actually put this old girl to use, she's gotta have new shoes. And I'll have to admit that I've never bought tires for a trailer (other than the crappy 8" things for snowmobile and bike trailers.
What do I buy? Are there special trailer tires? Do I use light truck tires?
And, while we're at it ... are electric brakes a refittable item or do I need to buy new axles if I discover (as I'm sure I will) that she doesn't have brakes ...?

muchos gracias!

Charlie_Iliff · Mar 30, 2002

Wingnut:
I've usually relied on manufacturers specs on tires and had pretty good luck. Don't rely on the recommendation of the tire store unless you know them well. Some tire salesmen don't believe that trailers need decent tires.
Radials are probably a bit better, but the most important thing is to be sure the tires are rated for the maximum gross weight of your trailer. You will be told they don't need to be balanced. Politely insist not only that they be balanced, but that your wheels be checked for roundness and runout before mounting, and that the tires actually be checked for roundness before they leave the tire store. I actually had tires on a trailer, although high speed balanced, shake a trailer so badly some welds cracked.
Electric blakes usually are easily repairable. Replacement of shoes or whole assemblies is easy. I've had great luck with Franklin Trailers, Inc.

Terrell · Mar 31, 2002

I am also shopping around for trailer tires for my 14 ft flatbed. I found www.sears.com,www.tirerack.com and www.firestone.com to be useful sites. I wouldn't buy them over the internet, i.e. shipping cost, but all list tires for trailers. What I have found is the load range is usually higher.

s1120 · Mar 31, 2002

I have found the Goodyear Marathon to be one of the best trailer tires out there. I also think they are the only radal tire on the market.

Bird · Mar 31, 2002

Wingnut, yes, there are tires made specifically for trailers; real easy to tell which ones they are. Part of the tire size designation includes some alpha characters as well as the numbers; i.e., "P" for passenger cars, "LT" for light trucks, etc. and if you get tires with the "ST" designation for special trailer tires, you'll be better off. Since trailer tires frequently "die" from dry rot before they wear out, the ST tires are supposed to have some chemical makeup that is more resistant to UV rays. You can get them in both bias ply and radial tires and having used both for many years, I'd strongly recommend the radials. I don't know for sure how many tire manufacturers make the radials now; Goodyear was first and I know that B.F. Goodrich also has them. I've used both, sold the Goodrichs when they first came out, and they're both good.

Egon · Mar 31, 2002

Bird:
My trailer has goodyear radial tires on it. Two 6000# axles, trailer rated at 10,000#. They also come in different load ratings as I found out when I priced out the cost of one at the dealer. A little shocked at the price.

Egon

cowboydoc · Mar 31, 2002

Excellent posts on trailer tires for sure. I will echo the thoughts though to NOT go cheap on trailer tires! The hardest thing on horses is trailering them. The smoother the ride the better. The ST tires are the best and for sure get radials! Make sure all four tires are the same as well and yes balance them!

Bird · Mar 31, 2002

Yep, they do come in different load ratings just like pickup tires do. My '88 fifth wheel came originally with Goodrich bias ply trailer tires and I ruined 2 of them and damaged a third one on a trip to Alaska and back in 1990; my fault, not the tires because it was a rough road and I was overloaded. So I replaced the entire suspension from the frame to the ground with heavier axles, springs, brakes, wheels, AND tires. That was shortly after Goodyear came out with the radial trailer tires, and as far as I know, the only one making them at that time, so that's what I used. Never had another tire problem, even going to Alaska and back again in '91. However, for the months I was in Alaska that summer I worked for my brother's tire dealership (B.F. Goodrich) and they came out with the ST radial tires that year, and I not only sold quite a few, but one of my brothers (who first thought it wasn't worth it to change to radials) finally put a set on his big fifth wheel. I'm convinced that you'll find the radials to be "cheaper". Yes, they cost a little more, but will last enough longer to make the overall cost less, not to mention the smoother ride and better handling. And like Cowboydoc said, you do want to have them balanced when they're put on.

Wingnut · Apr 1, 2002

thanks for all the posts, fellas.
OK .. ST radials it is and all 4 will be balanced.
Wasn't sure about the radials ... I remember the "old days" when we pulled the radials off all the work trucks we bought and installed bias ply ... but that was long ago ...
The balancing wouldn't have been a question ... can't understand folks that figure you don't need to balance any and all tires that you use on the road. Why pay for more wear and tear than you need to?
I especially take your point, Richard, about the ride for the horses .... it's already rough on them - being confined and then the road motions and noise ... so any added comfort (soft ride, less sway) is A GOOD THING - as Martha would say.

Charlie_Iliff · Apr 1, 2002

Wingnut:
Although I already put it in an earlier post, I want to stress getting the wheels checked for roundness and runout. The tire place can do it easily. I have found bad wheels several times on trailers, I suspect because less care was taken or less money spent because they were for a trailer. If they aren't true, balancing won't help, and they shake your trailer and horses.